“I always think of culture like a garden. […] We’re always in the middle of the journey. There’s no real finish line to culture. It’s always like that garden. You’re always replanting it. You’re always finding new crops. You’re finding a new kind of seed to plant. And sometimes it doesn’t work out and it’s a failure. That’s OK, too. There’s learning in that as well.”
S02E01 of the Rethink Culture podcast shines the spotlight on Erik Lilla, the Founder and CEO of Metro Star Gymnastics, a large gymnastics company that celebrated its sweet 16th anniversary in January 2023 and teaches over 3,000 people per week. Erik’s “why” statement is “to coach and inspire others so we can celebrate their success,” and he has built such a strong culture that members of his staff are getting Metro Star Gymnastics logo tattoos.
Listen to this episode to find out:
· How consolidating, launching, highlighting core values, and using customer-focused welcome boxes helped Metro Star Gymnastics attract a good culture fit in team members as well as customers.
· How EO’s Entrepreneurial Master’s Program shifted Erik’s mindset from contrarian counterculture to culture enthusiast.
· How Erik applies the “learn and grow” value to his company by providing monthly hands-on training and an annual learning-day Summit to his staff.
· What the High Five board is, how it represents the Metro Star Gymnastics core values and how it is used in a card-giving program to show staff appreciation.
· What makes Erik’s staff members want to get a tattoo of the Metro Star Gymnastics logo.
· How Erik practices the “confidence with humility” core value by taking a facility-by-facility monthly net promoter score.
· Why culture, your “why” statement, and your authentic self must be central to everything you do.
· How Erik’s team makes decisions collectively and each member is responsible for culture.
Further resources:
The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams, by Seth Godin
https://www.amazon.com/Song-Significance-New-Manifesto-Teams/dp/0593715543
