Build a great culture

It was a balmy afternoon on March 7th, 2013. I was coaching a bright, talented Argentinian expat in Sydney, Flor Jacovella. Our conversation drifted through work and life aspirations before landing on purpose. For some, uncovering purpose takes weeks. We use tools, inquiry, and deep listening until something core and intuitively true surfaces. That wasn’t the case with Flor—she already knew it.

‘My purpose is to host a TED event and build a conscious community on the Northern Beaches’. Wow, I thought. Sounds amazing. We had a few more sessions, then I didn’t hear from her for 6 months—until she called. “Nick, I landed the rights to host a TED event. Do you want to be a speaker?”

I was 39, had been coaching business leaders for 9 years, and my first thought was, “Who am I to share my wisdom on a global platform like TED?” Then I took a breath and thought, “Of course I do. I’ve lived a lot and am great at transforming lives.”

So I began distilling my values and lessons into something TED-worthy. I spent days reflecting, writing, scrapping drafts, then writing more—until I finally crafted a talk I was proud of. You can watch it above. 

So this story isn’t really about me. It’s about you.

Your members don’t buy into your machines, kettlebells or free chilled water. They buy into what you stand for. Your values and purpose. All leaders have them, but what is not always understood, is values influence everything going on in your gym. 

 As an owner it’s vital to turn your purpose and values into a culture, so your team and members know how things get done in your gym. Culture plays a huge role in your gym’s success.

Do you know what your purpose is?          

Can you clearly explain the culture of your gym?          

You can watch my keynote talk about how to build your culture here.