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sk Carol Manning if she has ever considered leaving her employer of more than 30 years, and you’ll get a quick and definitive answer:


“Nooooo. No, no, no, no, no.” When Manning, a City of Markham


community program supervisor started as a part-time group-exercise instruc- tor for the City, located just north of Toronto, in 1985, she immediately felt a good fit with the people and envi- ronment. She was impressed with the professional and respectful manner in which the staff approached their work


and interacted with members. And col- laboration, high standards and con- stant improvement were also clearly important. Though she likely didn’t know it


then, all of the behaviours and atti- tudes that she experienced and ob- served in those early days were rep- resentative of the City of Markham’s “corporate culture.” And they were so attractive and


aligned with her own values and atti- tudes that Manning spent almost her entire working career with that one organization. Behind-the-times business owners


often don’t understand that a strong and well-defined corporate culture is a competitive advantage. These own- ers may automatically think it will cost too much, require intensive staff training or take the current focus away from sales and marketing. But in-the-know businesses consid-


er a strong corporate culture as a must- have rather than a nice-to-have. “A healthy culture leads to higher


employee engagement, an improved client experience, more innovation, less employee turnover, and improved loyalty from both employees and cli- ents,” says employee engagement expert Brady Wilson, co-founder of Guelph, Ontario-based Juice Inc. Plus it enhances PR when employees proudly talk up their workplace. And all of this, of course, fuels the


bottom line. How can your club, studio or fitness


organization build a strong corporate culture or perk up what’s already in place—without spending big bucks or turning your organization inside out? Here are five tips.


culture, one will arise accidentally by default, says Ottawa-based Carol Ring, author of the Ignite Your Culture. According to Ring, without stra-


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tegic planning a company culture of confusion and blame is just as likely to emerge as one based on teamwork and respect. “Business owners need to create an


environment where people feel ener- gized, not where they feel the energy being sucked out of them,” says Ring. “When there’s a good match between


Find it—fast If a company neglects to con- sciously take steps to create its


company and employee values, people can’t wait to get out of bed each morn- ing and go to work.”


be broadcasted and demonstrated by managers, owners and CEOs who set the tone with their own attitudes and behaviours. “If you’re encouraging your employ-


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ees to develop relationships versus transactions with clients, the senior people need to also develop relation- ships with their employees,” says Wilson. “If this doesn’t happen, and employees feel their managers are just all about statistics and sales targets, they’ll be robotic and process-driven and not very relational with members.” Alternatively, when you create a


positive environment and the message is coming from all levels within an or- ganization, you create a buzz that nat- urally attracts people to your club. »


What is corporate


It starts at the top While culture is a company- wide matter, the message has to


culture? Your company’s culture is the unique formula that guides, in- spires and motivates your team. Others describe it as the distinc- tive personality of an organization or simply “how things are done around here.”


Here is how two successful companies de-


scribe their corporate cultures: • WestJet: We are fun, friendly and car-


ing. Our goal is to enrich the lives of everyone in WestJet's world by providing safe, friendly and affordable air travel. Our passionate, car- ing attitude is the foundation of our corpo- rate culture. • Maple Leaf Foods: Do what is right by act-


ing with integrity and treating people with re- spect. Dare to be transparent, passionate and humble…be candid and direct…act with pas- sion, conviction and personal humility, espe- cially when delivering winning results.


July/August 2016 Fitness Business Canada 23


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