A common theme has been coming up in my life recently and I don't know why. The theme is perception versus reality, or in other words, how someone perceives you versus who you really are.

As strength coaches, we know that a program is only as good as what someone puts into it. I know for a fact that the workout sheet I give an athlete is just that—a sheet, a single piece of paper, no better no worse. It's up to me and the athlete to bring that workout to life. It's the intent put into the training session that is important. If the athlete perceives that the workout is great, the session has a chance of being great. On the other hand, if the athlete's perception is that the workout is garbage, the session has a very good chance of failing.

The Westside effect

I've visited Westside a few times, although I've never had a full training session there. Anyone who has ever been to Westside immediately knows that the people who train there are getting better. This is the perception that Westside has created. How have they created this perception? We all know that they've had great lifters train there. We've all heard the urban legends about what goes on inside those doors. Westside succeeds because it creates its own perception of what should be done. The people who show up perceive it as the best place to train and know that the people around them are the best at what they do.

If you've been reading elitefts™, you've heard this over and over again. Only Westside is Westside. If you use some of the concepts there, that doesn't make you Westside. Training there does that. Knowing that you aren't Westside, you must now ask yourself, "How do people perceive me and my style?" While finding your style, you must ask, "Am I leading my athletes in a positive manner, and what are their perceptions of me and my protocols?" This is where we must begin to legitimize our leadership.

Legitimize your leadership

This can be one of the most important things a strength coach can do. How do you let people know that you're good at what you do and get them to believe in you? One of my favorite quotes sums it up perfectly.

Roosevelt said this best. We must show how much we care about our people. We deal with coaches, athletes, trainers, and administrators on a daily basis, and we must let each know that we are here to make them better. This is the start of legitimizing your leadership. In addition to this, we must show each of these groups our successes. Who have you made better? How have you made them better?

Recently, the university I work for had its homecoming weekend, and many alumni were back visiting. Nothing says more to your coaches, current athletes, and administration than to have them see former athletes come back and let you know what you did for them. Show your past successes off. J.L. Holdsworth (in his own animated way) often talks about how coaches love to show off the great athletes whom they coach. The problem is many of those athletes walked in the door great. Tell me about the average athlete who you made great. A few years ago, Joe DeFranco had two (or maybe even three) years when he trained the last guy taken in the NFL draft. Joe was proud of this and wrote about it on his website. His point was that these guys aren't as gifted as the first guy taken, but through their hard work and Joe’s help, they became great athletes and made NFL rosters. To many people, this legitimized Joe’s leadership and training style.

What legitimizes your program? This will be different for each coach. If the best answer you have is we “grind” or work hard, then try again. For me, it’s education through and of the human body. I not only want a stronger athlete, but I want an athlete who better understands his body and his interactions with teammates and coaches and who knows how to turn the switch, forget everything, and attack.

Reality isn't perception

Now that you know what you want and what you think makes you special, what do others think of your program? While driving to work, my local public radio station aired an interview with the band Was (Not Was) who had a hit with the song “Walk the Dinosaur.” The interviewee asked the band if that song was good or bad for them. The band answered that it changed people's perception of who they were. The song is about nuclear war, but like most songs, it was perceived incorrectly. The band discussed how that song opened many doors for them, but at the same time, people thought that the song represented who they were. Was (Not Was) has worked with Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, Ozzy Osbourne, Kris Kristofferson, Syd Straw, and many others. Clearly, they are a well respected group with recognized talent. The problem they have is one of perception. They are only known for one song.

So what is the one song that you're known for? What does your administration think that you do? I struggle with this one every day. I have a very good relationship with my administration, but often I'm in meetings and realize that they don't have any clue as to what my staff and I actually do. I'm known as the meathead who yells. Clearly, I need to work on changing that perception as it can and will create problems when I need to speak on more scientific topics with my administration.

How can we, as a profession, continue to make our athletes perceive that we write the best training programs and have the best environment to train in while also making our coaches, administration, and athletic trainers perceive that what we're doing is a science not just a meathead approach?

Here are a few ways that my department is trying to combat that issue:

  1. We communicate to the coaches what is going on.
  2. We get outside our comfort zone. Do things that most people would be surprised to see you do (i.e. take a class, attend a nonathletic event on campus, learn).
  3. We live, learn, and pass on. Live it (train), push your education, and do something good for the world.
  4. We let people know what we're doing. Have days when others can come watch your teams train (e.g. invite professors and others from the community).
  5. We meet with the administration more often and make sure that their perceptions of us match the reality of what we're actually doing.