My 10 Biggest Mistakes In 10 Years
As another decade comes to a close, the end of 2009 marks 10 full years I’ve been a strength, speed, and conditioning coach. There’s been ups and downs, and many “AH-HA” moments. Below you’ll find, in no particular order, the 10 biggest mistakes I’ve made. People have created lists like this before… now you’ll have insight how far I’ve come.
1. Not listening to other people’s explanations before forming an opinion
Steven R. Covey says to “Seek first to understand before being understood”. I’ve embarrassed myself more than once by derailing fitness programs before I knew all the details. Not anymore.
2. Not reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People sooner
Speaking of Steven R. Covey, his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has been a guiding factor in my coaching, mentoring, and personal relationships. Buy the book today and actually read it.
3. Coaching with a my-way or high-way attitude
Since I’ve opened myself to different training beliefs, I’ve become a smarter coach and better asset to my athletes. You’ll never know everything – that’s a fact.
4. Not following through on projects
My bookshelves are full of 3-ring binders.. packed with ‘ideas’ and ‘projects’. I should have followed through and gave each one more time to materialize.
5. Losing touch with people who directly influenced me
One quick look through my contact list triggers a feeling of shame. I should have never let these people get out of my network. I’ve taken great strides to keep better contact and it’s made all the difference in the world.
6. Not developing The FOCUS System sooner
Experience takes time so I don’t know if I consider this a mistake. All I know is ever since I’ve outlined my training program into a repeatable system, everything has become a little easier.
7. Being such a Hard Ass
Tough guy hard ass personalities are over rated – trust me. You can always find somebody bigger, stronger, and smarter. The key is how you deal with it. Since I’ve backed off the tough guy approach, my relationships with athletes have become much more meaningful.
8. Not seeking specialty knowledge of doctors and physical therapists
Over the last five months I’ve been rehabbing a hamstring injury. During that time, I’ve learned more about human movement and function than the last 10 years combined. I’ve made these people my assets, and will continue to have them on my team.
9. Waiting on other people who say they’re going to make things happen
I used wait on other people if I needed something done. Not anymore. If opportunity exists it’s up to me to make a decision, not them. I control my own destiny. (Like when you meet someone for the first time and you want to go out with them. If you give them your number, you gotta wait for them to call you. You’re at their mercy. What you do is get their number. That way you can call them directly and see if they want to go out.)
10. Not understanding the difference between ‘Need to Know vs Nice to Know’ sooner
I hate the think how much time I’ve wasted reading and researching material I have no use for. Because of this I’ve implemented a rule asking myself: Is this something I need to know now, can it wait until later, will I need it later?
Many many more mistakes could be added but these are 10 that really stood out. How about you? Have you made any mistakes over the last decade that you’ve learned from. Drop a comment below and let me know what mistakes you’ve made and how it’s made you better.
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