In this series, I’ve been writing about finding, training and keeping great coaches.
Here’s how to help your coaches make great careers, step by step.
The Path to a Career
First, don’t assume that every great coach is a full-time coach. Our kids won’t punch a 40-hour clock. They’ll understand the value of work-life balance and choose vocations over jobs. That’s OK: A great coach can work part time. Read more here:
Step 1: At your quarterly Career Growth ToolKit meeting, ask your coach: “What do you want now?” Ask the coach to tell you about his or her perfect day. Ask how your gym can support that perfect day. Ask where he or she would like to be in six months.
Step 2: Determine how much the coach needs to earn to reach those goals. Using tools like the Happiness Index (and his or her personal budget), calculate a goal number.
Step 3: Use our Career Growth ToolKit tool (we give it to you in the Incubator) to work backward from that number. Create opportunities to do personal training, specialty programs, nutrition coaching or more groups. It’s all laid out in our free Intrapreneurialism 101 Guide, which you can download here.
Step 4: Determine the starting position. What will the coach need to learn in order to capitalize on this plan? Will he or she need a certification before starting a kids program, for example? Will the coach need to take the Two-Brain Coaching First Degree before he or she can work with 1:1 clients?
Step 5: Measure progress. Perform regular reviews as part of Career Growth ToolKit meetings.
**Step 6:** Give the coach an opportunity to open his or her own business under your brand. After you’ve taught the coach how to be an “Intrapreneur,” you can help him or her step outside your protective umbrella and open a gym. Read “Go With Them” here:
We’ll have a new Masterclass to help you duplicate your gym (and equity opportunities for your coaches!) in our Growth Stage soon.
The key to all of this is asking your coaches, “What do you want now?”
Some might want more money. Some might want more opportunity. Some want consistency; some are willing to take risk in exchange for equity. But no one wants the same thing forever.
The best way to help your coaches build a career is to mentor them to success.
Who’s mentoring you to yours?
Other Articles in This Series
Training Coaches: How to Find New Coaches
Training Coaches: Internships
Training Coaches: Scope of Practice
Training Coaches: Continuing Education
