What are your team's dysfunctions?

Last week while attending IHRSA30 in San Francisco, I had the opportunity to see to speakers that touched on my area of focus - leadership and team building.  First, we heard Dan Pink talk about his book Drive, and I will be writing soon about the reactions of my fitness industry colleagues to that presentation.

To open the sessions on Thursday morning, we heard from Pat Lencioni,  founder of The Table Group.  His presentation was based loosely around several of his books, but most impactful to me was the focus around Five Dysfunctions of a Team.  Take a look at his comments Dysfunction #1 - Absence of Trust:

He continues throughout his presentation to discuss the other dysfunctions; Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability, and Inattention to Results.  While those are important, unless you and your team can work together and trust each other, with vulnerable trust, then you cannot successfully address the other dysfunctions. 

Riding the escalator afterwards, I heard two gentlemen behind me discussing their thoughts on Pat's presentation as it applied to their team.  "Forget about the last four - we haven't nearly gotten a handle on the first one yet.  Do you think it's possible?"  While I didn't turn around and answer, my thought was "YES!"  While it may be difficult, it's all about having leaders who are vulnerable, who admit their weaknesses and allow their teams to see them working towards becoming better.  If that kind of honest leadership is there, it resonates and allows the rest of the team to grow that way as well.

What do you think?  How dysfunctional is your team?  Contact me, Kelli Hatton, and let me know your thoughts!

You call that leadership??

I'm a sucker for good quotes.  All my life I've been uplifted by words that help bolster my thinking, remind me that things are better than they seem, or change my perspective on a given situation.  This morning, I found the following video that gives quotes about one of my favorite topics, leadership:

One of the reasons that I'm talking about this video is not all the great quotes that are included, although there are some really good ones.  The comments listed after the video on YouTube are what got me today.  The first few comments are positive, mentioning how true the comments are and how an entire class watched this for a leadership class they were taking.  Next, however, we hear from the person who is NOT a leader - the comment being, "evaluate is misspelled {evalutate}...at 2:26 in the video."  Ok, so maybe evaluate is mis-spelled - but don't you think there are so many more good points in the video that you mention that later, not right out of the gate? 

This person's comment mirrors what we see happen with managers, not leaders.  A leader is someone who will help those he or she leads to focus on the their strengths and help them to grow.  Does that mean that a leader ignores mistakes?  Of course not!  The difference, though, is how and when those mistakes are handled. 

In the fitness industry, do you see more managers, or true leaders?  Send me, Kelli Hatton, examples of the leaders you know - I'd love to learn more about them and the teams that they lead.

Focus, focus, focus

During a visit to Louisiana last week, I had the chance to talk with several fitness facility owners - a few that have had their facilities for a long time, and some that are in the planning stages and will be opening soon.  These visits are the most rewarding part of my job with Fitmarc - allowing me to learn more about challenges in our markets and how I can help.  Many of the challenges deal with focus - if a facility is focused on creating a great customer service experience, then  membership sales and retention numbers are easier to grow. 

One of my best visits was with Troy Archer of Spectrum Fitness in Baton Rouge.  Troy has several facilities that have been Fitmarc customers for years, and we met at his Southdowns facility that will be a customer soon.  We spent 45 minutes focused on how Fitmarc could help Southdowns connect with his members and prospects in a more meaningful way - the type of conversation that let me know his focus is in the right place.  From walking through his group fitness room to plan a more member-friendly workout environment, to discussing different ways he could reward members for promoting Spectrum in social media, the focus was all about the members.  I was able to share resources with Troy that will streamline the way Spectrum communicates with and services their members, which will be a key to his facility's growth over the coming years.

So why should a fitness facility's focus be on members?  If they aren't, then your business won't succeed.  Industry consultant Thomas Plummer said in his latest blog post, 

"Why do so many people that hate working with people open clubs? This is the worst part of our business; we are service intensive and no matter what you do as an owner you are wrong to many of your clients. But that, on the other hand, is the nature of being in small business and is no different than being in a restaurant, bank or any other service business. Making people happy, getting results and making money from that combination is what we do for a living whether you like it or not. Miserable members don’t pay. Happy members refer and pay. Pissed off members will get even. Members who just lost five pounds will tell everyone in their office. You being miserable and hate being in your own club will lead to miserable members who will suddenly find themselves happier at a club down the street."

So, where is your focus?  Contact me, Kelli Hatton, and let me know your thoughts! 

It's About the Connection

Earlier this week, I read an article by Ivan Misner in Entrepeneur Magazine, "Don't Make This Networking Mistake," that talked about the reasons that people attend networking events.  Most revealing to me was his story of an event he had recently attended.  The speaker walked out on stage and said, “How many of you came here hoping to do some business today, maybe even make a sale?” The overwhelming majority of the people in the audience raised their hands. Then he asked, “How many of you are here hoping to buy something today?” Not one person raised a hand.

This story brought back memories of a conversation I had with a supervisor early in my management career.  As I was lobbying for the reasons I should attend a national networking event, he looked at me and said, "If you can't guarantee me you will come back with five contracts, I don't see a need for you to go."  With lots more persuading, I did get to attend the event, and it was, in my eyes, a smashing success.  While I didn't come home with signed contracts, I connected with many people in our industry whose relationships have been far more valuable than five signed contracts could have been.

So why do you attend networking events?  As we prepare for IHRSA30 in San Francisco next month,       I would love to hear from you on why you attend, what you expect to gain from your attendance, and how you prepare for such an event.  Your preparation and expectations could mean the difference between coming home disappointed that you had no sales, or ecstatic with the connections you made that could fuel your business for a lifetime.

Why attend IHRSA30?

In just a few short weeks, fitness professionals will descend upon the Moscone Center in San Francisco for IHRSA's 30th Anniversary International Convention and Trade Show.  Having personally taken a hiatus from attending the event for the last two years, I am looking forward to re-connecting with customers, colleagues and friends attending.  Also exciting to me this year is the lineup of keynote speakers - one, Daniel Pink, was featured in my blog a few months ago when I commented on his book Drive. 

Will you be attending IHRSA this year?  If so, what are your reasons for attending?  I'd love to hear from you about what you plan to see, do and learn at IHRSA30 next month - contact me, Kelli Hatton, and let me know your thoughts!

Keys to Small Group Training Success

Keys to Small Group Training Success

View more presentations from Kelli Hatton.

Losing LaLanne

The news of Jack LaLanne's passing this week spread quickly throughout our industry.  As the "Godfather of Fitness," he paved the way for those of us with careers in fitness.

While reading some of our industry leaders' responses to Jack's death, I read the following written by my friend Geoff Dyer, founder of Lifestyle Family Fitness: 

“I invited Jack to come here three years ago on behalf of Humana, Healthways/Silver Sneakers and Lifestyle Family Fitness. We shared the expense equally! We paid him approximately $22,000 for him and Elaine to come here for two days. He was 92 years old at that time. We started each day at 6 a.m. Each day we met with at least three radio stations and two newspapers and a couple of TV interviews…at least a dozen interviews in two days. The media loved him!!! The members waited 60 deep in three clubs to meet him, shake his hand and get his autograph. His famous line to the media was, ‘I thank you from the bottom of my bottom,’ and, “I am not ready to die; it would be bad for my image.’ We became good friends from that visit. He will be missed.” 

Having the opportunity to meet Jack and Elaine during their visit to Lifestyle Family Fitness was an experience I will never forget.  His energy and desire to share his passion for health and fitness reminded me why I became a part of this industry....and why I remain. 

The Secret to Profitable Small Group Training

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet Reggie Jackson in Decatur, Alabama.  As I drove up to his new facility, he was preparing for the ribbon cutting ceremony at Personal Health in Training, a studio dedicated to providing exceptional customer service, while changing people's lives through fitness.  Upon walking into his studio, I met his wife and their staff of new and excited trainers, all ready to start this new venture and make an impact on their community.

  I was impressed by Reggie and his team because of their dedication to starting this new business in the right way - by training his staff to provide safe and effective workouts, that would be fun and results oriented.  When we talked about his plan and how I could help, we focused on his plan to use small group training to drive their facility - offering customers the chance to experience personal training, but at a much lower cost.  Since most personal trainers are trained to deliver private sessions rather than group sessions, the small group training model can be a challenge for even the best personal trainer to deliver.  Recognizing this possible challenge, Reggie chose to add BODYPUMP and BODYATTACK to his facility to maximize delivery of safe and effective programs, while allowing his trainers to learn valuable presentation skills through a rigorous and thoughtfully executed group training module.  After their initial training, his trainers will continue to be educated through quarterly program updates, to keep their skills - and their programming - on the cutting edge.

Could your facility benefit from small group training?  Are you currently running a successful group training program now, or are you looking to add one in the future?  Contact me, Kelli Hatton, to tell me what you think about group training and it's place in our industry - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Customer Service, Peggy Style

By now most of us have seen the Discover card commercials where "Peggy," a customer service agent in some frozen tundra, gives us an example of what really horrible customer service is like.  If you haven't - take a look:

Remembering an episode in your past where you encountered equally horrible customer service?  If so, you can probably recite it in detail - and probably did, right after it happened, to anyone who could listen.  Now, put on your leadership hat and think about what your customers experience when they call or visit your fitness center - what kind of customer service experience awaits them, and who are they telling about it?

Use these steps to make sure your customers don't encounter Peggy at your facility:

1. Hire the right people:  Any position that requires someone to come in contact with customers is a customer service positioin.  In our industry, that's everyone in the center - from the cleaners wiping down the equipment, to the fitness staff, child care attendants...you get the idea.  When interviewing, ask people questions that test their abilities to relate to others, even when frustrated. 
2. Train, train, train:  Peggy hung up the phone because "she" encountered a question that "she" could not answer - obviously because there was no training.  Being well trained doesn't mean that your staff can answer every question, but it does mean that they can handle any situation.  When bringing on a new staff member, make sure that you cover all scenarios possible, and give them the guidance to know how to answer. 
3. Be aware of what your customers are experiencing:  No leader can be around 24/7, but there should be someone observing your staff to constantly monitor their customer service skills.  Have a company "shop" your facility, to truly learn what goes on when your staff doesn't know that they are being graded.  You might be surprised at what you find...
4. Be aware of what your customers are saying:  It's easy today to know what's being said about your facility - Google your name and see what comes up.  You should have someone dedicated to watching your facilities online reputation, because it may be the reason that your sales and retention are slipping.  People are quick to share bad experiences with their friends and acquaintances - if someone does have a bad experience at your facility, make sure you know about it and take direct steps to rectify the situation.

If you have any questions about setting up any of the above steps, email me and I can help you get started.

Engaged Employees Create Loyal Customers

As an A-List customer on Southwest Airlines, I have experienced a few fun and unusual flights in my day.  Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to be on one of David Holmes' flights yets.  David, a flight attendant for Southwest, shows the impact that a truly engaged and dedicated employee can have, not only on your other staff, but on your customers.  There are several videos of David's rap performances floating around YouTube - below is a video with a segment done by CBS News on this rapping airline sensation.

David is a prime example of an engaged employee - putting his customers first and creating an experience that they will never forget and, more importantly, will want to experience again.