How To Identify At-Risk Coaches
I give a plethora of advice to gym owners in regards to recognizing “At-Risk” members — those individuals whose attendance has dropped…
I give a plethora of advice to gym owners in regards to recognizing “At-Risk” members — those individuals whose attendance has dropped, their motivation is wavering and you know that for whatever reason, they have one foot out the door. We obviously need to prioritize these findings in order to keep our retention high and cash flow positive.
However, when was the last time you evaluated your “At-Risk” coaches or staff members? This is a concept that many gym owners, unfortunately, gloss over as they move through their hectic work schedules. Here’s a list of ways to identify At-Risk coaches and how to take action:
How Involved Are They In Your Gym Community?
Do your coaches punch the clock, coach their class and then punch out? Or are they sticking around, coming in to work out during their off-hours and socialize with members and staff? If you have part-time coaches, you have to respect their full-time gigs or other jobs they currently hold to sustain their livelihood. However, make sure they know that you still want to see their involvement in the gym outside of their coaching responsibilities. Coming in just to coach their class is not enough if you truly want to evolve your gym’s community and the “stickiness” between your members and staff. If your part-timers are hopeful that one day you will present them an opportunity to become full-time, then this is an absolute pre-requisite.
Are They Hungry For More?
Do your coaches crave more responsibility? Are they interested in helping you evolve the business by taking on additional roles — social media manager, quality control calls, retail management, cleaning the gym, etc? Maybe they are interested in these additional duties, but you haven’t created the opportunity for them. Every gym owner wants a coach who is as hungry for the success of the business as they are, but this is an unrealistic expectation. As owners, we are 10’s. We will put our blood, sweat, and tears into the business. However, an employee cannot be expected to have the exact same commitment because this is not their baby. It’s not their vision, it’s yours. What we should be looking for are coaches who are 7’s, 8’s and maybe 9’s (full-timers). That is a much more realistic scenario and one that works phenomenally well for the growth of your company. ***note: make sure you are paying them for any extra roles!
Do They Feel They Are Being Fairly Compensated?
This is a tough one for gym owners, but it’s a conversation you must have with your staff. Very rarely will an employee come to the boss and state their dissatisfaction with their pay rate, so it’s on us to inquire and simply ASK! Have a conversation with each staff member during their performance reviews (if you’re not doing this — start!) and find out how they feel on this topic. As the owner, you should know your payroll budget and if the coach presents a solid case for additional compensation and it aligns with your finances, it’s your call to make the adjustment. Think long-term on this and the lifetime value of that employee. If you don’t ask, it’s probably because you know you won’t like the answer.
How to Handle These Problems?
Monthly Staff Meetings — Create a public forum for your coaches to ask questions, make suggestions, bitch & complain and provide praise. Staff meetings are very beneficial because some employees may feel too intimidated to talk about this in person and there’s power in numbers. Also use this platform to give a current “state of the union” address on the business, plans for the upcoming year, and improvements you’d like to see made. Your staff can’t make the changes you want and conform to your vision if you don’t provide it to them.
Individual Performance Reviews — Here’s the chance to shut the door and have a private 1-on-1 conversation with your coaches. This is a much better option to provide constructive criticism to your employees (much better than chewing them out in front of others at your staff meeting) and allow a clear platform for communication. Make sure you keep records of these meetings so that you can address them down the road if problems persist or if they make drastic improvements. Do more listening than talking — make these meetings about that particular staff member and after they’ve aired their piece, come back with your comments as a professional business owner. You can have these as often as you see fit (quarterly, bi-annually, etc).
Know Your Staff — Who are they? What do they want to do in life with their coaching? What is their long-term goal? Where do they see themselves in 3, 5, 10 years? If you take an interest in your staff and show that you give a shit, it will be reciprocated more often than not. This can also benefit the business. Perhaps you have a coach who has aspirations of advanced gymnastics — this could be an opportunity to provide a specialty class to your gym (if the market demand is there). This is one of the sections of business that cannot be taught via the traditional MBA model. This is a human component and IMO, you either have it or you don’t.