Webster’s Dictionary defines leadership as:
But is it necessary to have number 1 in order to accomplish numbers 2 and 3? Absolutely not.
As a professional organization, Houston Swim Club most definitely has employees who hold formal leadership and management positions. These individuals are the backbone of our company and are key contributors to our success, but they aren’t the only contributors.
At HSC, we have over 200 employees across all 5 of our locations. The majority of those individuals don’t hold titles, but they are all leaders in their own unique ways. It’s these employees who work so hard each and every day to help us deliver #theHSCdifference. And, in the process of putting in all that hard work, they are teaching those of us at the top what true leadership looks like.
We strive to have a team that is made up of people who:
Sure, there are many other characteristics and skills that we look for. Is the applicant reliable, energetic, kind, a good communicator, etc.? But if someone genuinely has the first three traits, then nine times out of ten, they’ll be an awesome fit for us... and for you.
Applicants come to us in all shapes and sizes. We are drawn in by their strengths. We look past their weaknesses. The good almost always outweighs the bad. It’s all about recognizing their potential, committing ourselves to their personal growth, and creating a vision as to how they can add value to our team.
Maybe it’s a high school student who learned to swim in our program and has spent the last two years working with youth in their church. Maybe it’s a mom or dad who we’ve watched bring their own children through our program. Maybe it’s a school teacher who has years of experience in a traditional classroom setting working to teach and improve the lives of children.
Making the decision to add someone new to our team is the easy part. It doesn’t really take us long to know whether or not they’ll be a good fit. Educating them about our program and training them in our curriculum is pretty easy too. And, watching them develop and grow into talented individuals who help to make our organization a great place in the Houston community is also easy…and incredibly rewarding.
But it can’t all be easy.
We recognize that not everyone who joins our team will be with us forever. Each person’s goals are different. Some join our team, work part-time while attending college, and have their goal set on starting a career as a school teacher, an engineer or maybe a nurse. Some join our team, work full time, and then get married, have children, and decide to become a stay-at-home parent. Some join our team, work part-time as an office employee, and leave to take on a leadership opportunity in a different field of work.
It’s letting these passionate, talented people spread their wings and move on to the next chapter in their lives that is the hard part.
Regardless of how long we have them, we know it is our job to make sure that they leave our team as better human beings than they were when they started. We want them to be better for having worked at HSC.
Everyone’s story is different, but it’s each of their stories that helps us to tell ours.
One of the best parts of our story is that we DO have an incredible amount of people who have joined our team, and haven’t left. We have over 50 employees who have been part of our team for five years or more! And many of those are past the ten, fifteen, or even twenty-year mark!
In our society today, it’s fairly unheard of for someone to have employee tenure for that long. We believe our organization is the exception to that and it’s one of the many things that has allowed us to become leaders in the swim school industry. We love to see families who return year after year and are amazed to see the same familiar faces in our offices and in our pools. It makes us really proud!
Regardless of how long someone has been part of our team, they understand the importance of being good leaders and role models for your children. We know they are watching us closely. They develop unique relationships with, look up to, and learn from our team members. And, we want you to know that we are learning from them, too. Without even knowing it, your children show US each and every day what leadership looks like.
We love your kids! We love being able to teach them lifesaving skills and so much more when they’re in our care. Thank you so much for trusting us with your babies. We can’t wait to see what kind of leaders they become!
For more information visit our website to enroll swim lessons or for more information on how to join our team.
Written by Stephanie Burns, Site Director of Houston Swim Club Sharpstown
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