Several years ago, I interviewed Chuck Runyon, co-founder of Anytime Fitness, in an interview originally published in Thrive Global. Chuck was the CEO of Anytime Fitness at the time of the interview and was the CEO of Purpose Brands - the parent company of Anytime Fitness, Orangetheory Fitness, Waxing the City, Basecamp Fitness/SUMHIIT Fitness, The Bar Method, Stronger U Nutrition, Healthy Contributions, and Provision Security - until December 2024. Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

Adam: What is something about you that would surprise people?

Chuck: My lack of a formal education. I was a below-average high school student who merely “dabbled” at a local community college. If my English teacher knew that I had written two books, she would faint.

Adam: What are your hobbies and how have they impacted your development as a leader?

Chuck: My favorite hobby is coaching my kids’ sports teams. It brings me back to individualized teaching, based on the physical maturity and the skills of each player. As a coach and as a leader in the office, I work hard to make sure I’m more positive than negative (very important in youth sports) and I try to infuse fun into our practices.

Adam: How did you get here? What failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Chuck: During the first several years of Anytime Fitness, we found ourselves needing to lobby state and city lawmakers to revise pre-existing legislation that did not foresee our business model – and could have prevented a key differentiating feature: 24/7 access to our facilities for members, via RFID (radio-frequency identification) key cards, during non-staffed hours. If we hadn’t successfully convinced lawmakers in California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and elsewhere that access to high-quality fitness options should be as convenient and accessible as possible, then Anytime Fitness might not exist today.

Adam: Who are the greatest leaders you have been around and what did you learn from them?

Chuck: In her own way, my mom was a great leader. With no formal training or education, she started as a shift worker at McDonalds and worked her way up to store manager, ultimately opening two stores in the Twin City area. She was able to motivate younger workers and her best attribute was her steady work ethic. She simply showed up every day to work hard, serve her employer, help other workers do their jobs, and do her best. She led by example and never had any emotional drama in the workplace.

Adam: What is the best advice you have on building, managing, and leading teams?

Chuck: We use a system that we call C.A.T.T. — Communication. Alignment. Trust. Talent.

This should be a primary focus for all leaders. Each of the C.A.T.T. components are essential to building and leading an engaged, purpose-driven workforce. Think about it. Most problems can be traced back to one of the following:

1) Breakdown in communication

2) Misaligned on strategy

3) Team doesn’t trust each other

4) Team doesn’t have the talent to execute

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader?

Chuck: Ultimately, the most important measurement of effective leadership is results. No one remembers a leader who didn’t accomplish anything. To get results, a leader must have a long telescope to spot trends and the communication skills to mobilize a team.

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Chuck: Build your self-awareness muscles. How do you “show up” with others? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Maximize your strengths and work on improving your weaknesses. Also, it’s very important to be vulnerable with others. People appreciate honesty and they’re turned off by pretentiousness.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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