Most of you have probably seen the picture above and have read the false descriptions of wolf pack mentality and it’s relation to how leaders should act.
If not, here’s a brief synopsis:
“A wolf pack: the first 3 are the old or sick, they give the pace to the entire pack. If it was the other way round, they would be left behind, losing contact with the pack. In case of an ambush they would be sacrificed. Then come 5 strong ones, the front line. In the center are the rest of the pack members, then the 5 strongest following. Last is alone, the alpha. He controls everything from the rear. In that position he can see everything, decide the direction. He sees all of the pack. The pack moves according to the elders pace and help each other, watch each other.” 
Sounds great. And I can see why this was perpetuated on the intrawebs for the past several years. It’s a great metaphor for inspiring good leadership. But it’s not accurate. At least not from what we know about wolves.
I’m going to come back to that description, however, and use it to shed some light on leadership in your fitness business.
What we actually know about wolf culture is that this description is NOT a representation of what we see in the photo. 
The leader in this photo is actually the strongest female of the group. We use incorrect terms like “alpha” but in actuality she is more or less the “Mom” i.e. breeding female.
She is making the path in the snow and the rest of the pack are following those tracks in order to conserve energy. 
🐾
The breeding male is the furthest in the back. He’s the “Dad”. Making sure nobody falls behind, encouraging those in front of him to keep making progress.
So what’s this actually tell us about leadership:
️ As the leader of your business you should be “Out Front” setting the example and forging the path for your clients and your staff to follow.
As you go, so go your clients, your team, and your business.
You also have to be willing to step back. Be willing and able to allow those on your team to fail, so their learning increases exponentially which actually makes your business grow stronger at a faster rate.
At times you have to encourage others to move ahead. Perhaps even placing a stronger talent at the front to set the example.
Someone you have coached to lead. Someone the rest of the “pack” admires and listens to because they themselves want the team to succeed as much as you do.
️ The strongest pack works as a team toward a common goal for the benefit of everyone in the pack. They each have a role, know their role, and desire to execute their role for the success of everyone around them.
As the leader you must birth that vision, nurture it, and embed it as the driving force of those who work for you, as well as those you service.
I think you get it. You’ve heard this all before.
Now…
I want to come back to that false description of wolf pack mentality/culture because it actually has some interesting insight when it comes to fitness business.
Let’s start with the 3 ‘old and sick’ 
It states that the pack can only travel as fast as they do. They hold back how fast the pack will arrive at it’s desired destination.
Think of these as your most difficult clients. 
You know the ones that doubt you can help them and justify their behaviors that sabotage their results, then blame you because you didn’t fulfill your promise to them, even though they’ve tried literally hundreds of diets and methods and failed all of them before coming to you…
Yep those clients.
The more you are able to get those clients fabulous results by strategically breaking their bad psychological habits (without them knowing it’s happening), the faster your business will grow.
When these clients finally get the results they’ve been seeking but couldn’t obtain before coming to you, they become your big advocate leading to their friends and acquaintances wanting to do business with you. 
Yes, you have to ask for the referral. But first you must produce the desired result so that the client/customer never hesitates in pushing folks toward your service. It’s THE critical component in referral marketing.
Next come the 5 strong ones, the front line. The rest of the pack, followed by 5 more strong ones…
This is your team!
In order to make all of them strong, you must coach them how to overcome the most difficult mental obstacles and self-sabotaging behaviors of the most difficult clients.
This is key! 
🔑 Your business is only as strong as your weakest team member. Get every team member’s performance dialed in and functioning optimally.
Build them up. Coach them to success. Hold them accountable to producing the results you would hold yourself accountable to.
Lastly, is you. The leader, the alpha. He/she controls everything from the rear. In that position he can see everything, decide the direction. He sees all of the pack.
You’re responsible for making sure you “see” 
👀 what is really going on in your business…
…the numbers 
…the staff key metrics and results 
…the market shifts & where prospects are hanging out so you can go mine them 
Ultimately, you decide the direction the company goes.
Your leadership, your example, your guiding, your nurturing, your mentoring, and your coaching carve the path for those that follow. Just like the “alpha” female wolf.
It’s your responsibility to grow, so that you can help those around you to grow. So that you can grow your ‘pack’.
I believe that at the core of leadership is coaching.
How much you develop as a coach will be a direct correlation to how much you develop as a leader, both personally and professionally.
And if you think you’re already a great coach and don’t need to continually develop this skill set, then you’ve already missed out on reaching even greater levels of success.
Potential is infinite. 
You can always get better.
And I aim to facilitate an open path to growth that leads to your success.
My goal is to help you, me, and anyone who would listen, to become better.
Glad your with me on this journey!
Clint Barr
P.S. If you’re a Fit Pro reading this and you’d like to develop your leadership skills so you can have more profit and freedom in your business, click the button below to learn about F3 Academy and how it’s helping fitness business owners like yourself get more from their businesses.
