One strength I have is the ability to retain team members for a long time….like years. I have 3 team members celebrating their 5 year anniversary with our company this year. And half a dozen hitting 2 years.
Since this is an area that some Gym Owners struggle with, I wanted to share how I make conscious efforts to retain team members.
BE CONSISTENT
One of the #1 thing that pushes people away from a company is a negative culture. If the leader is quick to anger, blaming others, emotionally unstable or not consistent then the team will bail fast.
Business can be an emotionally charging subject.
When things are going bad it can feel like they will be bad forever. When things are going good, it’s easy to show up as the optimistic leader. I aim to show up neutral no matter how things are going in the business because I know both are temporary.
Winning seasons end.
Losing sessions end.
My team can count on me being very consistent. I make it to all meetings. I work the same hours everyday. I don’t get too emotionally stirred up but I’m human it happens sometimes. I never make a big decision without sleeping on it. I ask for their input in big decisions.
These are ways they can count on me being consistent so they never feel like the sky is falling.
CREATE STRUCTURE
Even though most people say they crave freedom, the irony is that you can only find that in structure. As Jocko Willink says….Discipline = Freedom. Your team might like the idea of having a fluid schedule but it makes your life very difficult as a business owner.
You need predictability and routine. They need it too. We all do better when we can have a dependable routine and build our lives around it. Team members that need constant changes to their schedule are a pain in the neck and make your business 10x more complicated to operate.
I make a conscious effort to hire people with their schedule pre-planned so they can say “yes” or “no” to that schedule during the interview. If they try to negotiate on the schedule,I pass on them.
I’m very clear on what I want so it’s easy to say no if I can’t get it.
I know many Gym Owners with Coaches who have non-structured schedules. That makes you feel like the inmates are running the asylum. You need to create a clear job schedule and shop around the market.
This showed up recently when I needed an evening Coach at one location and an applicant asked if they could coach ½ the sessions instead of all of them. I said no and was prepared to let them walk even though I REALLY liked them. She got the schedule on her end adjusted so she can run all the evening sessions.
In most cases…it’s just a matter of asking and being firm in what you need for your business. Don’t negotiate! It’s a slippery slope. Once they see that you are negotiable, be prepared for one question after another. You set the tone from the beginning of the relationship.
THINK OF WAYS TO PAY THEM MORE
This is contrary to how most bosses would look at business. They might be thinking “how can I make as much money as possible from this business?”
But I know the old adage from Zig Ziglar…you can get everything you want out of life if you help people get what they want.
I know that fitness tends to attract driven folks who are growth minded and want to make more income over time. I definitely don’t start with a team member here, they have to earn my trust over time.
In fact, if I’m interviewing someone and the first thing they talk about is money then it’s a huge turn off. I’m listening for impact driven responses because I believe about serving and impacting first and the money will follow.
Once a team member has shown me they can be consistent in their role, we agree on core values and they have the work ethic, I think of ways to help them make more money. I know that will help me retain them as a team member and they will not need to pick up other jobs or start side hustles.
If they’ve talked about side hustles or they have one, I see how we can partner up on the venture inside of our company. It obviously has to be non-competitive. We’ve had people offer yoga classes for an extra fee, online coaching, protein cookies, meal prep affiliates and more.
We’ve also had multiple commission structures – sales commission, retention commission and supplement commission.
I’m actually working on two new ways to pay our team members more so I can keep the rock stars longer. It also helps me to attract the best Coaches when they hear there’s growth opportunities.
I will tell you this…I’ve observed that Coaches are VERY hourly driven so commissions might not speak to them. They tend to appreciate certainty and guaranteed wages over performance based bonuses. But every company has a cap on hourly and eventually performance must be the next path for growth so that we are all rewarded for winning or taking a pay cut if we lose.
I can go on and on about this subject but I hope these 3 strategies help you to think of how to keep your team members for the long haul.
Which of these are you following already? Which do you need to add?