As affiliate owners, we know we build our communities one member and one relationship at a time. As we guide our members through each workout, taking them one step closer to reaching their goals, we build a bond with them and between them. This bond, very particular to CrossFit boxes, acts like a glue, holding us together through thick and thin, including periods of confinement. The bond is trust. The more we trust each other, the more our members trust us, the stronger the bond, the stronger our community.
This is nothing new to us. However, like everything else in the CrossFit methodology we like to define things and make them measurable. After all, how can we seek to achieve something or improve it if we cannot define nor measure it?
The equation for trust enables us to turn a concept into something actionable that can be developed.
TRUST = (Credibility x Reliability x Intimacy)
Personal Agenda
The credibility we and our teams have can be influenced by how effective and efficient we are at coaching and delivering results. Also, do we and our teams “walk the talk” and lead by example?
Reliability can only be developed over time, delivering on what we promise from day one, never over-promising and under-delivering. Instead, we have to be constant in our standards. Starting and finishing classes on time is a simple but fundamental example. We can have a big impact with small actions, like still holding class when only one member has booked, occasionally over-
Although lacking in most globogym environments, the application of the CrossFit methodology is conducive to developing intimacy! For our members, our boxes are often the third most important space after home and work. Inevitably, our proximity will develop well beyond a simple agreement and more often than not into true friendship. The nature of the CrossFit workouts we guide them through will accelerate this process, just like being teammates facing a common opponent and making it to the final whistle of a tough game. The bond created through surviving a physically and emotionally taxing experience, like many of our workouts, is strong.
The three multipliers for creating trust carry great constructive power. They take time and consistency to develop but can quickly evaporate with a simple mistake, such as arriving late to open the box or not maintaining the equipment. When we take care of details, we are building trust and building our community.
The denominator in the equation is something that will erode trust and destroy the glue that holds our community together. I call it the personal agenda. If I as the owner or any member of my team has a personal agenda that is not aligned with looking after our members and helping them toward their goals — if we are seeking something other than delivering on our promises and meeting or exceeding member expectations — it destroys trust. Things that help — such as having a clear written mission, a set of values that your team and members must live by within the walls of the box, and frequent and transparent communication — will all help to limit this risk of people misinterpreting what their role is within the box. For the team, a clear set of written expectations will help ensure they are aligned in delivering seamless service and can avoid destructive behavior that can seem trivial but is not — for example, texting on their phone instead of coaching during class and thinking that nobody will notice, chatting with an attractive member rather than starting the brief on time, being more interested in their own training than in preparing their next class, etc.
Anything I or my team will do that impedes our focus on our members and helping them achieve their goals should be left for when our doors are closed. Personal egos and agendas form a powerful destructive denominator in our equation for trust. Our members may be oblivious to the existence of the equation, but it is universal and affects us all. Being conscious of the multipliers and their impact has enabled us to double-down on our efforts to nurture trust. We hope it does the same for you, one workout and one person at a time.
Everything we do, counts for or against us. Nothing is neutral. Everything counts toward building or destroying trust, toward building or destroying our communities.
This article is adapted from the leadership series delivered by the team at Operating With Excellence (www.operatingwithexcellence.