Personal Fitness Professional - March 2008 - (Page 29)

them a job. Others may just be excited to have with others both in and out of your company, but are you truly working this angle to its full potential? a job, any job, and quickly sign on the dotted line. While maintaining a positive, professional relationship with your clients, fellow staﬀ members and supervisors is a no-brainer, interacting with others beyond your direct supervisor or team members often Unfortunately, this is a recipe for disaster. With a large portion of your day spent at requires a little more eﬀort and focus. The more people within your organization that know who you are, what you can do and respect work, do you really want to spend that time in a work environment that runs contrary to your par- you for it, the better oﬀ you will be. Wouldn’t it be nice to have people bring up your name in conjuncticular working style and beliefs? Would you feel tion with a new job opportunity or opening? It is more likely to happen when the powers that be are comfortable working with others that have values familiar with you and what a great job you are doing. Also, look beyond your own organization for networking opportunities. While you want people and approaches that are diametrically diﬀerent from your own? Probably not. More than likely, within your company to know the value you bring, you also want others within the ﬁtness industry you would quickly become disappointed and to recognize you as a ﬁtness professional worth knowing. Consider attending or speaking at a ﬁtness disheartened with your job. The end result being industry conference, pursuing industry-approved certiﬁcations, joining a national ﬁtness organization that you would probably quit and ultimately start and/or writing for a ﬁtness publication. These are all great ways to raise your external proﬁle in the over with another organization — often having to ﬁtness industry, which could ultimately open doors to other opportunities down the road. prove yourself all over again. Therefore, start out by ﬁnding the right or- CONTINUE LEARNING AND IMPROVING Most of us lack the complete package. What ganization from the get-go. Find a company that I mean by this is, while we often have several of the necessary skills it often takes to move to the next level, we sometimes lack one or two not only values important components that make us a strong your knowledge, candidate for advancement. You may be one passion and drive of the best fitness trainers out there, versed in but that can comAre you going the extra mile to prove to your the most current fitness techniques, but how plement and foster supervisors that you have the necessary skills are you at supervising employees or drafting a your own goals and department budget? provide you with to advance to the next level? If you know you lack the necessary skills the kind of growth it will take to climb to the next level, do someopportunities that thing about it. Nowadays, it is easy to ﬁnd a you crave. workshop or online class that ﬁts the busy MASTER AND EXCEL IN YOUR schedule of a working professional. Most are also ﬁnancially friendly in terms of their cost and can CURRENT JOB Many times people make the easily ﬁt into your schedule. There really are few negatives to taking the initiative and learning the mistake of reaching for their next promotion be- necessary skills it takes to be a leader. It will deﬁnitely bring you to the attention of your mangers but fore they have taken the time to master and excel also increase your overall marketability. at their current job. You may think that you are doing your current job well (and you may very well be doing so), but are you going the extra mile to prove to your supervisors that you have the necessary skills to advance to the next level? For instance, are you always alert to ﬁnding and suggesting better ways to do your job? Managers appreciate employees who come to them with suggestions of how to streamline a particular procedure, save them a few dollars or who have an idea for creating a new revenue stream. It sends a clear message that you are vested in the overall success of the business and not just in drawing a paycheck. FIND A MENTOR Sometimes, it is not always easy to ﬁgure out if you are doing all that you need to do to advance your career. That is why it is important to ﬁnd a mentor who can provide you with advice and critical feedback on the steps you are taking. Never assume that you are doing a great job or that you are on the right track. It is often diﬃcult to remain critically objective when we have to critique ourselves — far better to have someone take a non-biased look at what we are doing and then oﬀer their objective opinion on how we can improve. Additionally, experienced mentors can oﬀer a wealth of information and insight on things you may not have even considered. You should be applauded if you have the determination and drive to want to succeed and grow personally and professional. Unfortunately, determination and drive alone often will not allow you to ﬁrmly grasp the opportunities you seek whether that’s getting a raise, a job promotion or striking out on your own. Prepare to go the extra mile, and yes, even take the occasional risk that puts you outside of your comfort zone. These are the things that will bring you to the notice of those in charge and ultimately open up other opportunities to you. Tom Perkins is a ﬁtness business coach and advisor, radio host, speaker, author as well as a certiﬁed personal trainer and ﬁtness nutritionist with more than 30 years of experience. For more information, listen to Tom discuss the latest ﬁtness business strategies at www.megaﬁtnessbusiness.com. ● INTERACT AND NETWORK Sure, you have heard about the importance of interacting with your team members and managers and networking MARCH2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 27 29 http://www.megafitnessbusiness.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - March 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - March 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Current Controversies Maintenance of Weight Loss: What Does it Take? Creating Community Programs Winning the Talent War Pilates Made Simple Mark Your Calendar Climbing the Corporate Ladder Exercise Spotlight Product Profile New on the Market

Personal Fitness Professional - March 2008

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