It started with a big back yard and a lawn mower.
Hans Oliver was 15 years old, living in the suburbs of Detroit and eager to make some money. Like many entrepreneurial teenagers, he started providing lawn care services to his neighbors. Word spread quickly through his small Michigan town, and suddenly he had a whopping 25 lawns to mow, far more than he could possible do himself. So Hans turned to the easiest potential employees to hire: his high school friends. Soon he employed several of them, serving as the manager and going lawn to lawn to inspect their work.
A few decades later, Hans is now Vice President of 10 Fitness, a thriving chain of gyms based in Little Rock, Arkansas. 10 Fitness clubs are rich with amenities, affordable and conveniently located in 10 locations around Arkansas and Missouri. At 10 Fitness, Hans directly manages 32 employees and his teams consist of nearly 250 employees. There have been a lot of ups and downs since he joined the management team. Not surprisingly, he has learned a ton along the way. I caught up with Hans to get some of his advice for other managers.
Be consistent
In a growing organization like 10 Fitness, consistency is key. The team has spent years developing a playbook that accounts for all of the nitty gritty details of operating a gym. To succeed, it’s critical that new employees and managers understand the play and keep it simple. From how to clean equipment to interact with customers, Hans and his team have tried to account for all of the little details to ensure that new employees can onboard quickly and understand best practices.
Embrace failure
While it’s important to create a playbook and stick to it, Hans found that the best way for the team to grow is by embracing — even encouraging — failure. He urges his employees to try new things and be ok with potentially falling on their faces after. This is how 10 Fitness is able to stay innovative. He noted that it’s very important for employees and managers to communicate when they are trying something new and deviating from the “play book.” It’s good to try new things as long as everyone is on the same page. His general philosophy is that people have to try new things themselves to truly internalize whether or not those new ideas are effective.
Win people over
Soon after Hans joined the company, he encountered a manager who was quite resistant to Hans’ new management strategy. After their initial meeting, the man stood up and said “I just want you to know: I don’t like you, I’m not going to like you, I’ll do what you ask but I won’t like anything you have to say.” Taken aback, Hans replied with “I promise you this: my door is always open if you want to talk about it. I appreciate that you are open with me.”
The man’s previous manager had been very rigid, while Hans’ style is to give employees flexibility in how they do things, as long as those things get done successfully. This was a big adjustment for this employee and he initially wasn’t thrilled with the idea. Well, 3 years later and that employee is Hans’ right-hand-man and a rising star in the company. “It’s a good thing I was patient with him!” Hans jokes.
Hold everyone accountable
Especially with a business that has multiple locations spread out, managers cannot be constantly looking over employees’ shoulders (nor should they). Hans relies on his location managers to properly implement the playbook, try new ideas and report back accurate results. He ensures that there are clear, measurable objectives that each location manager is responsible for.
Work with your friends
There is certainly divide in the management community on the pros and cons of working with your friends. In Hans’ case, he wouldn’t have it any other way but to have his friends at his side at work. “Eric [10 Fitness CEO] is one of my best friends. I would never want to put him in the position of having to tell me I’m not working effectively. That’s part of the motivation to always keep pushing.”
