Work Like You Work Out
| 11 | Jul |
| 2013 |
When it comes to motivating people and changing behaviors, we can learn a lot from exercise and fitness trainers
By Jocelyn Woolsey, Consultant, Ferrazzi Greenlight
As an enthusiastic and regular participant in group fitness classes, I’ve often wondered how these classes make me excited about working out and willing to spend so much money (around $20 or more per session). Thoughtful observation while sweating it out in Barry’s Bootcamp, Soul Cycle and The Bar Method revealed a few key philosophies that keep me motivated and inspired, even though they sometimes seem diametrically opposed.
Whether you are trying to learn a new language, write a book, become a better sales person or even become more financially responsible, these proven methods may be your ticket to success.
The Workout: Barry’s Bootcamp, the self-proclaimed “Best Workout in the World,” combines strength training with cardio.
The Lesson: Accountability matters. Sometimes someone yelling at you can be a very good thing.
I consider myself a self-motivated person and always push hard during workouts. But Barry’s takes me further than I could go on my own. If you aren’t keeping up, the instructors let you know — believe me. Talk about tough love.
We work better and harder when someone’s watching. If the SEC didn't exist, would companies still release accurate reports? How would you know? Accountability matters.
A good coach doesn't let you slack off. A good coach raises your bar and makes sure you get there. At work, if your boss believes in you, she will push you until you hit marks you didn’t think you could reach — probably without yelling at you, but take it in stride if she raises her voice a bit because she knows you can achieve more.
The Workout: Soul Cycle, an indoor cycling studio started in New York by two women on the Upper West Side.
The Lesson: Consideration and generosity matter. Having fun is also a very good thing.
Soul Cycle turns exercise into an anti-bootcamp experience. Friendly employees greet you and quickly help set up your bike and answer questions. The studio is dimly lit with great-smelling candles. The intensity of the class, combined with the fun music and inspirational teachers, keeps you in the moment. Instructors engage you; they encourage you to pedal on the beat and follow their choreography. It feels like a dance party on a fun night out. Who wouldn't want to come back?
If you want to form a new habit, approach it positively. If you have fun, you've won.
The start-ups of the world have figured this out. Their offices are filled with video games, basketball hoops and friendly competitions. People having fun at work tend to work longer and better by interacting more collaboratively with their colleagues.
The Workout: The Bar Method, a blend of ballet-inspired moves and Pilates.
The Lesson: You don't have to kill yourself. Small, simple repetitions add up. Big time.
I was skeptical when I tried my first Bar Method class because it consists of small movements with light or no weights. I grew up playing intense sports and expect exercise to challenge me. Bar Method taught me that high intensity is not required to make a change. It isolates individual muscles and, through short repetitions, lengthens and improves them. Over time, I saw huge improvements in my strength, balance and flexibility.
Repetition of the right small, simple things adds up and can help you achieve huge goals.
In the corporate world, a couple of emails here and there help maintain and even strengthen business relationships. Leg lifts or congratulating colleagues when they get promoted are little things, but, with time and repetition, they make a big difference.
Three Training Methods, Three Approaches
Combine these all appropriately and you have a methodology for strengthening (or increasing the flexibility of) any "muscle," from relationships to foreign language to selling to, uh, your external obliques.
And, remember that how you do anything is typically how you do everything.
- Look for someone's tough love to keep you accountable.
- Make it fun if you want to do it all the time.
- The right easy-to-do thing, if done enough times, builds strength, too.
Of course, there are other exercise- and training-inspired practices to learn from. What's your favorite?
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