One of our core values at District H Strength & Fitness is professionalism. In everything that we do at District H, we approach it with the mentality of “what is the gold standard in our industry for this particular decision?” One of the most obvious examples would be coaching.
When Dustin and I were building our original business plan for District H, one of the biggest priorities were to find the very best coaches and create opportunities for those individuals to have careers at District H. We understand that you get what you pay for when it comes to coaching, so if we wanted to prioritize excellent coaching, we needed to create a game plan that allowed those individuals to be compensated accordingly.
By providing opportunities for those who are truly passionate about coaching, it creates consistency for our clients, which is incredibly important. Our business is a relationship business and relationships take time to build. I personally know a lot of the personal bests, injuries, hobbies, etc., of almost all of the members in my gym. Why? Because I have coached most of you over the past 5 years
When looking for new coaches, we always start with alignment. “Does this person have the same values that we do as a business?”
- Do they show up early?
- Do they present themselves well?
- Are they constantly looking to grow and get better?
- Are they open to feedback and can apply it accordingly?
- Can they keep professional and personal separate?
- Do they take out the trash when its full or restock the paper towels when its empty?
After alignment, we allow them come workout with our community. I want to see if you are coachable and how you interact with our members. It is incredibly easy to spot whether somebody wants to coach for themselves or genuinely interested in wanting to help others. Do they go out of their way to introduce themselves to my community? Do they stay around and hang out and chat with members after they are done with their workout? These small things go a long way in telling me whether I have a professional or someone looking for a free membership.
Lastly, they get to shadow a coach and co-coach so we can see them in action.
If a potential new coach has been able to effectively meet the entry-level criteria, then we will slowly start incorporating them into group classes. During their first 3 months, they are evaluated on a weekly basis so we can give them the opportunity for immediate feedback and make adjustments accordingly. After 3 months, we will re-evaluate and either part ways or help them to start building careers at District H.
This is the type of professionalism we want to bring to District H because our members deserve to be coached by the very best. Having amazing coaches will help members get to their goals faster, which further pushes our missions and vision as a gym forward.