How to Build a Team that Shares Your Vision

Who you hire is not only an extension of you and your business—your team members are, in fact, what your product is. As a Mindbody Certified Business Consultant, I see it time and time again: The most successful business owners don’t just teach amazing yoga classes or provide standout wellness experiences. They create a team that can do it for them.

If you’re looking to build a team that shares your vision, creates a positive environment, and helps you grow your business, these tips are for you.

Get aligned on vision with a staff meeting

The first step is to schedule a staff meeting solely dedicated to vision. This is an opportunity to get aligned with your team on the business’s vision, your personal vision, and most importantly, their vision. What is their why?

When you take the time to sit down with your team and explain your vision and how that supports your business’s mission, they can then see themselves as a complementary and integral part of your overall business goals. They’ll better understand their purpose in helping bring that mission to life. Once you’re aligned, everything else will flow more easily.

Never stop recruiting

Only when you’re aligned with your existing team will you want to think about recruiting new staff members. When should you be recruiting? The answer is always. It's inevitable some of your employees will move, change career paths, or start their own thing. For these reasons, you can never have too many team members.

These recruiting tips will help build your pipeline of potential hires:

• Create a compelling job ad. Why is working for you the best life decision this person could make for themselves? Market your open positions with language that will help those looking for a job get a feel for your brand. 
• Start with your own email list. If you’re sending a monthly newsletter or updates, make sure to include your job listing. Dedicate at least three of your routine emails just to recruit for your open position. The more emails you send, the more likely people will see the listing—and the more likely you are to find the best applicant.
• Use your social media channels. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram are perfect platforms to get the word out that you’re looking to expand your team. Social is inexpensive and encourages sharing, which makes it a great outlet to find more talent.

Build a culture of commitment to your business

Creating an environment for your team to succeed is one of the biggest details in building a team that shares your vision.

If you want to create an environment for your employees to thrive in, consider these strategies:

• Use systems that keep you and your employees organized. Use a practical application to help your team to keep track of tasks with practical tools like the Mindbody "My Tasks" feature. This simple tool helps you and your team stay organized and prevents missed tasks.
• Check in on your team. Be a fly on the wall. Take time to observe what's going on with them. Then start to give them little reminders. Do some roleplay, retrain, and reiterate. This’ll keep your employees performing better now and in the future.

Set goals for your team and incentivize performance

When it comes to motivating your team, everyone loves positive reinforcement.

Looking to reward your team in a meaningful way? Try taking these steps:

• Set goals and compensate your team for meeting them. Consider how many people you’d like to convert to members, the sales numbers you want to hit, or the number of saves or cancellations you’d like to see. If those goals are met by the end of the month or quarter, commit a certain percentage of your sales to your team.
• Create a product of the month. If your business sells products, award a bonus to whoever sells the most by the end of the month or quarter. Want to offer non-cash perks, check out this blog post for ideas.
• Hold a retention competition. At the end of every month, post every team member's client retention rate. At the end of the quarter, give a bonus (or other rewards) to whoever performs the best.

Looking for a fun way to encourage staff to meet their goals? Think about creating leaderboards in the staff lounge. Or host contests with Insights that encourage some healthy competition to boost sales and increase client retention.

Bottom line—your team is the foundation that leads to more freedom as an owner, less micromanaging, and increased revenue. Stay focused on your desired outcomes through continual training, roleplaying, and a hands-on approach. By incorporating these strategies, you’ll create a positive vision and environment for your team to thrive.