Me, "stuck on my head" at Regionals 2010.Clients love to see coaches workout – why?
It’s amazing to me that clients showed up to watch the coaches do the 2011 Sectional’s WODS - If we don’t do a coaches heat at Spartan 300 you can feel the disappointment in the air – and I’ve never had more “community support” than when I was “stuck on my head” unable to do HSPUs at 2010 Sectionals and again at Regionals 2010.
Last week Lance, Jeremy and I were at Lambert’s waiting for Big Mike to arrive for a birthday celebration. Big Mike comes in still wrecked from “Fran” that he did over 2 hours earlier. Like any CrossFitter, he gave us a play by play of each round, the energy he got from the onlookers in Travis’s class, and the unpleasant out of body experience that followed! But most importantly he boasted that several clients came up to him and expressed his/her appreciation of his performance – opened up to him about his/her transformation since joining CrossFit Central – or how one client got emotional as they told him of a life altering surgery and journey back to health. All this sparked by a 3:00 min WOD? Why? How?
Vulnerability!
As coaches (and leaders) we push our clients to give more than they have ever given. We ask them to venture outside their comfort zone. We require them to give up old ways and trust us enough to adopt new ways. Seeing Big Mike – or any of the coaches – practice what we preach, push our limits, and give up our comfort zones – elicits a response of loyalty and respect.
Showing vulnerability as a coach or leader does not show weakness! Indeed it brings you more influence and respect.
Pity or Respect:
Respect is earned through competence/performance. We respect an athlete’s skill to score, a speaker’s ability to influence, or a leader’s calm during stress.
On the other hand, occasionally sharing limits and frailty also earns respect.
You might fear vulnerability leads to pity or disrespect. In reality,
Vulnerability calls for respect! At CrossFit Central where results, people, and integrity are valued, often this type of respect begins with coaches and leaders.
“Followers won’t be vulnerable when leaders aren’t.”
Respect and loyalty:
Vulnerability, additionally, invites loyalty. When people are drowning you throw them a rope. When people see coaches/leaders doing everything they are asked to do – it creates a bond. We’re in the together.It’s amazing to me that clients showed up to watch the coaches do the 2011 Sectional’s WODS - If we don’t do a coaches heat at Spartan 300 you can feel the disappointment in the air – and I’ve never had more “community support” than when I was “stuck on my head” unable to do HSPUs at 2010 Sectionals and again at Regionals 2010.
Last week Lance, Jeremy and I were at Lambert’s waiting for Big Mike to arrive for a birthday celebration. Big Mike comes in still wrecked from “Fran” that he did over 2 hours earlier. Like any CrossFitter, he gave us a play by play of each round, the energy he got from the onlookers in Travis’s class, and the unpleasant out of body experience that followed! But most importantly he boasted that several clients came up to him and expressed his/her appreciation of his performance – opened up to him about his/her transformation since joining CrossFit Central – or how one client got emotional as they told him of a life altering surgery and journey back to health. All this sparked by a 3:00 min WOD? Why? How?
Vulnerability!
As coaches (and leaders) we push our clients to give more than they have ever given. We ask them to venture outside their comfort zone. We require them to give up old ways and trust us enough to adopt new ways. Seeing Big Mike – or any of the coaches – practice what we preach, push our limits, and give up our comfort zones – elicits a response of loyalty and respect.
Showing vulnerability as a coach or leader does not show weakness! Indeed it brings you more influence and respect.
Pity or Respect:
Respect is earned through competence/performance. We respect an athlete’s skill to score, a speaker’s ability to influence, or a leader’s calm during stress.
On the other hand, occasionally sharing limits and frailty also earns respect.
You might fear vulnerability leads to pity or disrespect. In reality,
Vulnerability calls for respect! At CrossFit Central where results, people, and integrity are valued, often this type of respect begins with coaches and leaders.
“Followers won’t be vulnerable when leaders aren’t.”
Respect and loyalty:
“Courageous vulnerability leads to respect and loyalty”
____________________________________________
When does vulnerability go too far?
How do coaches and leaders earn your respect?_____________________________________________
Thanks to Leadership Freak -Dan Rockwell- for the inspiration for this post.
When I started at CrossFit, I never pictured myself as an athlete. I was really just trying to survive each workout and still didn't know what I wanted to do with all of this. Once the WODs became less about survival and more about bettering myself, I started to look at my preparation differently. Then I participated in Fight Gone Bad. After watching Jessica Estrada, Megan Parsons, and Carey Kepler all in the same pit working through the same grueling workout, my mindset changed yet again. I realized that they are not the amazing athletes they are because they were born that way or because they are immune to fatigue and pain. They get tired. They set the bar down. They groan and sweat and shake just like the rest of us. They are who they are because when they are tired and you can see them start to fatigue, they pick the bar back up and keep moving.
ReplyDeleteThat was a game changer for me. When I'm in the middle of a WOD and I am exhausted, I remember that everyone feels like this and to get better I just need to keep moving. The cheers from Jess and Carey during a WOD mean more because I know they know how I feel. They know how hard this is and they know I can keep moving.
When my coaches talk about the movement they struggle with or something they are working on or have overcome in the past, it makes me feel like we are all working towards a better time, weight, and level. It's the struggle and the fight, not the score, that makes us all athletes. I have utmost respect for leaders that have the courage and confidence to be an open book.
Great post as always!
-Jo