12 Oct How leisure centre team leaders can motivate their employees
Motivation: if only it came as a magic potion!
High staff turnover is every leisure centre’s worst nightmare, and unfortunately unexpected departures happen too often. You’ve worked hard to build a team of reliable, capable, and quite frankly irreplaceable, employees. So what can you do as a business owner or general manager to keep your current staff happy and motivated in the roles they were so passionate about when they first joined?
Set expectations and goals
One of the simplest ways to encourage your leisure or aquatic centre staff is by setting clear expectations for them and goals they can work towards. When your staff know what’s expected of them, it’s so much easier for them to stay motivated in their role. They have direction so they don’t feel lost in their day-to-day.
Work on setting KPIs or SMART goals – goals that are specific, measurable, actionable, results orientated, and time bound. Giving your employees goals gives them something to strive for and achieve, which they can then use later on in performance reviews or to reach for a promotion.
For example, if they’re part of your sales team, set targets for them. Not only will it give them something to prove how wonderful they are and give them a sense of achievement and success, it will also enable you to see their worth.
Recognise great performance
Don’t let good work go un-noticed! When your staff work hard to achieve great things for your business, it can be extremely demotivating for their efforts to be overlooked. Recognising their hard work doesn’t need to be a big, expensive gesture. Simply a quick thank you can do the trick!
Perhaps your employee went above and beyond to help a member, took initiative to solve a problem in your club, or stayed back late to support other team members?
To show you appreciate their efforts, you may take a minute to thank them at your weekly or monthly staff meeting, put them on the roster for a few more hours, or promote them in-house if they really blew you out of the water.
When staff receive recognition and reward for their good deeds, they’re going to be so much more motivated to continue their efforts.
Offer long term incentives
If you want your employees to stick around longer, you will need to have a plan in place and give them something worth staying for. Something they can’t say no to!
Some long term incentives you could offer your team may be things like bonuses, extended holidays, more responsibility such as taking a new group fitness class – and plenty more.
Focus on being approachable
To be the best team leader you can possibly be, you must be approachable. Your staff need to feel like they can chat to you about problems or concerns, and feel like you have their best interests in mind.
Likewise, it’s much easier to look up to a leader that is strong without being harsh. Leaders that show strength and resilience in tough situations are going to earn the respect from their teams, more so than those who talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk.
These are just a few tips and tricks to from Centaman to help you motivate your team through great leadership. To learn more about our club management software, please feel free to get in touch.