Learn Well to Lead Well! By Preacher Sam

Open Doors:

Over the past 9-10 months I have had some tremendous opportunities to soak up some invaluable wisdom and knowledge from various individuals much further along in their careers than myself. I just did a podcast this week with Coach Joe Kenn from the Carolina Panthers. I’d spent some time with him before, so I knew I should take some notes during the show. I’ve learned a great deal about the Strength and Conditioning industry from him just by listening. A week ago I was in Miami, and for the third time, I got to spend time with the guys from Barbell Shrugged. Mike Bledsoe, Doug Larson, Chris Moore, and Chris “CTP” Norman always have some awesome thoughts to share both on and off the podcast. I also got to chat for a long time with two of the owners and founders of Caffeine and Kilos. If you read anything I write or follow my social media, you know how much I love these guys, so spending some time learning from them was great.

I could go on and on, and I’ll probably mention more names below, but I want to get to the point. These great minds and forerunners in the strength game and business’s world have one huge thing in common: they are consistently seeking to learn new things as often as possible. Not one of these guys has ever mentioned anything about having it all figured out, or knowing the single best way to get strong or succeed in life.

In each encounter I had with all the above listed individuals, I picked up on something they were proactively doing to learn more. I heard anything from talking to athletes in order to meet needs, to going to networking events and conferences to pick the brains of like minded individuals in other fields, to experimenting in training to help develop a program that will effectively develop athletes.

I spent some time with Zach Even Esh and Ryan Grady up in New Jersey earlier this year. I already knew Ryan put a ton of time into studying and learning, but I learned a ton about Zach’s desire to be the best and how he learned to take on the internet before it was the thing to do.

I know I’m referencing leading influencers from the strength world, but I’ve actually been learning this principle since my time in college at Southeastern University. In the church world, it is easy for leaders to just keep leading and think that the system in place is awesome. However, the truth is that in order to continue to lead well in today’s age, leaders have to learn well. All leaders must continually learn; it is not enough to get a degree and some experience and then coast through a career. The best leaders take the time to learn something new, even if it does not completely apply to their current responsibilities.

Gaining knowledge and seeking out wisdom will only help leaders to grow personally and expand their influence in all facets of what they do. And one of the best examples I have not even mentioned yet is my coach and friend, Travis Mash. With 20+ years of experience, one might thing this dude would only do things his way and use all his own ideas. Instead, he constantly reads and changes in order to be the most effective at whatever he does. In 2011 when I first met Travis, he was programming way differently than he does now. The template was very similar, but what he programs now has been tremendously affected by what he has learned over the past two and a half years.

The question from all this is “What am I learning from all these great guys?” Well, with Open Doors Christian Coaching I have had to learn a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time in the area of non-profit organizations. So taking that in stride as well as allowing the influence of great minds to help me grow has given me more ability to really attack this new venture with confidence. Nine months ago, I was thinking I may be close to where I am now, but I was not totally sure of anything. But now, having learned more and soaked up all this knowledge and experience, I am more confident than ever that Open Doors is going to be awesome, and that together with Travis, I can lead the organization and see our vision play out and become reality. But, throughout it all, I am constantly reminding myself that I must keep learning. If I learn well, then inevitably I will lead well.

To learn more about Open Doors Christian Coaching, make sure to visit gofundme.com/opendoorscc , where you can also donate and contribute to the work we are doing in the community.

Visit MashElite.com and HolmesStrong.Wordpress.com for blogs with updates and critical information about the organization. Feel free to email opendoorschristiancoaching@gmail.com with any questions you may have.