Canadian HR Strategy

CANADIAN HR STRATEGY/11 FEATURE FEATURE/Leadership innovative CEO by Canadian Business and in the following year, was dubbed entrepreneur of the year by Ernst & Young. What began as a nascent fitness club has today become one of the top gyms for Canadians. Run- ning a company like GoodLife — that is so dependent on image and credibil- ity — means Patch- ell Evans is integral to the brand. The walls of almost ev- ery single Good- Life location bears his words of en- couragement along a veritable vineyard of elliptical machines. Though he said there is a relationship to the brand and suc- cess of the company, Evans acknowledged he is becoming less and less important. "Yes, I matter, but not as much as I used to because the company is full of people just like me, they've all got their own little brand, but there is a commonality of purpose," he said. It is with that mantra in mind that Evans selects his choice candidates for executives who might one day assume the man- tle. Of course, the GoodLife sentiment is mirrored during his hiring process, as Evans opts for leaders who are all in and aren't afraid to push it should the going get tough. "Not people who give 99 per cent, but people who give 100 per cent," he said, citing the example of an executive who ne- gotiates the terms of her departure (such as succession or sever- ance deals if or when the business goes sour) while still negoti- ating the terms of employment or hire. In other words, a person should never board a ship with the expectation it will capsize — though, if you find yourself sink- ing, the executive team should play the part of life preserver. As the founder, Evans said he won't personally need to worry about prospective jobs or a career change anytime soon. His priority, therefore, is about infecting the culture to ensure his legacy and vision for the company is kept alive through a care- fully curated team of aces. "Our purpose is to give every Canadian the opportunity to live a fit and healthy good life. But you have to live that pur- pose, right? It just can't be some crap on the wall — it's got to be part of your DNA," Evans said. "People know that's what I am. They know that's what my key people are. They know that that's what the people who walk in the front door are. I can't affect every single person in the country, but I can affect my key staff, my key staff can affect their key staff, and we grow like that." "YOU HAVE TO LIVE THAT PURPOSE. IT JUST CAN'T BE SOME CRAP ON THE WALL — IT'S GOT TO BE PART OF YOUR DNA." Get your copy of the latest leadership development catalogue • NiagaraInstitute.com Quote HRLEAD15 Call: 1-800-663-7305 E-mail: info@NiagaraInstitute.com Make sure you have the most up-to-date leadership development information

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