Box Pro Magazine created the first Leadership Summit to bring 40 of the top box owners in the country and world to come together and discuss how we can be better.
We gathered in Atlanta, Georgia for 2 full days of round table discussion, moderated by Juliet Starrett, to talk about how we can stay relevant in the ever-changing fitness industry, as well as stay on top of our game.
Here are my five biggest takeaways from the Box Pro Magazine Leadership Summit:
I’m not doing a bad job!
We are our own worst critic. Day in and day out, we tend to see the long to do list that isn’t done or the list of ideas that are still in need of action. Stop that!
We all have something to add and we are all doing something well. During round tables, there were affiliate owners of all different levels and experience, but each and every owner added something valuable to the discussion. Did you read a good book that shaped your leadership skills? Did you open a second location that started strong? Did you start with policies and procedures in place or did it take a little longer to establish those? Have you raised rates and had a surprising positive experience?
Know that we all have something to bring to the table that others can learn from, no matter the years of experience under our belt.
Take care of your team.
Having staff is one thing and creating a team is something completely different. One theme that resonated throughout the summit was to take care of your team and help them grow personally and flourish in what they are good at. Forrest Jung, from CrossFit South Bay, gave a great example of helping a coach get out of his comfort zone by sending him to a stand up comedy weekend workshop. That helped the coach to learn nothing could be as embarrassing as bad comedy in front of strangers, so when he came back to the box, his coaching was dramatically different.
Don’t get stuck in the rut of only providing continued education in terms of fitness, but get to know your team and find out something that could help them make a true breakthrough.
When you hang out with successful people, get out a pen and paper and LISTEN.
We all have successes and failures, but take note when those with years of experience talk because they have MANY more failures that everyone can learn from.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
The above quote rings true for every entrepreneur and in addition to enthusiasm, I’d add no loss of their vision. When an affiliate owner knows the type of community they want to create and how they want to help people, they are truly unstoppable. Figure out your true WHY, create your affiliate’s vision around that, then you’ll have built a true foundation that can outlast any bump in the road.
Don’t take everything too seriously and have a ton of FUN!
The day to day entrepreneurial grind can be tiring and just plain exhausting. Don’t forget to take time to have fun and enjoy those around you. Box Pro Magazine organized an Amazing Race type activity at the end of day two to get all owners working together, create some team work, and feed off that competitive spirit that we all have.
We had two hours to get through as many challenges as possible by working with our 5 person team. It was eye opening because we are all leaders in our own community, but we had to find our best role to come together and complete the challenges. As we worked through each challenge, we learned how to communicate better, break up tasks to be more efficient, and how to get out of our comfort zone.
We had a blast dressing up like we were on a jungle safari, shooting hoops, and creating a french film that had to make somewhat sense. The creativity flowed, we all had fun, and we got to know each other a little bit better.
There is no time like the present.
Looking back at my summit notes, there are 30+ items that could help my box, CrossFit 317, in some way. That’s overwhelming to think about, so instead, my plan is to pick ONE item that will make immediate impact and TAKE ACTION in the upcoming week.
I have given myself one task and a deadline instead of just looking at the list and getting even more flustered. If you can harness the energy and excitement that a summit creates, great advances in your business can come from it.
As a box owner, it is easy to feel like you’re alone. Day in and day out, you’re running the show and trying to create the best facility possible. Failures come and it feels that everyone else is just running on successes….that is NOT the case. Call up a box owner that you look up to or go to lunch with some local fellow box owners to share experiences. Collaborating with other box owners is one of the best things you can do to reestablish enthusiasm and continue this entrepreneurial dream you first began.
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This post was written by none other than the awesome:
Ashley Bacsu | Owner, CrossFit 317 and 321GoProject Business Coach