By Ashley Haun, Certified Two-Brain Fitness Business Mentor
In January 2020, my gym was humming along.
We had two full-time staff members: one general manager and one head coach, along with five part-time coaches and one nutrition coach. We had done our annual plan and settled into working to increase revenue by 25 percent per month.
I was pushing my team. I was pushing the revenue. I was pushing every aspect of the business too fast and too hard. It felt like I was standing behind each staff member and forcing him or her uphill. They were willing to climb the hill but unsure where the top was, and everyone was getting tired.
In March 2020, COVID-19 had reached our state, and we were to shut down. I knew then that my staff members were going to need to rest and shelter in place, and they would only be able to give minimally of themselves.
So I had to pivot quickly. I had to give them a workload they felt they could handle—a load that would allow them to thrive.
I also had to save my gym. So I dug deep and took a step back in my entrepreneurial journey. I went to work serving my members and delivering an experience they would never forget during a pandemic and global lockdown.
In July 2020, we were allowed to reopen, and my staff and I went into survival mode. Over the next few months, my vision for the gym began to come into focus.
I started to meet with my team weekly, I wrote about the gym being a light in a dark world, and I began to act like the light I wanted them to be to our gym members. I led them with a vision they could see, feel, touch and witness.
With that vision in place, my team members found small flames within themselves. I was no longer pushing them or trying to light them up. They had their own flames.
Now, my job is to always help them see the destination at the end of the path we are all walking down. We are no longer marching uphill, and I am no longer constantly pushing everyone. Instead, I am lighting the way for others to follow. It’s so much better this way.
My advice: Live your vision and state it loudly and repeatedly until you light your staff and team from within.
Do you need help finding your vision? Try this: Stand in front of your gym tomorrow. Close your eyes and imagine everything you want happening inside and outside your gym. Who are the people who come? What are they doing? What’s the feeling you get when you see their actions? This could be the start of your vision. Do this exercise daily until you receive clarity.
If you need more help. I am here for you.
Additional Resource: “Two Brain Radio: When No One Sees Your Vision (and It’s All Your Fault)”
