By Team ICG® Master Trainer Chuck Cali
Lately, lively discussion has surrounded a series of posts by Krista Leopold. She uses hypothetical letters to the instructor to highlight instructor professionalism. In her most recent “letter”, Krista discusses a subset of professionalism — bad-mouthing other instructors or the facility.
Krista has opened the door on professional behavior (ethics) in our workplace. Let”™s walk in.
Webster defines professionalism as “the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well.”
Ethics are “a system of moral principles; the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions.” In this case, the human action is workplace etiquette. We learn ethics as children. Our parents called it “doing the right thing.”
From that perspective, let”™s examine another behavior in our workplace — self-promotion.
The forums I browse, including ICI/PRO, feature discussions on how to promote ourselves to our riders: social media, web sites, newsletters, email, business cards. It seems like a good idea, but is it ethical?
Unless you own the studio, the riders in your classes are customers of the facility that pays you, not your own. We have no ethical business contacting their customers. Yet it”™s done all the time.
Instructors with regular classes build contact lists of subs, for obvious reasons.
Instructors with regular classes also build contact lists of their riders, for less obvious reasons.
Most instructors are also on sub lists. Sooner or later, an email arrives from a popular instructor, who needs a sub for a prime time class. The sub thinks, “Teaching to a full room is always fun; I”™ll do it!” Seconds later, the sub gets a response from the appreciative peer, “Thank you so much. You”™ll love this class. It”™s always full, and they like a great workout.”
The sub spends considerable time, effort and money preparing. After all, this is prime time, and people arrive 45 minutes early to get a bike.
The sub arrives 20 minutes before the class and opens the door to…an empty room. A bit weird, but there”™s still time. A couple of people walk in. The sub smiles and does the meet-n-greet. At class time, there”™s a roomful of mostly empty bikes.
What happened? The instructor contacted the regulars to inform them that a sub was teaching. That”™s all it took to empty the usually full room. Have you experienced this?
A serious breach of professional etiquette, this behavior has long been standard in big-box gyms and crosses the ethical line. It”™s about self-promotion. Not to participate forces one onto an unleveled playing field. The playing field is Head Count, the gold standard of an instructor”™s worth. Is this an instructor survival tactic? Must one be unethical to protect one”™s turf?
I”™m no stranger to contradictions, but isn”™t discouraging attendance essentially the same as bad-mouthing another instructor? I see this as an ethics issue, rather than a survival tactic. What do you think?
When an instructor contacts riders and influences them not to attend class, many things happen. None of these is good for anyone but the instructor — who needed help in the first place.
At the big-box gyms, where most of us teach, there”™s no real need for self-promotion beyond doing a good job. Why? Well, as stated, our riders are not our customers. And the gym promotes its own programs and, by extension, the instructors teaching them.
Our first priority as employees is to keep the members happy, better known as service after the sale. We do that by implementing many time-tested principles often discussed on ICI/PRO.
As always, there”™s an exception. Soul Cycle. Their business model, largely based on self-promotion both on- and off-stage, pits instructor against instructor, in favor of those who sell out the studio every class. It”™s all about sales. From that point of view, these unethical tactics can at least be understood.
Currently there”™s buzz surrounding a lawsuit alleging that Soul Cycle exploits instructors by not compensating them for all their time. Exploitation? Maybe. I see it as creating an environment of competition in the interest of sales. Let the best at self-promotion win.
But what we do in the big boxes is about service after the sale. That changes everything when it comes to workplace etiquette.
My own subbing experience was invaluable. Unfortunately, I learned that instructors may act professional around their riders but less so with their peers. I also realized how hard this job is, especially building a loyal following of regulars.
I”™m proud that, through continuing education, experience and professionalism, I play to a full room in most of the six classes I teach per week. I still don”™t know the emails or phone numbers of any riders in my classes.
I have no illusion of effecting behavioral change with these words. Management at big boxes made the choice long ago to leave it to the instructors. Empty studios are of no consequence because, in such facilities, the cycle studio is not a profit center. Not so in boutique studios. Let”™s hear from studio owners on this issue and how they deal with such tactics.
If we”™re going to examine professional behavior in a forum for indoor cycle instructors, let”™s look at all of it and ask ourselves if we”™re doing the right thing.
He partnered with Sally Edwards in January 2011 to market and set up operations to support ZONING, the next generation three zone heart rate training system.Chuck is an evangelist for cycling and his enthusiasm for getting America fit is second only to the head heart herself, Sally.
Pilot, flight instructor and small business owner Chuck is no stranger to excitement. His diverse background, passion to stay fit and willingness to take on a challenge make him a great fit within our Indoor Cycling Community.In addition to being a full time pilot, Chuck writes, speaks, teaches, and cajoles others to be active using the Blink heart rate monitor and ZONING programming.
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Hello,
Interesting article. How do you view a newsletter to your class participants? I got this idea from this website and thought it was a great idea. In my newsletter, I inform my participants a description of the rides for the week.
Pat,
I’m not going to say it depends. It doesn’t.
Is the studio yours? If so a newsletter is not an option but a necessity. If not is the studio paying you to manage programs and promote their classes.
Are you at a big box or boutique? Why? At the boutique their life blood is butts in saddles. By informing THEIR customers that a sub is teaching or what you plan to do in class, you may be influencing some not to attend that would have otherwise.
While one could make an argument that the opposite is also true, said customers are not yours to influence in any way until your class starts.
At the big box… well frankly unless THEIR customer/members are complaining about YOUR newsletter, they don’t care. It is about happy customers that keep paying membership dues.
As I said big boxes left it to the instructors long ago. Empty studios hardly get noticed until the bottom line starts looking red.
John,
Interesting post. It brings up the subject of ego among instructors. I have experienced first hand the “subbing to an empty room that would be normally full”. I was disappointed to say the least. Not to mention that this was on my early days so it affected me more than it should have.
Later I learned that the instructor that I was subbing for was a neat freak with lots of insecurities and that he always made a point to communicate to “his” class that he would not be in on such and such dates.
That to me is an unacceptable behavior. It is almost as saying the sub that will be here next time sucks so don’t bother to come.
I also know of instructors that instead of using the club’s scheduling system to request subs they use their own short list of instructors to obtain a sub that they approve. Again, unprofessional, egotistical and unfair.
This is really unfair to other instructors that may need to be exposed to more students in order to grow their careers and further their experience.
When I started I started by subbing. And subbing, despite the downs caused by this type of behavior, gave me the confidence I needed to apply my own style, take on my own regular classes and become a good instructor.
I am very grateful to the instructors that played fair and allowed me a fair chance to sub.
Chuck,
I work at a big box gym. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide information about upcoming classes. Oftentimes, I will also include class playlist as well as a profile description of the class. Oftentimes, I will thank them for coming to class as well as being a member of our gym. I rarely miss a class and when I am out I let the class know that the instructor subbing is going to do a great job and I know they will enjoy the class and get a great workout.
Pat,
I’m sure your commitment pays off in satisfied customers at your big box. And at the end of the day, you have provided exceptional service after the sale. It doesn’t get any better than that.
If I am going to miss one class , I will not inform my riders however if I am going on an extended vacation, I will let my class know who will be subbing my class. I had to take 4 weeks off recently and posted in the cycle room who would be teaching my classes. I felt the riders should be informed , does anyone else feel the same way about vacations and extended leaves?
If I know ahead of time, I let my classes know when I’ll be gone. I have become friends with so many of them, I would consider it rude to fail to do that. Also, we all share our lives, so “I won’t be here next week. I’ll be suffering through…er, I mean, greatly enjoying, an elementary school strings concert!” is cause for laughter, sympathy, and offers for ear plugs. They tell me ahead of time when they will be gone, and we all get to envy their anniversary cruise, or empathize with a dreaded trip to the in-laws.
My announcement is ALWAYS followed by “So-and-so will be here for me, and I know you’ll get a great workout!” I’ve never had a sub show up to an empty house. In fact, I’ve gotten emails after the fact from the subs telling me how nice my people are, and that it was a pleasure to be with them.
I do work in a chain, but instructors are competitive, and classes are removed if attendance is low. It’s tempting for many instructors to dog the others, in hopes of increasing their numbers.
Ego will get you into trouble in group ex. You need to have a thick skin, and not take things personally. I tell people all the time that you will never be faulted for being the better person, and building up your co-workers is just a classy thing to do.
Thank you Chuck! I am a fitness director supervising group fitness. It’s very frustrating when an instructor begs for a sub, then tells everyone she will be gone. The sub takes the class after the desperate plea of the instructor only to find a mostly empty room. I still have to pay the sub when I should instead cancel the class. The next time the instructor needs a sub she wonders why no one will help her out!
Chuck, your take on this subject is really interesting. I do have experience with team members who constantly self promote, but rarely or never so much as read the announcements on the stereo as we all do. I never thought of it as an ethics issue, I just think those folks are jerks who don’t know how to be on a team. Unfortunately, my only options are to ignore it or rat on ’em. What do you suggest?