Often when I’m traveling on planes, the person next to me asks me what I do for living. When I tell them I am a gymnastics coach but that I spend a great deal of time as a professional speaker, their next question is “what do you speak about?” My answer is quite simple- I speak about gymnastics technique and leadership in the gym but also motivation for staff. What I find very fascinating is the response to that statement almost 90% of the time is- “Wow- that is so interesting- we sure could use you at our office, our leadership is terrible and morale is at an all-time low.”

I have always thought that it was just US in the gymnastics industry that suffer from problems in leadership. It was ALMOST refreshing to see that this is a bigger problem. Why is it that so many organizations suffer from poor leadership and employees that lack motivation?

I believe that a big part of it is that organizations are too focused on results and not focused on leaders being developed. If we work at developing leaders within our gymnastics clubs those leaders can be more effective in leading the gymnasts to get results.

It’s a classic argument of getting the cart in front of the horse. As leaders and head coaches,
we don’t focus on development or our staff,
we don’t focus on creating a motivational environment,
we don’t focus on building employee morale
and give no time and attention to encouraging supporting and training our front-line employees.

I understand we are all busy coaching. But if you do not spend the time on your staff you will end up doing everything yourself.

So you as a leader, how do you become a great CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer)?

Step #1- Figure out where you are as an organization. What is the current level of morale in your organization? What is the current mindset of you coaching staff? When they talk about the gym, what do you think employees are saying about you and about the company? There are several ways to find out what’s really going on in your organization. The best is probably to actually talk to your staff both one on one. and in groups. Go and get a beer together. Wait- am I suggesting that you actually sit down and talk with your employees about how things are going, and not just when they’re in trouble? Yes it is an outrageous revolutionary idea- actually talking to people, having honest and open communication to build their trust. Let me tell you, it really works.

Step #2- Let’s eliminate the old language of hierarchy. You would think by now that the old language of hierarchy would have been eliminated but that is not true. As I travel around the worls, I still hear people use words that make me cringe such as:
“Subordinate”- Are you kidding me? Really? Is someone subordinate to you? I sure hope people don’t actually believe that. Let’s just refer to them as a coach you work with.
“Superior” – I just can’t believe that this word is still being used today- no one is superior to anyone. Let’s just call them a manager or team leader. (and by the way- who remembers superior moves?)
“Secretary”- This term should’ve gone into the metal trashcan in the late 1960s, but is still unmercifully hanging around. Are we in an episode of MAD MEN? The person who answers your phones, greets the customers probably handles more money than anyone else in your gym. They are an important part of your team. How about Office Manager, Front Desk Manager, Team Captains?

So if we want to build maximum morale and encourage employees, we need to change the titles and the labels that we stick on those employees that imply they have less value.

Step #3- Find out what it is that they want- I have always believed that a critical part of management is to help people get where they want to go for their careers and for their personal lives. I went to a lecture last year at USAG National Congress on giving our 20 yr old – 30 yr old staff what they want. If we find out what it is that people want in terms of their career and we help them develop in order to get there, we will be managing maximum morale and encouraging them to achieve their dreams. I find that way too many leaders are dream crushers instead of dream builders, because when someone says they’re interested in a new role and they want to move up from (example) a school age class teacher to developmental team coach too many leaders tell them all the reasons that ISN’T possible and hold them back instead of encouraging them to move forward.

Step #4- Keep people in the loop and communicate– I once worked for a person who I needed some information from. When I asked him about the information, he said that that information was “on a need to know basis, and only managers can know that information.” He held that information as if it was a prize that only he and other special people could possess. Talk with and communicate with your staff. Explain what is going on and most importantly explain why it is going on. This makes people feel valued.

Step #5- Compliment people when they do well– The biggest complaint I get from employees around the WORLD is they never get positive feedback for their managers and the owners of the gym. The only feedback they get is when they make mistakes. You can’t expect people to continue to work hard, and put their blood sweat and tears into the work without at least being complimented and told they are doing a good job. I have heard some head coaches who are so positive in the gym when speaking to the gymnasts, praising them for their effort and then not giving that same treatment to coaches they work with.
If you want to light the fire of motivation, one of the ways is to give people positive feedback when they do well, and to give them credit when credit is due. In my career, I have reported to head coaches who took my work and made it their own and gave me no credit. This was outrageous leadership behavior and crushed my morale. I understand that it was their management of the program that put me in a position to succeed but I would have also liked a little recognition. Make sure to give people positive feedback verbally, in writing, on performance reviews, and publicly in meetings. When you do that you will see people walking with their heads up a little bit higher, because they will be proud of their accomplishments, and someone noticed.

It all comes down to a very simple concept- people at work are human beings that just want to be treated – (to loosely quote Aretha Franklin) with a little respect. Just a little respect goes a long way towards you being a great chief encouragement officer.