For the majority of my career I have been in a leadership position, directing hundreds of other fitness professionals. In my roles I have always read leadership books from respected authors John Maxwell, Stephen Covey and Jim Collins. These leaders provided the guidance I needed to lead a mass amount of people. What I started to realize was the connection between leadership and personal training. To me, they are one in the same. Fundamentally there is no difference between being a CEO and leading a Fortune 500 company and being a personal trainer leading 30 clients. The concepts are the same. Here are a few leadership principles perfect for the fitness professional:
Leadership is about influence, nothing more and nothing less. We are more than personal trainers, we are life changers. Everything we do should be about influencing our clients to alter their livee instead of their exercise and diet.
Do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it. If you say you are going to do something, you must follow through. Our relationships with our clients are based on trust and keeping our word. We must keep our word.
Do not expect something from someone you don't expect from yourself. In a sense we should practice what we preach. We cannot expect our clients to eat right and exercise if we are not doing the same. We have to be the model by which they aspire to.
These leadership principles have, far and away, helped me become a better trainer, fitness professional and leader. Implement these into your training philosophy and you instantly become better. This industry needs leaders, why not you?
Josh 'JB' Bowen, BS, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT*D is the former Quality Control Director of Personal Training for Urban Active Fitness and is currently a personal trainer for Fitness Plus II in Lexington, KY and a consultant and National Fitness Director for Compel Fitness.
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Aug. 15 2013
