Yesterday we talked about being repetitive with our staff. You may have finished reading that blog thinking, “Well, that’s micromanaging!” Yeah…maybe. I don’t mind being called micromanaging if my gym is running like a well-oiled machine. In reality though, I don’t know that “micromanaging” is the word my staff would use to describe me. I’d say, “passionate” is more accurate.
I’m passionate about systems: Making sure they’re written correctly and implemented to a tee.
I’m passionate about staff who are hungry, humble and smart.
I’m passionate about making a difference in the lives of kids.
I’m passionate about winning, but I have enough control to understand it won’t always happen.
So when things aren’t working and someone isn’t doing something the way I want them to do it, I’m passionate about making sure it gets fixed.
If you’ve ever said the following, then I bet you’re passionate too:
“No one ever puts mats away at the end of their shift.”
“I’m the only one who stops to pick up trash off the floor.”
“The staff never takes the time to self-educate.”
If you struggle to get consistent action from your staff, there are two probable causes. The first is your process; the second is your people. In this blog, we’ll talk about process problems and on Monday, we’ll talk about people problems. Between Part I and II, you’ll be able to determine why you’re feeling the way you are.
Process Questions
Question #1
If anyone on my staff is failing to perform at the highest level, I assume it’s my fault. The process isn’t clear enough to them, so I ask myself:
“Have I told them exactly what to do and how to do it?”
As owners, we frequently assume that everyone knows what we do or that our knowledge is “common sense”, but of course that’s not the case. No one knows how to work a birthday party at my gym until I teach them how to do it. We have to have the systems in place, and they have to be clear and concise. No one is going to read a 3-page system about how to make coffee. I used to work at Caribou, and it’s not even that long there!
I once had a staff member named Brody. He’s a smart kid that’s now serving in the Army (we’re pretty proud of him). Brody was on the coffee station and lobby pick up as his end-of-night chore before clocking out. The next morning I went to grab a cup of coffee at the gym, and it was so thick I think it stained my teeth. My cup had black streaks down it. I opened the lid to the coffee maker and Brody had filled the coffee grounds to the top of the filter.
You see, Brody didn’t drink coffee. So when I didn’t write to put two scoops of grounds into the coffee pot as part of the system, Brody just ad-libbed what he thought was probably right.
Question #2
If I’ve written the system and showed the staff how to do something, and they’re still not meeting expectations, the next question I ask myself is:
“Have I shown them what ‘perfect’ means?”
My definition of clean is different from your definition. I’m ruthless. In military bootcamp we had to clean the floors of our dorm using nothing but the palm of our hand. (Ewwwww, right?) In tech school, they would separate the seals of your refrigerators in your dorms to see if you cleaned in the crevices. To me, clean is impeccable. To others, it means tidy. To yet others, it means you can still step over things to get from here to there.
On the other hand, to me “on time” tends to mean “on time.” I love and appreciate those who are early, but late is never acceptable. To a college kid, “on time” can mean 4 p.m., 4:02 p.m. and maybe even 4:05 p.m. Allowing staff to be even two minutes late without saying anything sets them up for failure. Allowing two minutes means that three probably isn’t a big deal. Eventually, they’ll feel like five is a bit of a push, but since you didn’t say anything when they were three minutes late, it’s probably not an issue.
I’ve just made the situation of being “on time” a subjective one when that was never really necessary. Clearly spell out the standard and require people to stick to it. If you like the mats to be stacked a certain way, take a picture and say “This is how I’d like them stacked.” The mats in the picture drive me absolutely crazy. This picture was a gentle reminder and visualization of how it should not look. Praising those who do it correctly and reminding those who don’t will solve the problem though.
Question #3
If they know what “perfection” means and they’re failing to meet the standard, have we had a formal discussion about it?
“Danielle, you’re going to have a formal sit-down meeting about someone coming in two minutes late or not stacking mats correctly?” (Don’t ask if you don’t want to know the answer to that, because my answer is a resounding YES! 🤣)
“Have I reviewed their performance with them formally?”
By this point, they’re not catching the subtle gestures and reaffirming clarifications that they’re screwing up. So, it’s time to get a bit more specific about how their performance impacts the team as a whole. If you haven’t been clear on their work thus far, they probably think it’s fine. Over 80 percent of drivers claim to be above-average drivers because our egos won’t allow us to admit we’re bad at something. Your staff is the same way. If you don’t rate their performance, they won’t either.
Schedule a quarterly review or formal sit-down meeting with your staff to discuss performance. Give them a heads up a couple weeks out and set up the meeting. Give them a self-evaluation form. You’re likely to see the same things you’re concerned about showing up on the card. This is the easiest way to correct behavior. Let them acknowledge their own weaknesses and ask them how you can work alongside them to help them fix those things.
Question #4
Finally, if we’ve done an evaluation and they’re still failing, you’ll need to ask the final question:
“Do they have an emotional reason to succeed?”
You can tell someone to take out the garbage because it’s their job. In fact, when we first opened, I sort of wished I could assign push ups to those who weren’t great at their jobs. After all, it worked both in the military and as a cheer coach! But as you may guess, that wasn’t an option. When it’s 9 p.m. and your staff is exhausted from a long day (maybe of school and work or work and work), they might just forget. It may not be intentional.
That’s no reason to let them off the hook entirely though.
If they knew the president was visiting your gym tomorrow though, they’d take out that trash. Our job is to help them see the potential consequences of their actions. If you fail to do this, here is the result: If you fail to take out the trash tonight, sweet Mary will have to do it tomorrow. She’ll be finishing your job for you. Just as your mom used to guilt you into doing something, we need to give our staff an emotional reason to succeed.
Ask them, “How will this affect the other staff if your work isn’t done?” or “What impression will our gym parents have if the floor isn’t vacuumed and the lobby isn’t picked up?”
If the four questions above don’t solve the process problem, then you have a people problem. Stop by here Monday when I’ll talk about the questions you should ask yourself to solve your people problems!
