The word discipline is used a lot in the world of fitness and business. What do you think of when you think of discipline? Most people think negatively. They remember their father saying they were going to discipline them when they got home. People also assume discipline means sacrificing something, aka “I’m going to have the discipline to get up every day at 6 am.”
While those are forms of discipline, I think of discipline differently. There are three types of discipline, and they all serve as guidelines, expectations and boundaries that keep our lives or businesses on track towards our North star.
There is a myth that people hold dearly; they say, “If I can just have X happen, I’ll lose weight” or “If I could just build a funnel, I’ll have an automated million-dollar business.” The truth about success in any part of your life is that it’s never just one big event. It’s a series of disciplines and accountability compounded day after day, year after year, that makes someone successful. Sure, might you get lucky and land a big break? Of course. But that only comes after years and years of compounded discipline that led to your opportunity to receive that big break. Don’t assume there is a magic formula for reaching your dreams. There is no magic pill, no transformational diet, and no funnel that will do the work for you. It’s up to you and the discipline you set up in your life.
Preventative Discipline
If people don’t know the rules, you can’t keep score. Imagine a football game without rules. There would be a ball, 22 players, end zones and goal posts, but without rules there would be a lot of running around and chaos. If you don’t create the rules expectations and our rules for the club. At the of your life and your business, you can expect the same chaos. Many of you might be imagining that image in your head thinking, that would never happen to me. But what rules have you set for yourself? What are your non-negotiables?
Many people start a business, but they forget to set guidelines, expectations, and rules for the game they are playing. Sure, you might be able to reach some success without rules. But anyone can be successful if you set the bar at your ankles. We are aiming for scalable, predictable, and compounded success for the rest of your life.
Set up the rules in your own life and your business, then commit to being accountable to those rules no matter what happens. Part of sacrificing what you want now for what you want most means making a healthier decision or not buying everything think you want.
For example, you might want to set a goal to save $250 per week, and you are willing to sacrifice to make that a reality. Maybe you cook dinner instead of eating out and decide to make your own coffee. At the end of the week, it’s your discipline that says, “I won’t compromise on that goal, and I’ll figure it out.” If you only saved $200 that week, look at where you can cut frivolous spending or increase your income. No matter what it takes, commit to the rules you have set up.
On day one, I walked into my first health club, and I set the expectations and our rules for the club. At the very minimum, I knew that we were going to provide a clean club for our members. Our members were going to feel appreciated and loved every time they walk in the door. We were going to be committed to understanding everyone’s wellness goals, and we would hold them accountable to reach their goals. Each day I followed these expectations that I had for myself and every member of our staff.
Everyone had a checklist, and our core values were written on the walls. This is where we decided to set our bar, and we weren’t willing to accept anything less. You get what you accept, not what you expect.
Here is a checklist of questions to help you set your own rules for your life and business:
- What am I passionate about?
- How do I maintain a positive attitude each day?
- What are my core values? How do I want to live my life?
- How will I help others win?
- How do I want to show up each day regardless of my job of the circumstances I’m in?
- What are my non-negotiables surrounding my character brand performance?
- Objectively what do I want to accomplish today? Set up each day with goals & checklists.
When I run my businesses, some days I’m a firefighter, and others I’m a cruise director. But either way, I know exactly where my ship is heading. That’s part of life, and no two days are the same. Make sure you own that no matter what your day holds you have a set of non-negotiables. Be passionate about your standards and never apologize for holding people to those high standards. Remember, it’s your job as a leader to lift others up and let them know that this is a group effort; we win and lose together.
Supportive Discipline
Once you set the rules, you now become the referee. Remember, you should only hold others to the same standards that you set for yourself. This isn’t a requirement, but this is a book on leadership, not dictatorship. If I expected the staff to take an interest and show appreciation for our members, I knew I had to be leading from the front. Every morning I had to be greeting customers and showing that same level of appreciation for the staff at our club. I knew that attitude would trickle down through everyone in the organization,
If someone from our staff was wavering from our standards and not treating our members with kindness, it was up to me to course-correct and make sure they knew that behavior was not ok. It made the conversation easy to have because it was indoctrinated on our walls. “Remember, we all agreed that this is how we are going to show up and how we treat our members? It’s the job of leadership to lift others up and hold them to a higher standard than they hold themselves.
Supportive discipline doesn’t just mean enforcing the rules. Supportive discipline is also how I describe mentorship. Michael Jordan was a great basketball player when he got to the NBA, but he was also very stubborn. He wanted to take every shot, make every play, and put the weight of the world on his back. It took a great coach like Phil Jackson to help him level up and understand he needed to invest in his teammates if he ever wanted to win championships. Mentorship is a part of leadership, and it requires supportive discipline. Great leaders mentor people and help them level up. Leadership is not titled, and anyone can be a leader, no matter how long they have held a position. Leadership is about taking action and helping others around you. Leadership is about accountability to maintain high standards for yourself and others.
For example, it would be easy for an employee to say, “I’m going to leave early today. I’ll follow up on those leads tomorrow” When an employee starts trending in this direction, it’s easy to let that behavior slide. However, if you allow it once, they will assume it’s ok to do it all of the time. Eventually, they have leads backed up in their inbox, and the membership numbers begin to decline. It can be a pattern that compounds if you don’t hold yourself and your staff accountable.
In almost every situation, people will uphold the expectations you set except for a few reasons:
- Lack of respect: If your key players don’t trust you and respect you as a leader, they won’t follow you. Trust begins with how people feel towards you as a person. How do you show up at the office, in your community, and at home? If the people around you don’t respect you, it’s usually because they don’t trust your vision or trust your ability to lead during tough times. Remember, trust and respect are earned, not given.
- Hold everyone equally accountable: As a leader, make sure you hold everyone to the same standards. Leaders often fall into the trap of playing favorites in their organization.
hold Ensure that you treat your executives and managers to the same standards as your staff and don’t give preferential treatment. If you hold people within your organization to a different level of accountability for the same job, you’re going to have problems. - Lack of opportunity: in many cases, people lose respect and passion for what they do if they feel like there’s no room for growth or opportunity within the company. Some employees want a paycheck, but most want to feel growth and opportunity. People want to know where they fit into the company’s future, and they want to feel valued. Make sure you are providing enough opportunity, so they feel like they are growing and evolving with the company.
- Ownership within projects: it’s important you allow people to own specific projects. If you always hover over your team’s responsibility or directive, they will feel like you don’t respect their ability as a leader. If your leadership doesn’t trust you, it’s hard to have confidence in a position long term. Empower your people and have confidence in your ability to communicate what it is that you want them to accomplish. Then step back and trust that they can get the job done. If they fail to follow directions, ask yourself how you can better communicate your vision next time?
Corrective Discipline
Anytime you start a new venture, you should always plan for the worst and hope for the best. In most cases, when a project veers off course, it’s because the vision was not laid out or articulated in a manner in which people understood it. People can’t follow what they can’t see. It is the leadership’s responsibility to make sure the message is clear and concise. From that point, monitor all material projects closely and pivot accordingly when there is a change in the marketplace.
Share your vision, set forth your plan, and make sure people understand the direction the ship is heading. Once they understand that, they can buy into your vision and execute. Sure, there may be times when the initiative or the key player on your team veer off course, and it’s your job to steer back towards your North star. Don’t assume that your team has veered off track because they are not listening. Instead, have a conversation, bring them back to their goals, and get back on track. Often, leadership assumes that it is the employees’ fault when it’s usually just a miscommunication on the task or direction.
Corrective discipline starts with accountability. If you follow the process until this point, you have set your expectations and can course-correct when you get off track. Once you know they understand the expectations, they are competent in their role, and they still are not upholding those expectations, it may be time to have a conversation.
If a project or employee continually needs course-correcting, first try to understand whether the issue is comprehensive or compliance-related. If it’s a comprehension issue, take the time to go through the vision again, as these are learning opportunities. You don’t want your employees to walk on eggshells, so make sure to articulate your point differently. If the issue is compliance-related, then that means the employee likely doesn’t share in the vision you have set forth. Make sure to listen to their input, so they feel understood. They may have a valid point, but they might not understand the business’s full picture. Let them know that you appreciate their input and find a way to return to the company’s overall vision if they are still on board.
Remember, there are always more diplomatic ways of handling things in your business. If someone requires discipline in my company, under my leadership, I’m asking them, “where does the problem reside?” Is it a conflict between two people? Is it a personality conflict? You’ve got to identify the conflict. They will likely give you some response that will connect the dots. If there’s something serious going on in their life, be compassionate and supportive, but let them know that their effort isn’t meeting the company’s expectations. If I am continually having a problem with an individual following direction or the vision, the first question I ask myself is, have I cast the person in the wrong role with-in my company? Then follow up by asking, is there a position that’s better suited for them?
If the person in question has a negative effect on the peopl around them, then we have an issue that’s greater tha repositioning them. If someone has a toxic personality, it is important to address it right away to avoid spreading toxicity through our entire division or company. Once again, the first question I ask myself is this a comprehension problem of compliance. Both should be treated very differently.
Over my 35-year career, you would be surprised; the right people will come back the next day and say thank you for not giving up on them. Instead of giving up on people and firing fast first, try to help them level up. Remember, your job as a leade is to mentor your people. Firing someone is the easy way out but it also means you have to replace their work. If you can help people realize that their effort or attitude is detrimental to the vision and goals of the company, it allows them the opportunity to reflect and grow.
They will come back with a fire in their belly, ready to go to work. You also save yourself the headache as you scale because you took steps one and two, setting the expectations. If they continually fail to meet expectations after multiple conversations, then they are opting out once you have the difficult conversation. I think we have agreed collectively based on your actions that this position isn’t the best fit for you. Are you sure this is the right fit for you? Your effort and attitude are not in line with our culture or the standards we agreed on.”
Leadership is about mentoring people around you and holding them to a higher standard. That means giving them every opportunity to level up before deciding to part ways with someone. It is always more rewarding when someone turns the corner and gets it, but that won’t always happen. The only thing you can control is your character and how you show up.
I had the privilege of working with so many amazing people. I made a point to be supportive and compassionate to my employees as we all face challenges both in life and at work. In light of showing respect and patience, our employees knew not to mistake my kindness for weakness. I held everyone accountable to the company’s vision and their effort, Should you be in a position where corrective discipline is necessary, here are some simple steps to follow:
Step 1: Isolate & understand the problem– What is the root of the problem? Is it between 2 people? Is it personal? The first step is isolating and understanding the source of the problem. Often, we try to solve a problem before we understand the full picture and the facts. It might just be a miscommunication or misunderstanding about what is expected or what needs to get done. Isolate whether the problem is comprehensive or compliance-related, then proceed.
Step 2: Find a solution– Can the problem be resolved? What can be done to remove the problem? As a leader, it’s up to you to turn problems into opportunities. Your problem-solving solutions should always seek to mentor and provide direction first. Firing people is the easy way out, but it doesn’t usually solve the problem. Seek to mentor, explain your desired outcome, point back to your expectations, and find a clear solution to remove the problem.
Step 3: Implement the solution– Create clear guidelines for what has to change. Leave no grey area for interpretation. The goal is for everyone to understand the problem and implement a corrective solution. When problems go unchecked, they only get bigger. As a leader, your goal is to find a solution with the goal of everyone getting back to work. If all parties understand the problem and the solution, that should eliminate the distraction and set the ship back on course.
Step 4: Accountability & follow up– Is the solution working? Have we eliminated the problem? How is it going? Is there respect in the hierarchy of your organization? This last point is critical. Be accountable to the resolution that you put in place. If there is a disagreement between management and an employee, follow up to see how things are going. Sometimes when you have two great people, you may need to move one person to a different opportunity within the organization so they can grow. This may solve the problem once and for all. You can solve problems permanently by creating new opportunities for the people on your team. The only way to find out if the solution is working, is to follow up and reassess,