Strength

Why are soft skills important for professionals in the strength industry?

Unlocking Success in the Strength Industry: The Power of Soft Skills

Why are soft skills important for professionals in the strength industry? These skills are the qualities that define you. They reflect who you are, not what you know, and they become your signature and your fingerprint that identifies you to others. They're called soft skills, but that's a horrible name. They're not soft at all. They are a strong and powerful cornerstone for success. They're what allows you to connect with all of those around you, and this connection is the foundation upon which everything we do is built. You can't train anyone if you don't connect with them first. Your knowledge on program design is super important, but the way you deliver that knowledge is more important, and that comes from your ability to communicate. It comes from your emotional intelligence. It comes from your self-awareness, your adaptability. Overall, it comes from the human being that you are. That's why soft skills are important, and that's why your interpersonal skill set is one that can and should be developed.

Soft skills are important in the strength industry because they help professionals to connect with people and form relationships, which is the foundation of success. They also allow professionals to better communicate and deliver their knowledge, improving their ability to train others.

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Soft skills are important for professionals in the strength industry because they define who you are and serve as your unique signature. Despite being called soft, these skills are strong and powerful, forming the foundation for success. Connecting with others is crucial, as you cannot effectively train someone without establishing that connection first. While knowledge of program design is essential, how you deliver that knowledge through effective communication is even more important. Soft skills encompass emotional intelligence, self-awareness, adaptability, and overall interpersonal abilities. Cultivating these skills allows you to excel in your field and develop as a well-rounded professional.

How do you prioritize self-awareness in your own leadership style?

Boost Your Leadership: Prioritize Self-Awareness with One Simple Change

How do you prioritize self-awareness in your leadership style? There's a couple of routes you can take on this one but I think the one that provides the most immediate bang for your buck is to start to ask yourself what questions instead of why questions. So instead of, why didn't I get that job? It's what was missing from my profile or why can't I pick up this new skill? It's what steps do I need to take to pick up this new skill questions that start with what? Are precursors to action. They give us some practical steps in the answers, things we can do to improve the situation. Why questions on the other hand, tend to be emotional particularly in stressful situations or when we didn't expect or didn't like the outcome. We may not have access to all the thoughts and feelings and motives that would accurately answer that question. So we tend to come up with answers that may not be true but they feel right? And because we're looking for answers, we tend to accept the first one that we come up with whether it's accurate or not. So, that's a practical step. You can begin to take to improve your self-awareness. Just alter the first word of your questions. Start with what not why. I hope you found my answer. Helpful. Thanks for asking. Great question.

To prioritize self-awareness in your leadership style, start asking yourself what questions instead of why questions. This helps you access practical steps to improve the situation rather than relying on emotional responses that may not be accurate.

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To prioritize self-awareness in my leadership style, I focus on asking myself what questions rather than why questions. This simple shift provides immediate benefits. Instead of asking why I didn't get a job, I ask what was missing from my profile. Instead of wondering why I can't pick up a new skill, I ask what steps I need to take to acquire that skill.

Asking what questions leads to actionable answers and practical steps for improvement. On the other hand, why questions tend to be more emotional, especially in stressful situations or when outcomes are unexpected or unfavorable. When we ask why questions, we may not have access to all the thoughts, feelings, and motives that would provide an accurate answer. As a result, we often come up with answers that may not be true but feel right. Additionally, when seeking answers, we tend to accept the first one that comes to mind, whether it is accurate or not.

By consciously altering the first word of our questions to what, we can enhance our self-awareness. This practical step helps us focus on actionable solutions and avoid getting caught up in unproductive emotional responses. I hope you find this answer helpful. Thank you for asking such a great question.

How do you approach building trust with team members in a high-pressure, fast-paced work environment?

Building Trust in a High-Pressure Environment: The Key Factors to Consider

How do you approach building trust with team members in a high-pressure, fast-paced work environment? People's decision to trust in others is always multifactorial and tied to individual perspectives and some of our differences of opinion on things. But there are some common characteristics. And the first one starts with people want to know that their teammates' interests are aligned with theirs in general. Do we have the same goals, sort of, personally, professionally? The second one is capability. We want to know that our teammates are capable of delivering in all of these varying circumstances. However, we measure success, that they're able to achieve that for the most part. And the third one is consistency in action. We want to know we're getting the same person over and over. This high-pressure environment, changing circumstances, are we getting the same demeanor that we can count on? And those three things take time. You need repeat exposures of those over time to really strengthen trust. So one of the big things you can do in the meantime is communicate. Communication is a connector. It gives people a sense of comfort all along the way that they're being communicated to. So that's the one controllable factor you can do while that sort of slow cook is going on in earning the trust over time with those first three strategies. So great question. Thanks for asking. And I hope you found my answer helpful.

To build trust with team members in a high-pressure fast-paced work environment, focus on aligning interests, capability, and consistency in action. Communicate clearly to foster comfort and create a sense of connection among the team.

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Building trust with team members in a high-pressure, fast-paced work environment is a complex process influenced by individual perspectives and differences. However, there are common characteristics that contribute to trust-building.

Firstly, it's important to align interests with teammates. Having shared goals, both personally and professionally, helps establish a foundation of trust. Secondly, demonstrating capability is crucial. Team members want to see that their colleagues can deliver results in various circumstances and achieve success. Lastly, consistency in action is key. In a dynamic and high-pressure environment, it's reassuring to have teammates who consistently exhibit the same demeanor and can be relied upon.

Building trust takes time and requires repeated exposure to these characteristics. In the meantime, effective communication plays a vital role. Regular and transparent communication helps foster a sense of comfort and connection among team members.

While trust-building is a gradual process, focusing on communication is a controllable factor that can contribute to building trust over time.

How can I build trust with leadership when communicating?

Top 3 Ways to Build Trust with Leadership

How can I build trust with leadership when communicating? Top three ways. The first one is predictability. The second one is capability. The third is transparency. With predictability, leaders like to know what they can count on. Predictable, consistent behavior is trustworthy. Situational and erratic behavior is not. So in this case, it's just consistency in communicating that leaders know team members value communication and managing up. The second one, capability. Leaders need to know that you can do the job you were hired to do. Knowledge and effectiveness in presentations, accuracy in answering questions they ask you. Basically that you can just deliver on what you are supposed to deliver on. Competence within your role. And this one's weird because it's very one way. Competence is not a guaranteed trust earner, but incompetence is a definite trust buster and one that can happen pretty quickly. And then the final one in communication is just transparency. Open and honest communication tends to support the decision for leaders to trust team members, whereas poor or no communication creates suspicion and can diminish trust over time. So three ways to build trust with your leaders. I hope you found them helpful.

To build trust with leadership when communicating, it is important to be consistent, competent, and transparent.

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To build trust with leadership when communicating, there are three key ways: predictability, capability, and transparency. Firstly, being predictable and consistent in your behavior establishes trust. Leaders appreciate knowing what they can count on from their team members. Secondly, demonstrating your capability is crucial. Leaders need to have confidence that you can effectively perform your job responsibilities. This includes delivering presentations, providing accurate answers to their questions, and showcasing competence in your role. While competence alone may not guarantee trust, incompetence can quickly erode it. Lastly, practicing transparency in communication is essential. Open and honest communication supports leaders' decision to trust their team members. On the other hand, poor or inadequate communication can breed suspicion and damage trust over time. By focusing on these three aspects, you can strengthen trust with leadership when communicating. I hope you find these strategies helpful.

What is the most effective way to build trust with coworkers?

Building Trust with Coworkers: 3 Key Strategies Revealed

What is the most effective way to build trust with co-workers? I have three of them, actually. The first one is just similarities. We are tribal by nature as humans, so we tend to trust those that are like us more than those that aren't. So we'll link with people that are from the same places, like the same music, share the same hobbies. So when you begin to communicate that type of information about yourself, they can become trust builders. The second one, interest alignment. Prior to handing over our trust to people, we'll always ask ourselves, can this person, will this person serve my interests alongside of theirs? So when interests align, trust follows. Translation to that, is this person willing to help me, or are they treating work more like a competition? And then the final one, the common thread to all trust-earning opportunities is communication. And for co-workers, it's frequency and substance. So it's like, will this colleague, will this teammate include me on details of a project or stuff that I missed in a meeting? Or are they going to hoard it, right? And keep that professional advantage, that information power to themselves. And I'm sure we all know and have worked with people that sort of take that approach. It's not looked upon favorably. So three ways to earn and keep trust with your colleagues, and I hope you found them helpful. Thank you.

The most effective way to build trust with coworkers is to share similarities, align interests, and communicate frequently and openly.

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The most effective ways to build trust with co-workers are by finding similarities, aligning interests, and maintaining open communication. As humans, we naturally trust those who are similar to us, so sharing commonalities in things like background, music preferences, or hobbies can help establish trust. Additionally, when our interests align with others and we perceive that they will serve our interests alongside theirs, trust follows. It's important to assess whether a colleague is willing to help or treats work as a competition. 

The common thread in building trust is communication. For co-workers, frequent and meaningful communication is key. This includes sharing project details or filling in any missed information from meetings. Hoarding information or keeping professional advantages to oneself is not looked upon favorably. 

By focusing on similarities, aligning interests, and maintaining open communication, you can earn and maintain trust with your colleagues. I hope you find these tips helpful in building strong relationships at work.

What communication strategies do you find most effective for maintaining relationships with high-performing team members?

Effective communication strategies for high-performing teams: Consider these 3 questions

What communication strategies do? I find most effective for maintaining relationships with high performing team members helpful to consider three questions whenever you have a message to pass along and that message can take any form, it could be injury information, it could be a scouting record, it could be Sports Science data, testing results, body composition. Anytime you have to pass along information, number one, who can benefit from receiving Leaving this information who can do their job better? If I pass it along and it may be a larger list than just the initial intended. Recipients number two, what is the mode or package that I should deliver this with? What should it look like? Do I need to text this information? Should I upload it to the athlete management system? Does the rosid do the recipients, like email? Should it be a table or a graph or bullets? It should take the form. That will be most helpful to the people receiving. It and the third one is timing. When is the best time to send this information? Sometimes a message is super time-sensitive. You need to get it right out other times. If it's going to a coach, maybe you need to wait until a little bit of time after the game and motions died down. You should consider when when the message will be received best and they can actually listen and internalized it. So ask those three questions anytime you have a message. Awesome question. Thanks for asking.

Communication strategies that are effective for maintaining relationships with high performing team members involve considering who can benefit from receiving the message, what mode or package to deliver it with, and the timing for when it should be sent.

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When it comes to maintaining relationships with high-performing team members, I find it helpful to consider three key questions for effective communication.

Firstly, think about who can benefit from receiving the information you want to share. It may go beyond the initial intended recipients. Consider who can do their job better with this information and ensure it reaches them.

Secondly, determine the most suitable mode or package for delivering the message. Should it be a text, an upload to the athlete management system, or an email? Consider the preferences of the recipients and present the information in a format that will be most helpful to them, whether it's a table, graph, or bullet points.

Lastly, timing is crucial. Assess when the best time is to send the information. Some messages may be time-sensitive and require immediate delivery. However, if it's going to a coach, it might be better to wait until emotions have settled after a game. Choose a timing when the recipients can truly listen and internalize the message.

By asking these three questions whenever you have a message to communicate, you can enhance the effectiveness of your communication and maintain strong relationships with high-performing team members.

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Jesse K Wright answers your Strength questions. See all the advice Jesse K Wright has and get answers to your own Strength questions.

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Jesse Wright has over 20 years experience in high-performance sports, including 14 years with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was named NBA Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2013, served as President of the National Basketball Strength & Conditioning Association from 2013-2015, and chaired the NBA Pre-Draft Combine committee for 6 years. He has held Strength & Conditioning Coach positions with Temple University, Philadelphia Eagles, Barcelona Dragons, Hofstra University Football and Saint Joseph’s University. He was also Director of Summit Sports Training Center. He has an Exercise Science degree from Temple University and a Master’s of High Performance Sport degree from Australian Catholic University. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and a Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach Emeritus from the NSCA.