One of the hardest mistakes to recover from when hiring is not putting employees in the right place for them—and ultimately for you—to succeed.
Some things to consider to hire the right team and set them up for success:
- You have a lot of friends in the industry, but will they respect you as a gym owner or manager? Think carefully about the dynamics of your friendship could change, or the operational dynamics of blending friends with new hires.
- Paying less for younger, inexperienced coaches might make short-term financial sense, but will it serve your business in the long run? Find the right balance between experience, safety, and the needs of your athletes.
- Specialists or all-rounders? Do you need a specialist tumbling coach for fulls, external choreographers, and a coed stunt coach? Or do you need well-rounded coaches that can teach all elements and can choreograph routines for the levels you expect to offer initially.
- Be wary of hiring family members of athletes to run your front desk or communications, it may cause unnecessary drama or feelings of favoritism.
- Pay someone to run your social media accounts who understands what type of content is appropriate for the audience. For example, a coach can be great at running your Instagram, but may not be the best at answering questions from new parents contacting your gym on Facebook. Your receptionist will likely be great at running Facebook, but not up to date on trending reels and content that could go viral. Whoever you pick, make sure they are financially compensated, or insure the responsibility is included in their scope of employment and contract.
- Which follows on to: make sure each employee knows their role and responsibilities, and the organizational structure.
Next Up, the final installment in this series: Set Goals and Remember Your Why