Your profession needs you to be excellent
It is easy to point your finger and call another person or business unprofessional; complaining about the poor business practice, stupid exercise selection, poor customer service or unprofessional behaviour of another fitness person is common practice. What is uncommon is taking responsibility for your profession and raising the standard!! Are you the representative of excellence in your profession or the person who complains about your profession??
A dishonest financial planner gives all financial planners a bad name. A stupid practice or service in the beauty industry is a smear on all beauty treatments. The fitness industry is no different. If a consumer has a poor experience with a gym or a personal trainer they don’t race out searching for a better one. Most folks will now stay home, order take-away or open a packet of biscuits and tweet, blog or Facebook their bad experience to all who will listen!!
You, me, any industry is only as good as the worst of us. I have to take responsibility for the unprofessional people and poor practices in my profession or my career, business and lifestyle will be at risk!! What we do is a privilege and an opportunity to make a positive difference everyday, please do not waste time moaning about what is not good about our profession, we must do everything we personally, and as a profession, can do to raise our standards in all areas!!
An unprofessional, poorly dressed, unshaven, late, grumpy trainer, with a poor attitude, in any facility, is a reflection of our profession and it lowers our standard in the eyes of the general public, the medical professionals and the government-the people we need to take us seriously!! Even if you feel you are raising the
standard, being a professional and you have a superb, extra mile attitude, if you watch other trainers, or other fitness businesses, accept a low standard in any area, you are settling for poor or below average for your profession, and you may be doing more damage by ignoring their poor practice.
Although confrontation can be uncomfortable, in your own respectful, gentle but firm way, when you see any fitness person or business lowering a high standard of professionalism, you must chat with them!! Ask quietly if they feel they are raising or lowering a professional standard and ask them kindly to be aware of what affect any kind of less than professional practice will have on our entire fitness profession…One of 3 things will happen from your professional feedback…
1. They will get angry and resign-Good outcome, they were not meant to be there. OR they will get angry-good outcome, emotion means they will think about
what you said
2. They will appreciate your feedback and change-soooper outcome!!
3. They will do nothing and not change-but at least you did not, “Do Nothing!!”
What you DO- or do not do, about any challenge is a refection of you and what you stand for!! Rowena-Szeszeran-McEvoy xx
