June 2017
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Staff buying into your vision is the key, says expert By Christina Eccles ENCOURAGING staff to buy into your company vision, values and culture can be the key to retaining them – and helping your club flourish, according to an expert. Consultant Steve Jee was among the speakers at the Retention Convention in Manchester, organised by Retention Guru Dr Paul Bedford. Steve, who spent 20 years in the British Army as a military intelligence officer, discussed how the fitness industry can take ideas from Roman times and apply them to today’s challenges, exploring the type of behaviours operators need in the workplace to inspire, align, lead and excel. He explained: “There are many similarities between business and battle. “When you are running change in your organisation, the biggest resistance to change is the people in the room. “If you want to succeed in retaining staff and customers, you’ve got to do things differently. “If you want to implement change get rid of personal and group bias, invest in your best junior leadership and align your organisation to a compelling vision.” During the talk – motivating and
aligning staff behind a powerful vision – Steve also told delegates how important it is to have a clear vision and how setting one out can unite your whole workforce. He suggested a company’s vision should be inspirational, aspirational and time-bound and broken down into a number of missions, which ultimately lead to completion of the end goal. He added: “Good employees want to know what your organisation is doing and want to buy into it. They want to see your vision and where it’s heading. “They don’t want to turn up to work just for the money. “They want to feel they are making a difference.” Other speakers at the event included Oxygen Freejumping CEO Dave Stalker, Justin Tamsett, a former health club owner and well known business and leadership thought leader, who shared the seven keys to building a winning team, and fitness industry training and education expert Keith Smith. n Do you agree with Steve? What’s your vision for your club – and how do you ensure all your staff are on board and aligned with it? Email us at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk with your thoughts and we’ll print the best in the next issue.
No 285 £3
Get your entries in before it’s too late
Personal trainer Curtis High has successfully completed a mammoth fitness challenge to mark his 30th birthday and raise money for charity. Curtis’ week of fundraising included rowing the length of the Channel on an indoor rower, cycling the distance of London to Brighton on an exercise bike and running the London Marathon. To complete the challenge, he enlisted the help of friends including boxer Anthony Ogogo (pictured here with Curtis) as well as receiving support from the club where he works. For full story see page 5.
CLUBS from all over the country have been urged to think about their National Fitness Awards entries – and start working on their nominations before it’s too late. Entries close for this year’s awards on Friday August 25 and as the industry’s biggest free to enter awards scheme, there are many benefits to getting involved. Past winners and finalists have enjoyed increased publicity for their facilities, the chance to use the NFA branding on their marketing materials and a boost in morale and engagement from both staff and members. There are over 20 awards up grabs, with categories covering everything from Member Achievement to Gym Team of the Year, Best Gym Based Personal Trainer and Community Involvement. Just head to www. nationalfitnessawards. co.uk, select the category you wish to put yourself forward for and fill in the online form. You can also keep up to date with all the latest news on this year’s event by following @ FitnessAwards on Twitter.