At some point, every gym owner looks at a staff member and thinks, “I need to get rid of this person.”
Maybe they’re not cleaning up after their classes. Maybe they’re slow to call leads back. Maybe you’ve caught yourself muttering, “Nobody cares about this place except me.”
Most of the time, that instinct is wrong.
It’s not a people problem. It’s a process problem. And you created it.
If you replace that person without fixing the process, you’ll have the exact same problem with the next person you hire.
The Most Expensive Mistake I Ever Made
Years ago, I sat down and added up all the money I’d spent on staff before I’d written down the processes my gym should run on.
It was hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This was at a time when my gym didn’t have a single dollar to waste. But I was pouring money into people without telling them exactly what to do, and then I was surprised and disappointed when they failed.
Staff are the most important investment in your gym. I was making that investment blind.
So before you look at your staff member, look in the mirror. Most performance problems aren’t people problems. They’re processes you never finished.
Sean and the Soapless Mop
I once had a cleaner named Sean. His checklist said, “Mop the floors.”
So he did.
But he didn’t use any soap, because I never wrote, “Pour a cup of soap into the hot water first.”
The dirty floors were my fault, not Sean’s. He followed my instructions exactly. I just never told him what I actually meant.
That’s the trap. We assume our own knowledge is common sense, and then we blame someone else for missing a step we never wrote down.
Fire Sean over that, and the next cleaner mops without soap, too.
4 Questions to Ask Yourself First
Before you blame your staff member, answer these four questions honestly:
- Have I told them exactly what to do and how to do it? Not just the task, but the actual substeps I want them to follow.
- Have I shown them what a good job looks like? Your definition of “clean” or “on time” isn’t automatically theirs. Spell it out. Better yet, take a picture of a clean bathroom and make that the gold standard.
- Have I reviewed their performance with them on a real schedule? Not quietly noticed problems and kept a silent scoreboard in my head until I got mad enough to say something.
- Do they have an emotional reason to care beyond “It’s your job—do it well”? People skip tasks that feel invisible. Show them who’s affected when the work doesn’t get done, and they’re far more likely to do it right.
If you can’t answer yes to all four, you don’t have a people problem yet.
You have work to do first.
3 Questions That Tell You It Really Is a People Problem
Now let’s say you’ve done the work. You’ve spelled out the process, shown the standard, reviewed performance and given your staff member a reason to care.
And the problem is still there.
Now you’re looking at something different.
Even a great person can be in the wrong seat on the bus. I’m not a great cleaner, but I’m a decent motivator. Put me on cleaning duty full time, and I won’t stay happy no matter how clear the checklist is.
So ask three more questions:
- Do they have a clear view of their future in the gym? Or do they think they’ll be doing this exact task on repeat forever—especially when they’re bored?
- Does their future depend on succeeding at one narrow task? Are you judging a great coach’s worth by how well they sweep the floor or answer the phone?
- Will this person be part of the team that gets you to your next level? Or did they get you here without being built for where you’re going?
That last one is really common. A coach has been around for five or six years and feels a sense of ownership. Then the owner makes changes to make the business better or more profitable—and the coach isn’t a good fit anymore. Sometimes they actively push back.
The Most Useful Question You Can Ask a Staff Member
If someone isn’t meeting the standard and you’ve decided it really is a people problem, start here. Ask them directly:
“Do you still want to do this job?”
It’s one of the most useful questions you’ll ever ask.
Sometimes the answer is no. That’s a better outcome than a slow, resentful “maybe,” because it lets you both move forward—even if you’re not moving forward together.
What to Do With the Answer
If you’ve identified a process problem, don’t beat yourself up. Just go fix it:
- Document the process and write it as if you’re writing it for a 12-year-old.
- Show the standard.
- Put a real review schedule in place.
- Give people a reason to care.
Then get out of the way. The greatest gift you can give your staff is a real chance to succeed.
If it’s genuinely a people problem, that usually starts with an honest conversation about their path. It might end with a new seat on the bus—a role that actually fits them. In some cases, it ends with a mutual, respectful exit.
But here’s where I draw a line: The mechanics of ending someone’s employment—notice, documentation, what’s legally required where you operate—are a conversation for a lawyer or HR advisor. I’m not qualified to give you that advice, and neither is any other gym owner who might be in a different state or country.
Your job is the diagnosis and the coaching. Leave the paperwork to someone qualified to handle it.
Fix What’s Yours to Fix
I know you don’t want to hear this, but most of the time when you’re frustrated with a staff member, you don’t have a bad hire. You have a process they don’t understand because you never got it out of your head and onto paper.
Fix what’s yours to fix, and you’ll replace far fewer people than you think.
Want to hire a full-time coach but not sure you can afford it? Try our free Full-Time Coach Calculator. Enter the coach’s target salary, your services and your prices, and the tool will build a sample week. If the math doesn’t work, it’ll tell you what to change.
And if you want a mentor to help you build every process and role your gym needs, book a call here.
