Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a people-first thinker.
In my mind, the training gym is primarily an analogue business, however we approach the digital aspect of our offering. To me, this means that the success of our facilities will live and die by the quality of our people.
In the wake of last week’s JCV Leadership Group Meetup – with 20-odd of the most promising bright minds in the industry around one table – here are two of the biggest pain points I’m seeing around staffing, and how I’d go about addressing them.
Staffing pain point #1: attracting great people
One of the most common queries we get in our network is, “Where/how do I find great people to recruit?”
Unfortunately for us, there is no silver bullet to this common issue. Yes, we can post a job ad online, we can scour the local gyms for standout coaches, and we can lurk in the alumni networks of local universities for promising graduates to headhunt.
But the real answer to this question is simply: “Be a great business”.
If you’re doing all the right things – solid product, outstanding client experience, superlative space – and combining them with the right strategies to build visibility – a multi-channel marketing approach that makes you famous in your local area along with far-reaching digital credibility – the right people will come to you.
If you’re having trouble finding good people, start by getting your own house in order first. This will improve your employer brand, allow you to market and ‘sell’ the facility to the best potential recruits, and leave you in a strong position for securing the best staff for your team.
Staffing pain point #2: keeping great people
I’ve learned the hard way that the best people won’t stick around without the right working conditions. Again, the foundation of solving this issue is making sure that your business is best-of-class front-to-back.
But this alone isn’t enough. We need to incentivise people in the three most important aspects of their lives: financial (pay them properly and competitively); personal (allow them the work-life balance they need to invest time in their own stuff); and professional (help them keep learning and developing their career).
The above is all pretty basic stuff. But I’ve found an added layer of complication arises in the actual implementation of this ‘simple’ talent strategy.
We need to think carefully and be proactive in managing the relationship with our staff. I always go back to the radical candour model here, which encourages us to challenge people robustly and openly from a position of care – instead of slipping into ruinous empathy (where you can’t challenge people, even though you care about them) or manipulative insincerity (where you neither challenge people, nor care about them).
I also think that we need to set expectations upfront about how we’ll support people to grow in their career. I’m 100% for getting behind my people’s professional development – I’ll facilitate and support them – but I’m also 100% clear that it’s their responsibility, not mine, to be behind the wheel for the journey.
Lastly, I think it’s also really important to be transparent about our staff’s career trajectory and place in the business. We’re unlikely to be their last employer, and that’s OK. In the time that we’re working together, let’s both of us give 100% – and when we part ways, we can do so with our heads held up.
Sign up to my weekly newsletter to get exclusive JCV insights straight into your inbox every week.