We are in the business of helping people. People come to us for the expertise and guidance we offer in the realm of lifestyle management. In our daily interactions we face many situations in which we are required to go above and beyond the training hour to help people get to where they want to be. It is a reality that we must be aware of but most importantly, follow through on.
Weather during the training hour or in your personal life it is easy to be engaged in conversation and forget about little things you say you will do. Not being mindful on your words and forgetting, (no matter how small your promise) can lead to a loss of credibility by over-promising and under-delivering.
Examples:
-I will call your physio and learn more about your injury. What is her number?
-Your program will be completed by your next workout.
-Customer says they want to try trail running and you say “I’ll get you some info”
-I will call Keith at NSA and have a pair put aside for you.
-Check your email, by tonight I will send you the itinerary for the Grand Canyon.
Whatever it might be, no matter how big or small, if you say you will do something for somebody then do it. With this you will more than likely get points in other peoples books when you do what you say especially when it is above and beyond. If you know that you are not able to deliver something within a certain timeframe then do not say you will do it. If you are the type of person who forgets things talked about then write it down immediately to ensure that it is not overlooked and that it gets completed. After all, your word is riding on it.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Barriers to Communication
I came across this a while back and thought it was a great tool.
Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood
Anything that prevents understanding of the message is a barrier to communication. Many physical and psychological barriers exist:
Culture, background, and bias - We allow our past experiences to change the meaning of the message. Our culture, background, and bias can be good as they allow us use our past experiences to understand something new, it is when they change the meaning of the message then they interfere with the communication process.
Noise - Equipment or environmental noise impede clear communication. The sender and the receiver must both be able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each other. (Focus)
Ourselves - Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to confusion and conflict. The "Me Generation" is out when it comes to effective communication. Some of the factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel someone is attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more that the other), and ego (we feel we are the center of the activity). (make it about them)
Perception - If we feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently, does not articulate clearly, etc., we may dismiss the person. Also our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. We listen uncritically to persons of high status and dismiss those of low status. (Ego)
Message - Distractions happen when we focus on the facts rather than the idea. Our educational institutions reinforce this with tests and questions. Semantic distractions occur when a word is used differently than you prefer. For example, the word chairman instead of chairperson, may cause you to focus on the word and not the message. (Know your audience)
Smothering - We take it for granted that the impulse to send useful information is automatic. Not true! Too often we believe that certain information has no value to others or they are already aware of the facts. (Stopping the FLOW - Funnel)
Stress - People do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references - our beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences, and goals.
These barriers can be thought of as filters, that is, the message leaves the sender, goes through the above filters, and is then heard by the receiver. These filters muffle the message. So we must be sure our message is received the way we intended it.
Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood
Anything that prevents understanding of the message is a barrier to communication. Many physical and psychological barriers exist:
Culture, background, and bias - We allow our past experiences to change the meaning of the message. Our culture, background, and bias can be good as they allow us use our past experiences to understand something new, it is when they change the meaning of the message then they interfere with the communication process.
Noise - Equipment or environmental noise impede clear communication. The sender and the receiver must both be able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each other. (Focus)
Ourselves - Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to confusion and conflict. The "Me Generation" is out when it comes to effective communication. Some of the factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel someone is attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more that the other), and ego (we feel we are the center of the activity). (make it about them)
Perception - If we feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently, does not articulate clearly, etc., we may dismiss the person. Also our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. We listen uncritically to persons of high status and dismiss those of low status. (Ego)
Message - Distractions happen when we focus on the facts rather than the idea. Our educational institutions reinforce this with tests and questions. Semantic distractions occur when a word is used differently than you prefer. For example, the word chairman instead of chairperson, may cause you to focus on the word and not the message. (Know your audience)
Smothering - We take it for granted that the impulse to send useful information is automatic. Not true! Too often we believe that certain information has no value to others or they are already aware of the facts. (Stopping the FLOW - Funnel)
Stress - People do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references - our beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences, and goals.
These barriers can be thought of as filters, that is, the message leaves the sender, goes through the above filters, and is then heard by the receiver. These filters muffle the message. So we must be sure our message is received the way we intended it.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Putting on your game face
Last year I saw a special on ESPN about the great Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns 1957-1956), who is widely considered the best running back, if not athlete of all time.
What impressed me about the show was not so much his stats and highlights but the story of his preparation for each and every practice and game. What I took most from this special was his professionalism, his approach, his leaderships, how he understood the mental aspect as well as understanding how those around him were effecting by his actions and abilities.
Here is someone who was playing in the NFL when there was a minority of African-American players. So it's pretty fair to say that he dealt with racism far greater than we have ever seen, heard or experienced in our lives. Also, players back then were not set up on multi-million dollar contracts with insurance policy's to fall back on. Most players worked second jobs. Basically, if you got injured, tough luck!...and unlike today where you have Replay footage and heavy officating, player's dealt with being cleated, eyes gouged out, being speared after the play was finished, etc, etc....
Jim Brown understood that he was a gifted individual not only physically but mentally as well. The epsiode on Brown highlighted how he got up after each and every tackle the exact same way (taking 10-15 seconds to get up). Regardless if he slipped up or got nailed in the numbers, he would get up if it were the exact same as the previous play.
Brown did this so that no one around him, both his opponents and his own team mates would know if was hurt by the hit because he never changed his approach/reaction....therefore leading those to believe he was unbreakable.
Also, Brown never received treatment from the medical/training staff while any of his team mates or media were around. He would come 2 hours before every player arrived for practice to get treatments so that they would not know he was hurt or required some aid.
What I'm trying to get at is that we all have the ability to leave our baggage (because we all have things going on in our lives in some form or another) at the door to prevent attention being drawn to ourself. This just leads to affecting the facility, the customers and our team mates all in a negative manner. There is a time and place for everything to be sorted and trying to do so when you're on the training floor is only detrimental to your team, the overall energy, the customer's experience (their not hear to listen to our problems), but also yourself.
Being the leaders of IF, it starts with us and it trickles down to all of those around us whether it be a lack of energy we display, a change in mood, crying, complaining, lack of work ethic, mediocre training sessions, etc, etc...
We must be on our top game 24/7 if we want to lead both our team mates and ourselves to the next level.
Using this forum group and our management in place to find solutions to our own personal situations during 1-0n-1 meetings, forum meetings, coffee's/lunch/dinners outside of the facility are all great avenues for us to handle our own situations properly.
Jim Brown could have been the star player who acted all dramatic when he was hit hard or could have let everyone know the abuse he took both mentally and physically week in and week out during his illustrious career. However, he chose to go the other path of dealing with it in the proper manner where he still produced at an extraordinary level, leading all of those around him, winning championships and also still finding the right time to take care of the things that needed to be addressed.
We all have the same ability.
When we step into the facility doors and wear our IF jersey's, it's time to leave our personal baggage at the door and take care of business.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Empowering Others Minus The Ego
‘The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self – restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it’
-Theodore Roosevelt
Secure leaders are able to give power to others. We see this model happening everyday in our business. From owners giving power to managers, who give power to role players, who give power to coaches, etc. But where does this go wrong – often one thing stands in the way of this model having the most success (in fact, it’s the same thing that stands in the way of most people’s success): EGO.
It’s your ego that tells you:
‘no, that’s my job, they can’t have credit for that.’
‘i’m better at that anyways, so I’ll do it’
‘why is this person trying to do my job, I’m supposed to do that’
‘I’m the leader/mentor, I couldn’t possibly learn anything from them’
And it’s funny, because the leaders that feel threatened and let their ego get in the way are usually the ones who have the most to worry about, and in turn not being the great leaders they could be if they would lose the ego. Those that are able to step back and see that there is no power in ‘one’ and that we all play very important and integral roles, will notice a lot more being accomplished – tangible and intangible. When you have great players on your team you don’t have to worry about someone taking your place because you are all working together towards a common goal. Take back the reins and see what happens – everyone becomes each others yings and yangs, and we all learn from each other. and this is what we all do well in our situations. We see potential role players/great coaches flourish when given the reins – great ideas we never knew they had are surfaced, they gain new confidence and more great things happening. We see this happening all the time. But unfortunately, as in any situation, we see the flipside happen as well. We are all mentors and leaders to someone at some point, but we can not always be there mentor and should not feel threatened when they are now doing a great job at what you did for them. We have some GREAT up and coming coaches – in due time they will have the reins, and we have to be confident in our teachings to give them full control and watch them flourish and be proud that we helped them get there.
A quick story: “Henry Ford was not so well known for his ego – which was the cause of his company’s eventual downfall. In fact he was the complete opposite of an empowering leader. He would undermine his company leaders and look over the shoulders of his people. This became a pattern in his leadership – anytime an executive gained power or influence, Henry would support the executives subordinates or publically humiliate him. As one Ford president commented on after leaving the company ‘ Henry Ford, as I would learn first hand, had a nasty habit of getting rid of strong leaders’ “
Only empowered people can reach their full potential. When a leader can’t or won’t empower others, then barriers are created that cannot be overcome. If the barriers remain long enough, then the people give up, or they move on to somewhere else where they can use their full potential. True empowerment and one of the greatest things is giving others the credit. Only very secure leaders are able to do this. Ego gets in the way because many people gain their personal value and esteem from their work or position – and by threatening to change that, is to threaten their self worth. We can surround ourselves with just as strong, influential, empowering, and motivating people so that we can all learn off of each other and challenge each other to grow better.
Empowerment is powerful – and not only for the person being developed, but also for the mentor who will one day come to see their ‘protégé’ succeeding. And when that day comes that your protégé has their own protégé’s they are empowering and leading – embrace it and celebrate it. Don’t jockey for your ‘past’ position with this person. Don’t let ego get in the way of your success – everyone can learn something from everyone, and no one is above or beneath anyone in terms of what knowledge they have to share.
-Theodore Roosevelt
Secure leaders are able to give power to others. We see this model happening everyday in our business. From owners giving power to managers, who give power to role players, who give power to coaches, etc. But where does this go wrong – often one thing stands in the way of this model having the most success (in fact, it’s the same thing that stands in the way of most people’s success): EGO.
It’s your ego that tells you:
‘no, that’s my job, they can’t have credit for that.’
‘i’m better at that anyways, so I’ll do it’
‘why is this person trying to do my job, I’m supposed to do that’
‘I’m the leader/mentor, I couldn’t possibly learn anything from them’
And it’s funny, because the leaders that feel threatened and let their ego get in the way are usually the ones who have the most to worry about, and in turn not being the great leaders they could be if they would lose the ego. Those that are able to step back and see that there is no power in ‘one’ and that we all play very important and integral roles, will notice a lot more being accomplished – tangible and intangible. When you have great players on your team you don’t have to worry about someone taking your place because you are all working together towards a common goal. Take back the reins and see what happens – everyone becomes each others yings and yangs, and we all learn from each other. and this is what we all do well in our situations. We see potential role players/great coaches flourish when given the reins – great ideas we never knew they had are surfaced, they gain new confidence and more great things happening. We see this happening all the time. But unfortunately, as in any situation, we see the flipside happen as well. We are all mentors and leaders to someone at some point, but we can not always be there mentor and should not feel threatened when they are now doing a great job at what you did for them. We have some GREAT up and coming coaches – in due time they will have the reins, and we have to be confident in our teachings to give them full control and watch them flourish and be proud that we helped them get there.
A quick story: “Henry Ford was not so well known for his ego – which was the cause of his company’s eventual downfall. In fact he was the complete opposite of an empowering leader. He would undermine his company leaders and look over the shoulders of his people. This became a pattern in his leadership – anytime an executive gained power or influence, Henry would support the executives subordinates or publically humiliate him. As one Ford president commented on after leaving the company ‘ Henry Ford, as I would learn first hand, had a nasty habit of getting rid of strong leaders’ “
Only empowered people can reach their full potential. When a leader can’t or won’t empower others, then barriers are created that cannot be overcome. If the barriers remain long enough, then the people give up, or they move on to somewhere else where they can use their full potential. True empowerment and one of the greatest things is giving others the credit. Only very secure leaders are able to do this. Ego gets in the way because many people gain their personal value and esteem from their work or position – and by threatening to change that, is to threaten their self worth. We can surround ourselves with just as strong, influential, empowering, and motivating people so that we can all learn off of each other and challenge each other to grow better.
Empowerment is powerful – and not only for the person being developed, but also for the mentor who will one day come to see their ‘protégé’ succeeding. And when that day comes that your protégé has their own protégé’s they are empowering and leading – embrace it and celebrate it. Don’t jockey for your ‘past’ position with this person. Don’t let ego get in the way of your success – everyone can learn something from everyone, and no one is above or beneath anyone in terms of what knowledge they have to share.
"The Breakfast Club" - Empowering Others
Most people have heard of Michael Jordan. Most people know he lead the Bulls to 6 NBA Championships. One of the ways he did this was by making those around him better. This article I am sharing with you today is from an email sent to me when I was playing basketball at the University of Ottawa in 2000. We were one of the worst teams in the country that year. We had a lot of talent, but we were all individuals (typical of underachieving teams).
This email was sent to a select few on the team and the end of the year...and I believe it was the catalyst that turn the Ottawa U basketball program around, from last in the country to a 7th ranking in Canada!
___________________________________________________________________
What is The Breakfast Club?
Most guys dreaded their two-hour practice from 11 to 1. But a small group of guys, who really wanted to push themselves, formed this Breakfast Club thing. They’d work out a few times a week before practice. Then, when they were done working out, some time between 9 and 9:15, Michael’s chef cooked them breakfast. That’s how it really became the Breakfast Club. Those guys sat down to eat breakfast together, and then they’d go the Berto Center for practice.
Where did The Breakfast Club meet?
Michael had a full gym in his basement. It just made sense to work out there, because the team practiced at the Berto Center, which is about 15 minutes from Michael’s house. When did they? Three to four days a week, Tim actually drove from downtown Chicago to Michael’s house. They’d put in a good, hard hour of lifting, starting between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. They didn’t do heavy lifting, but instead a lot of agility work, quick reps, light weights—just stuff to build strength they could carry throughout the year.
___________________________________________________________________
This was not about the extra workouts, or the breakfast with Michael...it was about one guy saying, "I can't take this team to the top on my own". I have to show them how to be better than me...what it takes to go the extra mile...and what is means to be a team.
This email was sent to a select few on the team and the end of the year...and I believe it was the catalyst that turn the Ottawa U basketball program around, from last in the country to a 7th ranking in Canada!
___________________________________________________________________
What is The Breakfast Club?
Most guys dreaded their two-hour practice from 11 to 1. But a small group of guys, who really wanted to push themselves, formed this Breakfast Club thing. They’d work out a few times a week before practice. Then, when they were done working out, some time between 9 and 9:15, Michael’s chef cooked them breakfast. That’s how it really became the Breakfast Club. Those guys sat down to eat breakfast together, and then they’d go the Berto Center for practice.
Where did The Breakfast Club meet?
Michael had a full gym in his basement. It just made sense to work out there, because the team practiced at the Berto Center, which is about 15 minutes from Michael’s house. When did they? Three to four days a week, Tim actually drove from downtown Chicago to Michael’s house. They’d put in a good, hard hour of lifting, starting between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. They didn’t do heavy lifting, but instead a lot of agility work, quick reps, light weights—just stuff to build strength they could carry throughout the year.
___________________________________________________________________
This was not about the extra workouts, or the breakfast with Michael...it was about one guy saying, "I can't take this team to the top on my own". I have to show them how to be better than me...what it takes to go the extra mile...and what is means to be a team.
- Spend the time and helps those around you grow.
- Lead by example (from my last blog)
- It starts with a small few, but will quickly grow
Friday, May 2, 2008
3 Disciplines
Over the past few years I have accepted 3 rules to live by in order to stay effective, progress forward, and to remain energized. If I but stray from one of them I find myself becoming overwhelmed, tired, or falling behind. When I remain true to these disciplines I see myself moving forward, feeling healthy and able to do my job leading people at 100%. I want to share this with you….
1)Plan:
We have all heard this before and know how important it is to plan your time both long-term and short-term. During the peak of my graffiti art years I used to plan every piece by drawing before hand and prepping all my colors. When asked why I follow such detail I would reply "the man with a plan is the one who doesn't waste a can". In other words, no wasted paint (time). Turns out, my work was always on point and my reputation was amongst others was the one who was always different - planning ahead of time rather than the same ol' piece.
The same goes for the 24hr period we have each day. Plan your piece, how it will start, what fills will you put into it and how you want it to end. This happens through the use of our day-timer and I for one am a huge follower of it. Seeing your day even closer at a micro level how will you make each hour of training different? Do you arrive early to review the logs, programs, goals and plan something different? Or do you roll in right on time and do the same workout?
When we take the time to make the plan we feel ourselves being effective with out time and moving forward. There is one disclaimer with all of this: Any plan can have a wrench thrown into the spokes. Be prepared for this and be ready to adapt on the spot. The wall might be smaller than anticipated and you have to shorten your letters, you might arrive and see you are training 8hrs instead of 7hrs and you might plan a specific workout yet find the customer come in with their 80year mother.
2)Prioritize:
It is so easy to throw a plan together yet the challenge is to put one together that emphasizes the must-do items get done first. Before using some of the fun colors in the fill (the baby blues, the nice purples) of my piece I was painting I had to make sure I got my sketch down first. This was hard and took a bit of concentration. Getting this completed well would ensure that anything I did after would not matter as much because the most important part was done. I could relax at that point and have fun.
In real life it is no different. Yet it is so easy for us to get side tracked by the fun stuff which puts the important stuff aside for that much longer. In the end it only leads to more stress knowing that you did not handle the most important thing first. Each day, get your workout over with first, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and approach the rest of the day feeling good. Opening your email to send an important follow-up will you first check all the easy fun emails or will you take care of priority 1 first? Take the time to get the most important items done first – these are usually the ones that take a bit more concentration and focus yet are also the ones that will move us forward.
3)Rest
The day only has 24hrs. We are not machines and that can operate each hour of the entire day. Somewhere in there we must rest our body and mind. We sometimes get a burst of energy that allows us to burn the candle at both ends but the harsh reality is that eventually it will catch up with us if you continue. It might show through stress, being agitated easily, sickness or injury.
Everyone is different, I have been one who must get at least 7hrs a night. When I follow my plan and get to bed on time, I feel great the next day. I am able to come to the facility, mentally and physically sharp ready to motivate and energize those around me.
Proper rest allows you to follow your plan better too. It can be a catch 22. If you fail to plan & execute your rest you fail to deliver on your plan the following day. And nobody wants this it just back-jams all of your priorities and you fall behind.
Thanks for reading.
1)Plan:
We have all heard this before and know how important it is to plan your time both long-term and short-term. During the peak of my graffiti art years I used to plan every piece by drawing before hand and prepping all my colors. When asked why I follow such detail I would reply "the man with a plan is the one who doesn't waste a can". In other words, no wasted paint (time). Turns out, my work was always on point and my reputation was amongst others was the one who was always different - planning ahead of time rather than the same ol' piece.
The same goes for the 24hr period we have each day. Plan your piece, how it will start, what fills will you put into it and how you want it to end. This happens through the use of our day-timer and I for one am a huge follower of it. Seeing your day even closer at a micro level how will you make each hour of training different? Do you arrive early to review the logs, programs, goals and plan something different? Or do you roll in right on time and do the same workout?
When we take the time to make the plan we feel ourselves being effective with out time and moving forward. There is one disclaimer with all of this: Any plan can have a wrench thrown into the spokes. Be prepared for this and be ready to adapt on the spot. The wall might be smaller than anticipated and you have to shorten your letters, you might arrive and see you are training 8hrs instead of 7hrs and you might plan a specific workout yet find the customer come in with their 80year mother.
2)Prioritize:
It is so easy to throw a plan together yet the challenge is to put one together that emphasizes the must-do items get done first. Before using some of the fun colors in the fill (the baby blues, the nice purples) of my piece I was painting I had to make sure I got my sketch down first. This was hard and took a bit of concentration. Getting this completed well would ensure that anything I did after would not matter as much because the most important part was done. I could relax at that point and have fun.
In real life it is no different. Yet it is so easy for us to get side tracked by the fun stuff which puts the important stuff aside for that much longer. In the end it only leads to more stress knowing that you did not handle the most important thing first. Each day, get your workout over with first, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and approach the rest of the day feeling good. Opening your email to send an important follow-up will you first check all the easy fun emails or will you take care of priority 1 first? Take the time to get the most important items done first – these are usually the ones that take a bit more concentration and focus yet are also the ones that will move us forward.
3)Rest
The day only has 24hrs. We are not machines and that can operate each hour of the entire day. Somewhere in there we must rest our body and mind. We sometimes get a burst of energy that allows us to burn the candle at both ends but the harsh reality is that eventually it will catch up with us if you continue. It might show through stress, being agitated easily, sickness or injury.
Everyone is different, I have been one who must get at least 7hrs a night. When I follow my plan and get to bed on time, I feel great the next day. I am able to come to the facility, mentally and physically sharp ready to motivate and energize those around me.
Proper rest allows you to follow your plan better too. It can be a catch 22. If you fail to plan & execute your rest you fail to deliver on your plan the following day. And nobody wants this it just back-jams all of your priorities and you fall behind.
Thanks for reading.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Delivering Information
Delivering Information
It’s all about the Audience
Always think about who the audience is.
Information can always be interpreted positively (how we intend it to be received) or (a way which we do not intend)…. Try to ensure that your delivery prevents the later as much as possible.
It’s all about the Audience
Always think about who the audience is.
Make the message about them not about yourself.
- When the message is about them, they are more likely to pay attention and absorb the information.
- Even if their ideas are not necessarily implemented, they appreciate being a part of the process.
Information can always be interpreted positively (how we intend it to be received) or (a way which we do not intend)…. Try to ensure that your delivery prevents the later as much as possible.
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