health motivated health club
By: Jim Thomas
Jim Thomas’ Fitness Management & Consulting
In working with health club clients that are struggling and attempting to turn around their existing situation; one of the common things we see is managers and owners mistakenly thinking money, or the job itself, is the primary motivator for their staff. This rarely proves to be true and this type of thinking only makes the problems inside the club worse.
We have found the most important issues for most health club staff are: to be respected and the ability to respect who they are working for, a sense of accomplishment in a job well done, and recognition for performance. Money is important but it is not as critical as these other components. If you’re willing to accept this as being true, let’s look at how you can better motivate your health club staff:
1. Involve the staff in your health club.
Many health club employees want to be involved in the ongoing development and progress of their club. Since they are on the front line, they often have insightful ideas that can make a significant difference in the club. And when they are involved in the process, they buy-in quicker to changes and have less, if any, resistance. In other words, they own it. This means you can implement club changes more quickly and easily.
2. Communicate with your staff.
Very few health clubs can be accused of over-communicating. I hear it frequently said in the health club business that, “No news is good news.” However, most staff in a health club want regular updates on the progress of the club and their personal performance. Use everything you can think of to communicate: memos, email, text, telephone, and one-on-one and group meetings to keep your health club staff informed. Talk to your staff on a regular basis. Tell them what challenges are currently being faced in the club; they may have suggestions.
