» Canadian Forum SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST


The critical need for fitness management training and support


BY DON LONGWELL


your abilities, know your job –as it re- lates to the business you are in, and be prepared to move quickly when the changes around you call for action.


The need to know There are many specializations


Professional Development Preparation in basic skills is nec-


essary for those first days on the job. With initial success and achievements, uncertainty and fear of failure abate and the new career is cause for delight and pride in oneself. “I can do this!” What a great feeling. But a subtle and unforgiving force


is often overlooked in those early days. Everything, everywhere, as always, continues to change. The nature of evolution in the business world is uni- versal. Adapt or face extinction. The need for lifetime learning and the abil- ity to apply that knowledge when re- quired is critical to ongoing surviv- al and prosperity. This is particularly true for fitness management. New ideas, shared experience, skills


training, business knowledge, case his- tory analysis, success stories, disaster stories– all and more are important to making those critical decisions as to what to do next.


Adapt and Survive All business decisions are accept-


able when they are made. It is only af- terwards that we find out whether they are good ones or bad ones. Making the right decisions will be immeasurably helped by knowledge and experience but preparation for unexpected rever- sals is always critical to staying alive – both in nature and in the business world. You have to take chances to get ahead but there are always unknown variables. You have to be confident in


46 Fitness Business Canada March/April 2013


within the fitness business and they continue to evolve. Basic skills dif- fer but all are important: Business Development, Facility, Program and Staff Management, Finance and Accounting, Purchasing, Marketing and Sales, Group Instruction, Front Desk, Personal Training, Building and Equipment Maintenance, Sport Specific Training and Coaching, Office Administration and the list goes on. It is important to know how other


operators are doing, what industry wide financial measures are trending, what members like and dislike, what programs are successful and why, what equipment is needed, what help is available and where to find it.


Help We live in a world where it is diffi-


cult to know who and what to believe. With widespread social media, it seems that everyone has their own broadcast facility. How to decide on reputable sources and how to use this informa- tion is a constant research challenge for club operators and staff. We are fortunate in Canada to have


a number of certification and training associations both home based and in- ternational to choose from. Provincial associations are staffed by dedicat- ed professionals and volunteers pro- viding services that uphold industry standards. Canfitpro has emerged as a homegrown success story deliver- ing training and certification servic- es, tradeshows and industry support across Canada. Long established inter- national organizations offer specializa- tions and information sourcing. (See the FBC Certification and Training Directory for detailed listings of all or- ganizations providing certification and training services in Canada.)


Skilled Management Can Provide Critical Change Club owners, directors and manage-


ment are best qualified and positioned to both provide and support training and development choices. I recall my own membership at a Toronto club some years back. A new manager took over. Within several weeks the whole atmosphere and sense of what the club was had changed. It was not just the new manager. Staff manner and behav- ior was not the same. I have seen such changes before – some positive, oth- ers not. Investment in management and


staff training and professional develop- ment can determine success or failure in business. This is particularly true in the fitness industry where interac- tions between staff and the member- ship is so important. While consider- able opportunities are offered for staff training, particularly in the area of personal and fitness training, there are fewer opportunities for in depth man- agement training specific to Canadian club operations.


We can do better Our publication, Fitness Business


Canada, and monthly enews FitNet, communicates regularly with fitness management and staff across Canada. Our primary role is to support a net- work of idea sharing and news report- ing on the events and individuals shap- ing the continuing evolution of the fitness business in Canada. We are de- voted to our work and have received considerable encouragement from our readers. Nevertheless, we can do better. FBC sponsors and supports all es-


tablished suppliers and associations that provide quality products, support and services to fitness providers. We wish to improve on this support. We are particularly eager to support new opportunities that will be of value to fitness operators and management. We will do so by upgrading our support to those organizations actively serving the training and development needs of the fitness business in Canada. FBC


As always, we invite your comments and sug- gestions. Contact us at fc@fitnet.ca, 1-888- 920-6537 or 905-873-0850.


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