Coaching with Derek Heikes - A New Direction

This past week was the Success Club Leadership Retreat, and as always it was a blast to be surrounded by the Elite among Beachbody's Coaches.   More importantly we got a lot of direction and focus from Beachbody Corporate, and I personally truly LOVE the direction Beachbody wants to drive ahead with.

I have been talking about Craig Holiday's cds but want to deviate from that for the week, because of this event.   This Saturday you will all get the chance to hear at the Super Saturday nationwide events going on what we heard last weekend.   I hope you will all see it as a huge opportunity to really drive forward in a very simple format.

A lof of the focus many Coaches have had has been to recruit as many PS Coaches as they could, whether it be just for the discount, or to try to find the business builders among them.   From that approach many people have become Coaches who had no real desire to be a Coach, or any idea what they were getting into.  Their Coach convinced them to join just to put a new Coach in their downline.   This is NOT the Fitness First approach which That Team has used and been founded on from the beginning.

Through a lot of discussion and research of the data on who is truly successful and building this, and who isn't, Beachbody has come to realize that those of us who fell completely in love with these programs and were talking them up like mad before we were Coaches, are the ones who have stuck with it and prospered the most.  So we should feel pretty good in That Team that we have always promoted this approach.

I'm excited and hopeful that everyone will see this new approach of Challenge Groups, which will be explained on Saturday in entirety, as a simple approach to share their passion for fitness and help a lot of people get fit and healthy.   It is literally as simple as finding 5 people to start a program together and you Coaching them through it.  That's what we've been doing all along on the Beachbody Message Boards, at our Fit Clubs, and on Facebook. 

So let's come together, and put a bunch of Challenges in play.  Let's Challenge each other, and everyone we know, to get in the best shape of our lives, and build a solid foundation in a business that is truly centered around what we are:  Coaches.

Wednesday Miscellany with James Ces - Haters Gonna Hate

I saw this posted up on Facebook by a few people.  It's kind of a harsh way to say what it's trying to say, but there's definitely truth to it.  When you're changing either for better or for worse, it not only affects you it affects those close to you.  For example, a friend or relative might start acting differently.  He may start hanging out with people he never did before.  He may start getting into things that he was never into before.  Usually one can spot whether this is a positive or negative change right away.  If it's negative like he started getting into bad company that influenced him to do bad things then as a friend you'd probably try to get him to stop.  You'd probably try to get to the root of why he started making those changes in the first place all because you're trying to help him.  But what if your friend is making good changes?  Or, what if it's you that's making good changes and you find a negative reaction from the people closest to you?

Yeah.  That can be tough.

I've seen it.  A person starts making healthy changes.  She cuts back on eating out and eating junk.  She makes time for exercising by cutting out the things that wasted her time.  For example, let's take an average young professional woman working in DC.  She's might be a transplant from another state due to college.  Then after undergrad, she decided to stay here in DC because she works in public policy.  She lands a job on the Hill and when she can, she takes grad school classes.  She works hard and she plays hard.  She does the happy hour thing because it was a natural extension to the drinking culture she was in during college.

The weight-gain isn't drastic.  It's gradual.  Clothes start to become snug in an unflattering way so she upsizes.  There's a part of her that knows what's going on, but she's in denial because she's having too much fun.  Every now and then she looks in the mirror and doesn't like what she sees, but again she pushes the thoughts away.  But they don't disappear.  The thoughts build and they eat at her self-confidence and before long she's trapped in a cycle.

Then something changes.  Something clicks and she makes changes.  She works hard and stays disciplined and consistent.  It isn't fast, but she starts to see results and she feels great.  She's regained that confidence she once had.  She doesn't cringe when she looks in the mirror.  She doesn't layer her outfits in order to "hide" anymore.  She feels so great that she wants to share it with everyone she knows.  She can't help it because she wants her friends and family to feel what she feels.

Inevitably someone she knows becomes a hater.

It's the ugly side of human nature.  People can become jealous of another's success.  It can even skew a person's perception.  Maybe now when our young professional is out with her friends, she gets salads and wine.  She doesn't crush cheese fries and beers and downs shots on a Wednesday.  Maybe she's made new friends at her yoga class or at a Fit Club or at the gym and these people are outside of her other circles.  Some of her friends might take her sharing her newfound knowledge about health and fitness the wrong way.  Maybe her being an agent and example of change forces them to see their own flaws.  So they start to resent her.  That's when it gets bad.  When that resentment continues it builds and builds lighting a fuse.  There's back-talk.  Then one day the fuse runs out and then bam!  Friendship over.

It's hard.  If you go by the "HATERS GONNA HATE" meme, then you just keep striding on.  F*ck them right?  But If you're in her position, you don't want to stop what you're doing because it makes you feel and look great and at the same time, you still care about your old friends.  If it's still early in your change then being around that temptation isn't a good idea because you haven't built up your discipline yet.  It's like not being around friends who smoke when you're trying to quit.  What's interesting is when you're trying to quit bad eating choices and also be more active, you can run into people hating on you but former smoking buddies tend to encourage you to quit.  At least that's what I've seen around me.

She'll need to make choices, hard ones.  If her original group of friends don't support her then it's time to move on or find ways to make things balance out.  Maybe she'll skip happy hours during the week and only get crazy with food on special occasions with them.  But at the same time she can't tailor her whole life and how she acts to those friends either.  At some point the friends will need to understand and accept what she is trying to do and she will also need to do the same for her friends that don't want to go along the journey with her.  That process will probably weed some people out for good, but that's life.

In the end, all she and anyone in her position can really do is look out for one's self.  Stick with the people that support you.  If a friendship can't be saved even after one on one discussions, then it may be time to move on.  Maybe you did come off like a food nazi or a crazy health nut at times.  Maybe you do need to tone that down a little bit for some people, but you can't stop and you won't stop because it's like you're saving your own life.  

Monday Motivation Catch Up- This I Believe

This I believe...  The library is a phenomenal place to expand our mind and abilities.  I’ve recently enjoyed the NPR audio compilation of several different essayists-both famous and unknown-sharing their own beliefs.  It is a very diverse group, from their beliefs, how they may have come about them, and how they share them with others.

One of my favorites is from an English professor at Olympic College in Washington State, raised in Wisconsin:

Be Cool to the Pizza Dude

~

Sarah Adams

If I have one operating Philosophy about life, it is this:  “Be cool to the pizza delivery dude; it’s good luck.”  Four principles guide the pizza dude philosophy.

Principle 1:  Coolness to the pizza delivery dude is a practice in humility and forgiveness.  I let him cut me off in traffic, let him safely hit the exit ramp from the left lane, let him forget to use his blinker without extending any of my digits out the window or toward my horn because there should be one moment in my harried life when a car may encroach or cut off or pass and I let it go.  Sometimes when I have become so certain of my ownership of my lane, daring anyone to challenge me, the pizza dude speeds by in his rusted Chevette.  His pizza light atop his car glowing like a beacon reminds me to check myself as I flow through the world.  After all, the dude is delivering pizza to young and old, families and singletons, gays and straights, blacks, whites, browns, rich and poor, and vegetarians and meat lovers alike.  As he journeys, I give safe passage, practice restraint, show courtesy, and contain my anger.

Principle 2:  Coolness to the pizza delivery dude is a practice in empathy.  Let’s face it:  We’ve all taken jobs just to have a job because some money is better than none.  I’ve held an assortment of these jobs and was grateful for the paycheck that meant I didn’t have to share my Cheerios with my cats.  In the big pizza wheel of life, sometimes you’re the hot bubbly cheese and sometimes you’re the burnt crust.  It’s good to remember the fickle spinning of that wheel.

Principle 3:  Coolness to the pizza delivery dude is a practice in honor, and it reminds me to honor honest work.  Let me tell you something about these dudes:  They never took over a company and, as CEO, artificially inflated the value of the stock and cashed out their own shares, bringing the company to the brink of bankruptcy, resulting in twenty thousand people losing their jobs while the CEO builds a home the size of a luxury hotel.  Rather, the dudes sleep the sleep of the just.

Principle 4:  Coolness to the pizza delivery dude is a practice in equality.  My measurement as a human being, my worth, is the pride I take in performing my job-any job-and the respect with which I treat others.  I am the equal of the world not because of the car I drive, the size of the TV I own, the weight I can bench-press, or the calculus equations I can solve.  I am the equal to all I meet because of the kindness in my heart.  And it all starts here-with the pizza delivery dude.

Tip him well, friends and brethren, for that which you bestow freely and willingly will bring you all the happy luck that a grateful universe knows how to return. 

This I believe...

As a kid I hated living so far out in the boonies.  There were only four houses (all relatives; it was pretty obvious where you went, when you ran away from home), and they were all surrounded by national forest, mountains, backwoods trails for horseback and dirt bike riding (we had it so hard).  We had horses, motorbikes, mountain bikes, puppy dogs, kitty cats, fresh air, no traffic, and a beautiful view.  We camped up on the hill across the field from the house, under the stars.  We climbed trees (and fell down a tree or two), explored, built forts...  Knowing what I know now, I would not change one thing about how my parents raised me.  They were both authoritative and gracious (even though, as a kid, I knew they were punishing me by living in the middle of nowhere), and I am who I am today because of what they taught me.

My sister is one of the strongest people I personally know.  I grew up wanting to be like her with that calm, cool, devilish strength.  My little sister is still someone I look up to.

I’ve since met incredibly strong people.  My friends, Bob, Lisa, Hailey, Greg, Mike, Tami, and Derek, are among them.  We all have strength about us, in our beliefs, our resolve, our persistence, our love, our overcoming of challenges, and even our muscles.

There is goodness in all of us, as there is wickedness.  It is up to each individual to find their own path, to see their own light, and decide their ultimate dream.

I believe our beliefs will change many times throughout our lives.  Our experiences and the experiences of others enhancing our ever facet, whether it be reinforcing or a complete alteration will vary person to person, situation to situation.

I believe the best way to show honor to someone in regards to something they’ve taught us is to share that information and what we’ve learned with other people.  We grow and learn by doing, sharing, and teaching.

I strongly believe I am bound to get lost, so I might as well have fun and enjoy the scenery along the way.  On occasion, I purposely get lost to see what can be seen.  Google Maps has saved me on many of these excursions.

I believe laughter is the best medicine.  It can take our attention from physical hurts; it can help mend relationships; it can help bring us from the darkest of places within our own selves.

And I believe that animals, our fur children, faithful four-legged companions, are worth more than all of the treasures of the world.  When laughter cannot find the darkest of places, animals can find a way to wiggle into the frostiest of hearts.

I believe in you. 

Thursday Coaching with Derek Heikes - Starting Effectively

Last week I wrote about Craig Holiday’s Getting Started Right cd.  Let’s follow up this week with How to Effectively Start a New Coach.   One thing that I have finally figured out is that as a Sponsor we can show our Coaches the path, but they have to choose to walk upon it.  We cannot make them walk it, or drag them down it, they have to want it badly enough to take the steps themselves.

As Craig says, many people will have a different “birth date” and “start date” in this business.  Your birthdate is the day you sign up, but I have seen first hand how a lot of Coaches sign up and feel like they are ready to rock, only to realize they haven’t really put their mind totally into the business.  For some they never really are ready to go, but for others they think about it and eventually they have an “a-ha!” moment and kick into gear.  So when you help someone get signed up, don’t be discouraged if they are not ready for their start date yet.  Just stay in touch with them, offer encouragement, and when they are ready to start be there for them.

When your Coach does decide to start, it is up to you as a Sponsor to find out what their goals are, and what time frame they are setting to achieve them.  Craig’s first two questions are:  What do you want?   When do you want it?   These are vital questions to answer because they will let you know what pace you should set for your Coach, and how challenging you should be with them.   If someone says they want to build a 6-figure income in 2 years, it is an entirely different pace and approach than someone who just wants to pay for their Shakeology in 6 months.

We have the tools available to us for starting our Coaches properly, most of which can be found in the Coach Training Academy.  Just as discussed last week in Getting Started Right, a Sponsor needs to complete all of the steps outlined with their new Coach. 

Craig outlines several tasks to assign your new Coaches in the first week as a Coach, doing which will set a benchmark for you to determine whether your Coach is ready to start or not.  One of my favorites is having them collect 10 business cards from people they don’t know.  This helps them get in the habit of getting someone else’s contact information. 

Denise Needham recently suggested another way to task our Coaches:  Have them download the reference materials from the Coach Training Academy, then complete all of the lessons, and set up a time the following week to get on the phone and discuss it with them, and do their Getting Started Right interview.  If, when you talk to them, they have completed the lessons, it tells you they are ready and willing to do the work; if not they are not ready and you cannot continue from there.  You have to let them know from the start that you will not drag them, or push them to complete the assignments, that it is up to them to do the work.  

The next physical step Denise suggested was to go over and start using the 90 Day Tracker they downloaded from the CTA.  This gives you a daily checklist of things to do, and falls in line with Craig’s “Do 10 things in your business every day,” task.   I personally created a modified document version of the 90 Day Tracker to include my own personal items that I want to accomplish every day.   This gives us another benchmark by which to lead our new Coach, and see if they are following the steps in the Game Plan.

In order to accomplish any of those steps however, you must stay engaged with your new Coach.  We cannot expect the vast majority of Coaches to sign up and run with this on their own.  If you’re looking for those to do that, you are looking for a needle in a hay-stack.  As a Sponsor it is our job to stay in contact with our Coaches and offer them the steps to take, and create accountability.  Give your Coaches a reason to call you back; set up specific times to call your Coaches.   Email, texting, FB messages are all great to touch base, but true connections with our Coaches require a voice, and possibly a face.   Get on the phone with a new Coach at least once per week, or meet with them in person; more than once is better.  If you’re not local consider using Skype or another video phone program so you can put some face time in with them.   This creates a bond between you, builds the relationship, which is the true glue that binds your business together. 

Our steps to follow have been outlined in Getting Started Right.   Effectively starting a new Coach should follow those exact same steps, but it becomes your job as a Sponsor to engage with your new Coach, talk on the phone several times and build a strong relationship.  Give them the assignments to accomplish, and set a specific time to talk about them after all of the tasks have been done.

Wednesday Miscellany with James Ces - Don't Quit!

 
If you come to one of our workouts or if you go to a class led by our own Chris Batu or Jon Ces at Clarendon Fitness, or Maia Paglinawan at Bootcamp @ Kazaxe, you will most likely hear those words.  They might be screamed at you so that you can keep driving and working hard to power through your workout and so that you get the maximum benefit from it.

Not quitting is also applicable to things outside of working out.  The ability to persevere helps with our everyday actions at work, in class, or in our relationships.  But, quitting in and of itself really isn't a bad thing.  What makes the difference is knowing when to quit.  As a person develops experience with working out, she learns what her limits are.  This enables her to push to those limits and a little bit beyond to force herself to improve.  The wise person knows when to cut back so that he doesn't hurt himself.

 

Stephen Dubner, co-author of Freakanomics, said this:  

"[I]f I were to say one of the single most important explanations for how I managed to succeed against all odds in the field of economics, it was by being a quitter. That ever since the beginning, my mantra has been "fail quickly." If I started with a hundred ideas, I'm lucky if two or three of those ideas will ever turn into academic papers. One of my great skills as an economist has been to recognize the need to fail quickly and the willingness to jettison a project as soon as I realize it's likely to fail"

 

"Failing quickly" might seem counter-intuitive to some people.  But when you think about it what Dubner says makes a lot of sense.  If we know that a project will not lead to success then it's best to move on to something else.  If the next thing doesn't work out, then you move on again.  That way you don't waste time on fruitless endeavors.  When you have a new goal, think of multiple ways to get to that goal so that if and when one method fails you have others you can quickly turn to.

This can be applied to workouts.  For example if you start Insanity and along the way you start to realize that it is too intense for you.  You might have gotten close to injuring yourself or you find that you can't even do the moves.  Continuing to try and finish could lead to you really getting hurt or not getting good results because you're not putting in the effort you need to due to your current ability.  If you realize that that current path isn't working out for you right away, then you can quickly move onto something else that you can do and complete well.

So it's not really that you should never quit, but know when to quit.