If a trainer had all the fitness knowledge in the world, would that automatically make them the greatest fitness professional to walk this planet?
No. There’d still be something missing.
I always say that information without implementation is useless. Someone could know every cutting-edge exercise, own top-of-the-line supplements, and craft the most effective meal plan ever.
But if they lack the leadership abilities to use this knowledge to run a successful fitness business, it doesn’t matter.
That’s what I eventually learned. Once I learned how valuable strong leadership is, I started to transform my businesses, installing systems that made the most of the knowledge I had.
As the owner of your own fitness business, you too lead from the front of the pack. You move the needle of your business.
You certainly delegate those smaller tasks to your team of handpicked personnel, who work with purpose in the environment you create.
AND responsibility always falls on you. If a trainer consistently delivers bad service to your clients, that blame falls squarely on your shoulders…
Look, being a leader of any kind isn’t for the faint of heart.
But it’s something you can do. In fact, it’s something you can master.
Around four years ago, I decided to make leadership a habit. The truth is, I had to.
My fitness franchise (Fit Body Boot Camp) and my personal clients demand that of me. I knew that if I never embraced leadership, my businesses would never grow to their full potential.
That’s why I accepted the challenge. I wanted to guide my team and my clients in the most efficient direction possible.
You know what I found out?
It’s not as hard as it seems.
See, I did a little research myself and found 3 habits that every awesome leader has.
And I realized that following these 3 habits would make me a better leader. That alone equipped me to help my team and clients make greater strides than ever before.
Here they are:
1) Start the Day EARLY
As a leader, I always strive to stay ahead of my motivated team members.
That means I wake up early to start crossing stuff of my to-do list.
And here’s the key: I tackle the most important items first. I make sure I take down the big things before fretting about the small stuff.
I started to sleep 3 hours earlier than usual just to get that head start on the day. It took slowly moving up my sleep time in 30-minute increments for my body to adjust itself to a new schedule.
What stops you from waking up before everyone else?
Be honest with yourself.
If it’s your phone, keep it out of your arm’s reach so you can get on your feet without hesitation in the morning.
If you don’t have any purpose for waking up early, find one. Lay out your plans the night before.
Make your own motivation.
Hey, you can even reward yourself for getting up at your target time. For me, I would get a teaspoon of peanut butter in my morning protein shake if I got up early and got to work.
I love peanut butter, so that was quite the motivation!
The main point is that the mornings are quiet alone time. That’s when you can be your most productive (my friend Craig Ballantyne calls this “magic time”).
Eliminate those roadblocks and find a way to make the most of your mornings.
2) Make Business Decisions Free of Emotion
There are plenty of times when the right thing to do for your business isn’t the easiest. Emotions can cloud your judgment and can even make you miss the obvious.
The one thing you have to remember is that business isn’t personal.
Your mission is personal, and that’s important, but your business is just a tool for carrying out your mission. You should constantly be tweaking it, testing it, and optimizing it to create the best possible outcomes.
“I’m used to doing it this way” is never a good excuse for keeping in place a system, or a process, or an employee who is no longer serving your mission.
As captain of the ship, your job is to do what’s best for your team and for your clients.
When someone or something threatens their welfare, you need to take action. It might mean abandoning a low-earning marketing project you invested in or firing an incompetent employee you like as a person.
Your emotions might not let you see how much these ineffective people or projects could weigh down your business. Something to keep in mind.
Refine your entrepreneurial discipline, and always keep your priorities in sight.
3) Embrace the Credit and the Blame
As I mentioned earlier, every outcome of your business falls on your shoulders – whether it’s good or bad.
Most people see this as a burden, but I think it’s liberating.
It reinforces that I am responsible for who I hang around, what thoughts I have, and how I operate my business. All of those things are in my control.
If I need to make a positive change in my business, I can evaluate each of these areas and identify how I can do better.
When you embrace the responsibility that comes with leading, you pay very close attention to how you can better yourself. You refuse to let your business slide and won’t sleep until it thrives.
(Seriously though, go to sleep. Remember the first habit?)
Share the credit you get with your team, and take the blame for them. Your team members will appreciate you and work harder to help the business boom.
Again, these habits can become second nature when you build them into your daily routine.
Make it as easy as possible to routinely follow each habit. Have family and friends check on you to make sure you don’t slack off, and treat yourself when you keep up each habit.
Those healthy habits will be the pillars to your leadership success.
Committed to your success,
Bedros