Create Your Culture.

True Leaders in any profession focus on creating environments that enable people to perform. Often times that requires helping them gain perspective.

How do you do that?

Logan Gelbrich, ORIGINAL nutritional, CrossFit Strongman Seminar Staff, writer for The Box Magazine, and Deuce Gym Owner, posted a quote recently that reiterates everything any leader of significance has ever embedded in my mind.

“THE CULTURE OF ANY ORGANIZATION IS SHAPED BY THE WORST BEHAVIOR THE LEADER IS WILLING TO TOLERATE.” -GRUENTER AND WHITAKER”

The underlying factor that separates the good from the great, is the attention to detail that is instilled down to the lowest level, down to the beginner athlete, the most junior Marine, or the newest person on the job. What standards are you going to hold as the leader?

Well, before talking the talk…you have to walk the walk. In order to lead others in any capacity, we must first lead ourselves. This means, holding yourself accountable. The good news its, you don’t have to do it alone! Finding a coach/mentor is key to becoming the best version of yourself. Seek someone with experience, knowledge, someone that you admire, and most importantly, someone you trust.

My most utilized mentor is Shane Sweatt. I’ve briefly mentioned him before and I will continue to mention him throughout future blogs. I met Shane when I was 19 and he started molding my mindset before I even knew it.

Below are a few things that Shane has taught me:

• When training, in every single lift or exercise you do, approach the bar with the same systematic process.
  • This creates muscle memory and can prevent future misses caused by errors during set up while under pressure. This can be applied to multiple facets, not just lifting. Creating small mental processes creates a habit of excellence and mastery in any skill.  In the heat of the moment we do not rise to the occasion, yet we fall to our lowest level of training.
• Don’t train until failure.
  • When attempting maximal effort lifts, do not allow yourself to go until you can no longer go, save some in the tank. By doing this, we build confidence and create a mindset that is accustomed to succeeding. Failure in life will come in many events, challenges and trials, so why not prevent failure from becoming a common trend in your training?
• Run with the lame, develop a limp.
  • If you are trying to be the best, and create an environment that breeds success with above average, critical thinkers, do not allow small minded individuals to poison the atmosphere. Their uneducated, weak minds, habits, and comments will prohibit individuals with limitless potential to succeed simply because of their thought processes. These types of thinkers are usually stubborn and unlikely to change. The world is constantly evolving and if you are not adapting and evolving with it, you will fall behind.
• Give credit where it is due. 
  • Shane and Laura will admit that they are the best at creating the world’s strongest athletes. While they are most certainly able to coach Olympic Lifters, they are not the best in the world at it. They have learned over the years different techniques to utilize, but will admit that when their Olympic Lifters get better it is because they have gotten stronger, not because Shane has broken down the techniques of snatching and clean and jerking. So what do they do? They research and surround themselves with those who are the best, and then they give credit while at seminars or teaching a technique they learned from an Oly Coach. I believe insecure individuals tend to take credit for others work because they want to gain recognition, followers, or what not.  It’s simple to give credit where it is due. It gives respect to those who deserve it and gains respect from those who see you do it.
• You are capable of achieving anything you want. 
  • Shane has never held back an athlete by telling them that their dreams are unreachable. He will be realistic with people, and tell them that their goal may take ten years to accomplish, but if they truly want it, anything is possible. I think that by helping others see the impossible as possible creates an unstoppable environment. Once others start to accomplish things they never though imagined, the trend keeps spreading and they start to help others around them do the same.

In learning these things from Shane, they molded me into the thinker that I am today. This mindset has set me aside from peers and allowed me to be consistent in what I believe,  has given me the tools to lead myself, and the confidence to lead others.

Decide who it is that you want to lead you, follow them, lead yourself, and hold those around you accountable to your standards until your standards become their way of doing things. By leading through your actions, others will be interested in gaining perspective to why you opt to do things a certain way. Teach them the purpose and make them discover the why.