The fitness industry, like all industries, is in a constant state of flux, undergoing disruptive changes as new talent enters the workforce and familiar faces bid farewell. Simultaneously, the evolving needs of individuals in pursuit of personal well-being are reshaping the landscape. To ensure longevity and success, it is crucial for businesses to adapt, shift strategies, and seek support to achieve their goals. As members of this industry, we bear the responsibility of supporting one another. Our collective growth and industry thrive when we come together, each playing a vital role in shaping the human experience. It is our duty to support one another, and it is time to replace competition with collaboration. In this blog, we will explore how to affect a powerful shift in your business operations mindset, transitioning from competition to collaboration and connection. Together, we can pave the way for sustainable success and progress.
First, let’s explore the differences between competition and collaboration and understand the transformative power of connection. Competition, as a noun, refers to individuals or groups with whom one competes, while as an adjective, it signifies a state where people or groups strive to outperform others or possess an intense desire to win or be the best. In contrast, collaboration involves actively working with someone to generate or accomplish something. Collaborative, as an adjective, implies the involvement of two or more parties working together. Collaboration entails uniting our unique strengths and values, fostering a collective effort to approach tasks and challenges from diverse perspectives. To embrace collaboration, we must consciously choose to work together, recognizing the value of different viewpoints and emphasizing the “doing it together” mindset. Just as we apply this philosophy to health and fitness, we encourage others to seek the assistance of those already knowledgeable in their pursuit of improving their lifestyle. By engaging in collaboration, we connect with others who possess expertise and share our passion for growth and progress.
Building a Culture of Collaboration
Teams drive innovation, productivity, and growth. The team—not the individual contributor—is the new secret to business success. Only when people are passionately living with a shared purpose are we aligned. While each of us has an innate desire to be our own best self, we also desire to share it with others. In a society riddled with competition, our challenge is to learn to collaborate to create overall wellbeing. Contributing to the whole working together to move our business operations forward. This is what collaboration is about. Just as it would be on the health and fitness front, most people need the help of another person or resource to improve their lifestyle (work with a personal trainer, coach, fitness instructor, or fitness buddy).
Company leaders have a responsibility to be constantly looking for ways to adapt to provide the most efficient and productive work environments for their associates. Great teams don’t work in silos; instead, they bring their unique value to other projects and campaigns. Brilliant ideas bubble to the surface with diverse strengths and perspectives working together. Individual work will always have its place in the workplace, but teamwork and collaboration boost overall company success.
Did you know that interconnected team communication significantly reduces the time it takes to bring an idea to fruition? Also, when teams are interconnected, they make employees feel like their ideas and skills are highly valued, which leads to improved commitment and loyalty to their team and the company, boosting overall morale.
Millennials seek out collaborative work cultures. It is estimated that 88% prefer collaboration over competition and 25% want a chance to prove their leadership ability in the workplace. They cannot have this or do this if they are not allowed or are not given opportunities to share their perspectives and voices as a means to collaborate and contribute to the workplace. It all comes down to shifting your culture and operations to make this a reality so that you can retain the best and brightest talent.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
Creating Connection in your Operations and with Others
Remember that awareness is the greatest agent for change. When we realize how connected we all are in this world and the connections within our businesses, we increase our awareness. Reaching out to others and connecting takes courage. Making changes and shifting your business mindset also takes courage.
At canfitpro Global this past weekend, we experienced the power of connection and discovered the courage to create change and shift our business mindset. canfitpro Global is our only in-person event of the year. This year was especially significant as we are celebrated our 30th anniversary. It is because of the connections that we have built over the years with our members, sponsors, presenters, and exhibitors that we have made it this far and we aren’t stopping now!
