I was sitting in a meeting yesterday listening to a super successful church pastor talk about some qualities he finds in leaders. One quality he mentioned really hit home for me. It was so simple, yet something every owner really needs in order to be successful: Likeability.
Can we be successful as business owners without being likeable? I don’t think so. That also doesn’t mean you need to be best friends with every coach and parent in the gym. That’s not what I’m saying. At the same time, you need to be genuine, kind and caring. You need to put interest in your staff and gym families beyond just the skills they have and the skills they’re trying to attain. We talk about being a family, so we need to act like one, and that starts with simply being likeable.
This is super easy for some of you. For some of us though (myself included), our drive and focus is sometimes more on the mission than on the people who are part of the mission. When I was in the Air Force, this mentality was pretty common. We get the mission completed at all costs. If that means you get your feelings hurt along the way, well – that’s just too bad. My final years in the Air Force though, we got a new commander. He was all about the people. He intuitively focused on the people, and it motivated every one of us to push to complete the mission. Our wing morale was the best I had ever seen it. He would spend his Monday mornings walking around through the offices checking in to to see how everyone’s weekend was and what you might need help with for the week.
He would ask how your kids were and he would remember if you said you were going to the lake for the weekend. He was the best boss I’ve ever had, and as a result, I wanted to work hard to make him successful in his own career. He left a few years later when he became a general, and to no one’s surprise, he pinned a few more stars on his uniform before he retired.
I’ll never forget the shift in morale that happened while he was there though. He led our wing to success mission after mission. His #1 quality though was his likeability.
So, I challenge you to consider your own likeability.
- Do you stop for a few minutes and really talk to people? Do you build relationships with the families in the gym (parents too!) or have you been burned one too many times and you just don’t want to invest into others anymore.
- Do you remember key facts and really take the time to listen to your staff? Are you trying to figure out what drives them and makes them feel important?
- Focusing on the mission is important at times, but do you step on people along the way? I can tell you, that was me the first few years of gym ownership. It’s hard to take the Airman out of the gym owner, but through major intentionality, I did.
I urge you to consider your own likeabilty and personability and make it an intentional focus this summer. Build those relationships and don’t avoid them for fear of getting hurt or sending the wrong messages to parents. You can be both likeable and professional!
