Leisure
What Makes a Good Leisure Manager
by XPRESS,
29 May 2011
Leisure managers need to make sure that leisure facilities within a venue run smoothly and safely at all times. As a leisure manager of a multifaceted site (beauty/fitness/pool/hall/gym) you need to ensure that all these departments run together effectively at all times.
Customer Service is a key part of a leisure managers role. The role of a leisure Manager is very diverse and responsible. A leisure manager has to make sure that all members of staff have the skills and resources to do their own job to the best of their abilities they also have to assist with the sales and marketing of the facility. A good Leisure Manager can juggle all the day to day tasks including;
Activity programme timetables, advertising, attracting new customers, research competition and viability of product, recruitment, training, managing and discipline of staff, complaint handling, looking after the financial management of the club including-wages, P&L, budgets and keeping to these.
Along with a very lengthy list of duties a Leisure Manager does good leisure managers also have a number of qualifications including, degrees such as sports science, business studies, physiology and leisure management and HNDs in subjects like sport and leisure management, recreation management, sports science, business, and travel and tourism studies.
Good leisure managers have excellent communication skills along with good interaction, excellent customer service skills, a very good numeracy and literacy understanding. They will always have an interest in physical fitness, sports and activities. Good administrative skills and business knowledge with marketing and IT skills are also seen in Good Leisure Managers.
Other skills good leisure managers have are Team-leading, problem solving, creativity and flexibility, motivational, presentation, the ability to work to a tight budget and stick to a tight deadline with excellent organisational and decision making skills. The more undesirable side of the job leads Good Leisure Managers to have the ability to take responsibility for their mistakes, to communicate well with staff whilst administering disciplinary measures if necessary, to be resilient and have the ability to handle complaints in a tactful manner. And most of all a Good Leisure Manager will be outgoing and approachable. When looking for a job in Leisure Management, most companies in the leisure industry think that relevant experience is more important than qualifications.
Experience does not have to be done specifically in a leisure centre. Previous experience in other environments including events organisation and marketing can also be useful. Where can a good leisure manager go in their career, they may choose to move to move to a larger site where they take on a more strategic and financial role also there may be opportunity to take on the food and beverage departments within in a venue or they may look at a smaller club where they would be a lot more hands on and be very involved in the classes and gym themselves.
Once you have had the role of a Leisure Manager and have been highly successful you may look to move on to a regional management opportunity this would mean you would take control of a number of clubs within an area and manage the managers within these.