Beyond the Crisis and Chaos: Quebec’s New Coalition

Quebec Coaliltion
By Nathalie Lacombe

By Nathalie Lacombe

Having had the honor of representing Fitness Industry Council of Canada’s Quebec Coalition of fitness clubs and studios through the Covid-19 crisis, here are a few remarkable insights gathered as we worked towards the reopening date of June 22nd.

 

Coalition = Collaboration

 

Close to 200 locations joined our Coalition to create a common voice to reassure both the government and public that fitness facilities were prepared to reopen safely. This included club chains, franchise studios, independent gyms, Yoga studios, etc. of all sizes and price ranges.  All of them have unique challenges and concerns, but they came together and contributed with an understanding that:

  • There is much more that unites us vs separates us. Putting our egos and competitive mindsets aside allowed for less anxiety throughout the crisis because they knew they were not alone. Seeing it as a shared experience allowed for much greater empathy and created a support network that will last long beyond Covid-19.
  • The provincial government sees “gyms” as one single category. There was a group in Quebec that claimed, and lobbied, that smaller studios should be allowed to open before “big box gyms” but we knew that wouldn’t be the case. Our Coalition members stood by one another, regardless of their differences, confident that any division would slow down our government relations work and create mistrust in the public opinion. That confidence was founded when our Coalition was the only group informed of the announcement date ahead of time by the Sport Minister’s office about the reopening date; they shared that they were pleased to work with a group that worked collaboratively and professionally towards a safe reopening plan.
 
Leadership Matters Now More Than Ever

 

Like in all times of crisis, the cream rises to the top. Owners and operators who communicated regularly not only with their members, but also with their teams are already reaping the benefits of their leadership. Some key best practices that made a big difference include:

  • Any news or decision is better than none: I sadly heard from fitness pros who as of reopening date had still not heard a word from their gyms! People count on their leaders to be decision makers no matter how difficult the situation, and fitness pros are realizing that indecision is actually a decision within itself. In times of crisis no news is definitely not good news and it put all owners and operators under a leadership culture microscope.
  • Reflection allows for creativity: most of us went into a reactive mode when the pandemic first hit, then great leaders began to mindfully reflect on how they could continue to serve their teams and clients. This led to them having the ability to connect with their own and their team’s creativity and pivot towards new offers including virtual fitness, family nutritional coaching, outdoor workouts, online challenges, and so much more.

 

It is my absolute pleasure to congratulate the following Quebec Coalition gyms and studios on their leadership during closures and wish them all fantastic reopening success!

30 Minute Hit

APC

B52

Barbell Rive-Nord

Biner Training

Béco Yoga

Blackburn Athletics

Bougeotte et Placotine

Buckingham Fitness

Buzzfit L’Acadie

Bx Studio

Canal Fitness

CAPS

Cardio Concept

Cardio Féminin Lac Mégantic

Centre de conditionnement Coaticook

Centre Form Action

Centre Multisports

Centre Sablon

Centre santé physique plus

Centre Sportif Extrême Évolution

Centre Sportif Rosemère

Cité Sportive

Club La Cite

Club Le Profil

Club Sportif MAA

Club Superforme

Coop Gym Santé Sutton

Concept Action

CONDITIONNEMENT PHYSIQUE PREMIÈRE PERFORMANCE INC.

Crunch

Cyclotonus

Énergie Cardio

Energie Sud

Excellence Fitness

Fitness Evolution

Gold’s Gym

Gym du Plateau

Gym Élite Coach

Gym Fit Forme

Gym Hamann

Gym Le Chalet

Gym Premium

Gym Proactif

Gym St-Henri

Gym Studio Locomotion

Hugo Gym

Idolem

InspireAPlus

Inter Plus

Kinétik Gym

La Fitnesserie Inc.

La Nouvelle Salle

La vie Active

Le Gymnase

Midtown Le Sporting Club Sanctuaire

Motion Park

New Life Fitness

Olympia Performance

Optimum

Orange Theory Fitness

Pro Fitness

Pro Gym Sherbrooke

Santé 2000 Le Club

Siscoe Gym

Sporteque

St-Évariste-de-Forsyth

Studio Epix

Studio Powerwatts Nord

Techgym

This By Amen

Top Cardio

UNI Training

Vic Park

Vite Fit

West End Cavendish Athletic Club

World Gym

Yul Fitness Inc

Z Gym

Zero Limite Fitness

Nathalie Lacombe, M. Sc.  Leadership coach and strategic partner. Joyfully taking your leadership and business to the next level!

nathalie@nathalielacombe.com

 

YOUR NEXT STEP: Click here for FREE access to my 4-part video series What Fit Pros Want From Their Leaders and let me know how which of the tips most impacts your leadership!

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