Taking A Breath
As an introvert, by nature, I am no stranger to flying solo. However, the former college athlete in me is all too familiar with the challenge of relying on others to help reach a common goal. I have great experience in both situations, and I have found that each one brings out very specific, very different parts of my personality in their own way.
Athletes are supposed to be strong. They are supposed to be driven, ambitious, and hard-working. They are also supposed to be leaders - leaders for their teammates, their peers, and for those looking up to them. Leading as an athlete was never difficult for me. I had all the qualities necessary to call my teammates to respect me and my work ethic. However, as I grew older, I noticed one gaping difference between how I experienced what was supposed to be, at its very core, the most fun thing that I did, and how my teammates (and friends) experienced it. Softball, the “most fun” thing, was something that I took extremely seriously. As I grew older, I think my demeanor translated to some that I was trying to demand respect rather than earn it.
It wasn’t intentional. After all, I’m an introvert, by nature. However, in an attempt to keep my head down, work hard toward my goals, and fly under the radar until I felt I had something valuable to contribute, I had communicated to my teammates that I didn’t care about fun - that I was way too serious. It wasn’t until I noticed this and intentionally had fun playing softball, messing around with my friends, laughing more, joking more (when it was appropriate, of course) that I found everything fell much more seamlessly into place. My coaches valued my perspective and feedback, my teammates valued my leadership, and I had a much more cohesive experience not only leading a team, but being a part of one.
I had this same realization very recently coaching at Precision. Being on a team of great trainers is intimidating. Trying to find your individual coaching voice while also maintaining - and keeping consistent - the incredible standards of Precision Training is a process. It took me over a year (and I would venture to say that I’m still working on it). As I began to take more responsibility for coaching my own groups, I noticed the same fear that held me up as a captain on my former teams. My fear of letting my guard down and taking a deep breath - my fear of letting the group take control of how their own workout would go - caused me to limit the amount of “fun” that my clients could have in the hour they were with me.
Don’t get me wrong - having control of your class or client session is crucial as a trainer. Without that control, it’s easy to get distracted and find you don’t get anything productive done. However, ensuring that each and every client who trains with us enjoys the Precision experience is one of our main priorities.
Precision Training is run by one of the most cohesive teams that I have ever been a part of….and I’ve been a part of a lot of teams. On this team, each of us are working toward the same goal with the same ideals at the forefront of our mind each time we walk in the door, interact with a client, or even clean the bathrooms. At the same time, we take pride in putting our own little spin on what it means to be a Precision Trainer. Together, but different, we work to make each and every person who walks through our door feel comfortable conquering the fear that stops them from taking a breath and letting go of just a little bit of control.