CSCS Certification: A Game-Changing Career Decision

When asked the question, “What is the single best career move you’ve ever made?” there are many things that immediately come to mind. First, the decision to leave a facility I was unhappy at and start the quest to open my own. The next thought that came to mind was the decision to get a much-needed surgery early in my career to avoid further complications that could be especially risky given the physical nature of this career.

Although those things changed my life and helped create some great things in my career, neither of them are the single best move or decision I’ve made. And, honestly, those are two very personal items that may not be able to help the next coach out - which is what I aim to do here.

With that being said, the single most impactful move I’ve ever made as a coach is to make relationships equally vital as the training methods we employ. In other words, I put an extreme emphasis into character development, athlete-coach relationships, networking with others in the field and genuinely helping people out. As much, if not more, emphasis into those things as I do into actual training methods.

Don’t get me wrong, my training programs are approached with extreme detail. Training doesn’t become an afterthought. It’s still crucial in every way possible. It’s just that I don’t want training to ever feel transaction-based. Yes, there is money exchanged, but that is nothing in the grand scheme of things compared to the amount of impact I want to have on every individual who steps foot into our facility.

If you’re a coach or work with a team in any capacity, I think adopting this mindset can take your personal and team performance to a new level of success. If every coach or trainer has the same info, knowledge, and talent that you do, how will you set yourself apart? Your relationship skills will set you apart because people know you authentically care.

I used to think my success as a coach was measured by how many pro clients I train or how many scholarship offers my athletes receive. Nope. It’s about the random, “thank you,” texts from athletes, heart to heart conversations and seeing that you reached someone in a time of need.