Do you ever feel like the more you learn, the more you want to make changes in your gym? But you also know from experience, more changes means you’ll have to sell your staff and gym families on a new concept all over again.
I’ve been there. I’ve made some major changes in my gym over the last 12 seasons that had me feeling like I’m flip flopping and consistently selling new processes to staff and families.
But here’s the thing.
You learn! Then you try things, and you relearn again!
Maybe you had a class management software years ago, and decided to move over to a free one last year only to find out it didn’t do everything you needed it to do. Maybe you learned it was going to take you twice the time to complete everything and it left more room for human error, so now you want to switch back, but you feel like everyone will think you’re flip flopping.
That’s OK! You’re learning!
Maybe you used to do certain types of competitions and got away from them for one reason or another. Now, your gym has evolved a bit, and you’re ready to try them again. You’re nervous that you had preached something for so long that your staff and families will think you can’t be trusted to make good decisions.
No way! Sometimes you get new information, and it changes your mind.
Maybe you released a parent from the gym a couple years ago. Now, time has passed and you’re considering allowing them to return. This is a situation I’ve dealt with a few times and even encountered last week! After getting some advice from Riana and Shelley, I was considering allowing someone back into the gym after a two-year absence. That wasn’t a case of “Just make up your mind, Danielle!” No! That was a case of allowing time to pass, reassessing the situation and being open to learning new information that allows for a different decision. (If this specific scenario might be a helpful blog in the future for you, let me know! It might be a good topic.)
At the end of the day, if you can adequately communicate the “why” to your staff, they are likely to be grateful you are so open-minded. Change is hard for people to accept. Sometimes things change in their favor, and it’s a fairly easy answer. Other times, things change and it’s not in someone’s favor, and that’s when you might get some pushback.
It’s important that we’re not just changing things because you’re bored. Instead, you’re making changes because you’re learning new information and seeing opportunities for growth, efficiency or better communication.
If you can help your staff and gym families see WHY you’re making the changes and HOW it’s going to benefit them, you’re going to have a much easier time making those changes in your gym. You’ll get less-resistance and your staff will be less likely to lose trust in you.
Maybe you’re like me, so you’re wanting to try something new and not sure it’s going to work? Make sure you’ve made a series of good changes that benefit others prior to trying it. Then, be honest with your staff!
“Hey, I want to move our communication over to Slack. I know it will be challenging for everyone to learn at first. I’ll train you how to use it, and let’s try it for 90 days. If we hate it after 90 days, we can move back to text message. I think it will help us streamline our communication and organize our thoughts better because of XYZ.”
Some changes in your gym warrant the input of your staff and gym families. Others are changes you’re going to make that others just aren’t going to like. “Hey, we’re going to change the process for private lessons. Parents need to be scheduling them through the front desk and paying the gym.” Your coaches and staff may be very resistant to this. Situations like this are not ones that warrant their feedback. You’re going to have to make the decision that’s in the best interest of the gym and quite honestly, you’re making a decision that keeps your processes legal. So, whether they like it or not, they’ll need to learn to accept it. You can explain the WHY and HOW in detail to them. Once you’ve done that, it probably shouldn’t be up for further debate.
It’s going to be challenging at first to know which situations are open for feedback and which are not, but you’ll navigate that over time. If you’re part of the Next Gen Academy, talk to your coach about those decisions. They’ve likely already been through them and will have some wisdom to help you execute those decisions more smoothly and communicate them in a positive way.
So, if you know you have changes to make in your gym, don’t avoid them for fear of upsetting others or fear of losing your own level of credibility. Instead, make your gym a culture of learning and growth. Be transparent in your communication with staff and gym families, and make changes in the gym a win-win for everyone!
If you could use some help navigating situations like this and improving your communication with staff and families, our Next Gen Academy can help you do just that! We have amazing resources and you’ll get a personal coach who is dedicated to helping you grow your business and build a positive culture in your gym. For more information, check out our website or book a call at nextgenowners.com/book-a-call.
