They say the sum of a team is greater than its parts. And although creating a coaching “dream team” takes commitment and dedication, the end result can be magic. Both your business and your gym community can benefit when your coaches are focused on healthy habits.
On the other hand, the opposite can be true. If your team doesn’t prioritize their health or embrace their roles as guides toward a healthy lifestyle, your community will feel it. The results they initially came in for will be lacking and honestly, it just won’t be as fun.
As a gym owner, building a team that’s greater than the sum of its parts will take some work. It won’t just happen on its own, and will take a conscious, deliberate effort from each person.
As Gabe Yanez, Chief Marketing Officer with NCFIT, explained, it comes down to creating healthy habits that all team members embrace.
“The first step is to create a culture of clarity,” he said.
Simply put, habits cannot be built if expectations aren’t clear. For example, if coaches are required to show up ten minutes before class, that needs to be clearly outlined.
“Things need to be done a certain way, the gym needs to be kept a certain way,” said Yanez. “And when this is clear, and when people know what’s expected of them, then there’s never any resentment that can build up. If there isn’t a clear culture, then some people will go above and beyond and others will fall short.”
Five Habits of a Healthy Coaching Team.
1. Open to Feedback.
Second only to the culture of clarity, Yanez explained that creating a culture of feedback with your coaches also creates healthy habits. This means each coach should get in the habit of receiving - and giving - regular feedback without anyone getting defensive.
“It shouldn’t come across as if you did something wrong,” Yanez said. “It’s more about asking the coach questions, such as ‘Why did you teach it this way and why did you use this progression?’”
He continued, “Being humble is the name of the game. Even if you’re a Level 2 or Level 3 coach, you can learn something—a new cue, a progression—even from an intern coach. Having a culture where you can ask for and give feedback regardless of how long you have been coaching and how many credentials you have behind your name is really important.”
Coaches can take this one step further and prompt their own feedback. This could be as simple as asking members, “What did you think of my class today?”
2. Coachable.
After a coach has been in their role for a while, it’s not uncommon for complacency to happen. They simply feel like they know what they’re doing. And sometimes, it can lead to no longer being coachable.
“The healthy coaching team, though, continues to coach each other,” Yanez said.
He recommends encouraging your team to get in the habit of taking other coaches’ classes regularly. And most importantly, ask coaches to provide cues and feedback to other coaches, just like they would for any other gym member.
“Don’t shy away from someone who knows what they’re doing,” he said.
3. Eager to Continue Learning.
One of the more obvious traits of a team with healthy habits is their collective desire to continually improve.
This continued education for coaches can be through formal courses and seminars. But Yanez said it can also simply include being intentional about the classes you coach. One thing he often sees with experienced coaches is barely looking at what they’ll be coaching until just before class starts.
“For us, it’s unacceptable for the coach to see the workout for the first time when they get to the gym and see it on the whiteboard,” Yanez said. “This leads to a lot of missed opportunities to put out a quality experience that day. Because you’re not putting much thought into it, not thinking about your strategies beforehand for your clients.”
Instead, a healthy team spends time preparing for each class, no matter how second-nature coaching has become to them.
“That’s how coaches become really great,” he added.
4. Proficient at Self-Evaluating.
Not only do NCFIT coaches all go through formal biannual performance reviews, they also do regular self-evaluations.
During these evaluations, coaches take a close look at what they believe they’re doing well and what they can improve. They also assess what they should be focusing on. Yanez said this goes a long way in creating a healthy, well-functioning team.
Pro Tip: The PushPress Staff App is perfect for communicating scheduled performance reviews and other updates with your coaches! Book a demo with our team today to find out more!
5. Mentally Fit.
Oddly enough, one of the best healthy habits for NCFIT came out of the pandemic. They decided to introduce a 15-minute buffer in between classes. The buffer serves as both a short physical rest and a mental health reset.
“You’re not just reading the whiteboard and putting on music when you coach,” said Yanez. “You’re performing. And when you’re coaching two, three, even four classes straight, that little fifteen minutes allows the coach to decompress, so they can give the best performance they can.”
He admitted that the team at NCFIT was hesitant to add the buffer at first. But it ended up being an easy transition for the members. And a huge help for the coach and the business, as those 15 minutes became a forced - but well-needed - break for the coaches.
In Summary: A Healthy Team Leads a Strong Community.
Creating a great team with a focus on healthy habits doesn't happen accidentally or easily. But with a culture of clarity in place, it’s possible to lead a thriving team that outperforms expectations.
A healthy team is open to feedback, coachable and eager to continue learning. They’re also proficient at self-evaluating and mentally fit. As a gym owner, a culture like this will trickle down from the top. And you’ll find that not only will you enjoy the benefits of your healthy team, but your business and gym community will as well.
