What Are Your CORE VALUES?

Before I discuss the topic for today, I want to make sure everyone knows about the free gift that Joel Jamieson is giving away on his site.  If you head to 8weeksout.com and go to this post, you can download L. Matveyev's Fundamentals of Sports Training which is one of the first, if not the first (?), books ever written on periodization. You do have to become a member of the site, but it is free and definitely worth the time to sign up.

This book is supposed to be good, and I will definitely be checking it out after I finish the other 30 books I am currently reading (not really, but close).  I definitely need to work on my ADD.  ;)

Thanks, Joel!!

I also want to make sure everyone knows about the upcoming Midwest Performance Enhancement Seminar that is going to be held at IFAST on August 27th-28th.  The first day is more focused toward trainers and strength coaches, while the second day is going to be more clinically focused.  

I went to this event last year, and it was great.  However, this year's list of speakers is even better!!  So, if you want to get your learn on (and come see where I work) :) then you should definitely sign up.  I mean look at this list of speakers:  Mike Robertson, Bill Hartman, Charlie Weingroff, Lee Taft, Mike Roussell, Pat Rigsby, Rob Panariello, Perry Nickelston, and more. 

This man is full of knowledge bombs!!

Go here to sign up and learn more about it:  http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/seminar/

Now, let's get on to the topic of the day.

I just finished reading Tony Hsieh’s Delivering Happiness, and I thought I would share some things I picked up from his book to better myself as a person and especially as a coach. 

Overall, the book was a pretty good read.  I was not really into the first part of it, but the second half made it worth the money.

A big part of the book is about how the company Zappos.com became successful and has stayed successful.  Hsieh explains the success has largely been due to the company’s focus on culture and customer service.  They are able to maintain their culture and deliver excellent service through their 10 core values.  

These core values along with the questions Hsieh poses for each one are what I found to be the most valuable part of the book.  Therefore, I am going to list several of those values that I found most helpful along with their accompanying questions.  

I really believe that if you take the time to think about these questions and put the ideas into practice you will better yourself inside and outside of your work. 

1) Deliver WOW Through Service.

        
Hseih asks, “What are things you can improve upon in your work or attitude to WOW more people?  Have you WOWed at least one person today?” (161)

2) Pursue Growth and Learning

        
Hsieh asks, “How do you grow personally?  How do you grow professionally?  Are you a better person today than you were yesterday?  How do you challenge and stretch yourself?  Are you learning something everyday?  What is your vision for where you want to go?  How do you get the company as a whole to grow?  Are you doing everything you can to promote company growth…?” (174)

3) Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication

“How much do people enjoy working with you?  How can you improve those relationships?  How do you WOW the people that you have relationships with?  How can you make your relationships more open and honest?  How can you do a better job of communicating with everyone?” (176-177)

4)  Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit

“How do you encourage more teamwork?  What can you do with your team members so that you feel both like a family and a team?  How can you build stronger relationships with your team members both inside and outside the office?  Do you exemplify a positive team spirit?” (178)

5)  Be Passionate and Determined

“Are you passionate about your work?  Do you love what you do and who you work with?  Are you happy here?  Are you inspired?  Do you believe in what we are doing and where we are going?  Is this the place for you?" (181-182)

I find these questions and values extremely relevant for coaches and trainers.


Even before I started interning at IFAST, the owners, Mike and Bill, had a list of "core values" for the gym.  They posted this list in a visible place so that not only staff but also clients could be reminded often of what makes IFAST work.

These values are still posted in the gym and after reading Tony Hsieh's book I have a greater appreciation for the IFAST "core values" and for the general idea of having a set of principles by which you run your business and your life.  So, take another look at the Zappos.com core values listed above and start asking yourself those questions and see what kind of values you come up with!  As always, I would love to hear your thoughts!      

Have a great week everyone!!