Ingenuity and the Pursuit of Excellence
Does the thought of reinventing yourself or the way you do things scare you? For most, getting into a routine where we can get used to what to expect each day and not adapt to too much change is ideal. There is value in being able to have a consistent schedule or do similar tasks each day and continue to refine and get better at your work or daily life.
However, if you spend too much time doing the same thing, the amount of learning slows down, the challenge gets easier and things get into a “groove.” Learning to be efficient at repetitive tasks is essential. This gives us time to take on the more important or difficult tasks we need to concentrate on; efficiency grants us the time to take on more important and/or difficult tasks.
Working out is similar. Repeating movements at similar controllable loads is a great way to improve movement quality and efficiency. Much can be said on the value of exceptional, efficient movement.
At 925, one of our Values is Ingenuity and the pursuit of technical excellence. We’re are always actively seeking out innovative, outside-the-box ways to serve and improve what we do.
This improvement comes through practice and adjusting as we learn our deficiencies in movement, coaching, personal connection and myriad other things. But, true growth comes from the hard changes: Doing things we’ve never done before, adjusting to larger changes as we discover better ways of improving our clients‘ health.
When we added the Level Method, for example, it was a huge shift in our programming, but the technical framework and level of personal customization it brought to our already personalized program was incredible. It took us close to a year to get it rolled out and everyone executing the new system proficiently. It wasn’t easy. It took massive effort and adjustment from our whole team to get it off the ground and to help our clients understand and utilize it to the best possible effect.
When we switched to Personal Training as the ONLY way into 925’s CrossFit program (due to what we learned about how much it helped prepare new clients and provide them value that made their time with us in the future significantly more valuable), it wasn’t easy. It took time and effort to design, adjust, debate, adjust again, observe, adjust again and continue to refine the process so each new client gets the best possible experience and value coming into 925.
With everything changing overnight for many with COVID and various state/federal government’s responses, we’ve all had to adapt. And, we’ve had to adapt seemingly instantaneously.
When we adjusted and built out our Remote Coaching program and pivoted, it was a stressful time for our whole team. However, the culture at 925 and our team’s willingness to be open minded and do what we needed to do allowed us to continue to serve our clients and bring to them what we do every day in person: Personal Coaching and accountability. We were able to connect with each client weekly, or even daily depending on what would help them the most. Thankfully, even when things went “crazy,” Ingenuity and an acceptance of change allowed us to continue providing for our clients and team. We also didn’t do this haphazardly, but continued to work on processes, collect feedback, review data from other programs and work to make our Remote Coaching program the best we possibly could (and it’s still being improved).
Realizing change is not always a bad thing and in fact, may be a massive opportunity to grow, how can you apply Ingenuity to what may appear to be a frustrating situation and improve it? Is there an alternative way to approach or view your current situation? Even if you’re in a very difficult, seemingly un-fixable situation, what are you learning from it that can help you in the future? Sometimes a different perspective and an open mind can change everything.
