Initiative

When I think about initiative as a value or an individual trait, I tend to think about individuals who always seem to be ahead of things. They are the ones who prepare for the unknowns, who preemptively search for answers and solutions while many others are content to keep their heads in the sand. I think of responsible, motivated, caring people who take charge of their lives on a daily basis..

Initiative is one of our core values at 925. It’s a trait we have to work at developing, as it doesn’t come naturally for most. It produces a sense of responsibility for others’ wellbeing as well as our own. We have to let go of our largely internal focus, zoom out, and pay closer attention to what is happening around us and to those we work with, care for, and spend time with.

As fitness coaches, the key responsibility we have is for the health and wellness of our clients. We aren’t just focused on providing a shiny, spacious, well-equipped gym or fun, effective workouts. We also aren’t there to solely provide progress in fitness or nutrition, even though these are our core competencies. For our clients, we need to provide professional, personalized guidance based on what we can learn from our wide array of assessments.

In order to achieve this highly individualized approach, it’s imperative that we take the initiative to get ahead of what we see coming for our clients. Sometimes, it’s outside of the norm. It could be offhand comments made about finances, family situations, genetic predispositions, or any number of life changes, both big and small. While these areas are outside our scope as coaches, we still have the privilege and ability to help our clients navigate through tough, uncertain times via things like diet, physical and mental stamina, stress management, and a like-minded community.

We also, as coaches, should recommend other professionals whose scope of practice covers things we’re not trained in or experienced with. Sometimes, this even means not bringing in a new client who wants to start their path to better health via 925, but instead sending them to the proper professional who can provide help more than we can, at least initially. We need to be one step ahead and have the foresight and humility to recognize when others are better suited for helping potential (or existing) clients.

For the clients we have presently, we should aim to be ahead of them as we mentor them through their fitness journey. For example, we can often sense motivation or drive begin to fade much quicker than our clients can, and we act on this by touching base with them more regularly, providing encouragement, maybe even presenting a challenging goal to help them stay on track. For other areas, we can detect weaknesses in movement or slow-downs in performance early as well, and as competent coaches, we can promptly offer a heads-up on what we see, as well as some recommendations to help them catch issues before they become a bigger problem.

One of the best feelings is knowing we are able to help someone, within 925 or by referring out, before something becomes a serious issue.

In what areas of your life can you improve your initiative? Are you looking out for difficult situations or seasons that may be headed for your family or friends? What about your own health? Are you letting things sit on the back burner until they become a problem, or are you actively dealing with and getting ahead of those issues? All good questions to ask!

By Ben Tyler, Owner and Head Coach