Letter from Master Strength Coach Teena Murray

They say we don’t start thinking about giving back until we’re in our 50’s and on the downhill side of the slope.  Well, I’m not 50, and I’d like to think I’m still climbing, but I have started to think more about giving back.  Specifically, I’ve been thinking about ways I can give back and provide support to the young(er) female professionals in our industry.   I hate to admit it, but it is still a man’s world, and collegiate athletics (strength and conditioning in particular) is no exception.  Our numbers have grown (at last check there were about 125 of us in Division I ranks – 38% of full-time positions) but the quality of the positions we fill and related salaries are unimpressive.  In addition, opportunities for advancement are often very limited.   So what are good women (passionate about the field) to do?  For starters, I think we need to come together in our vision, agenda, and support for one another.   I recently visited Seneca Falls, NY – site of the First Women’s Rights Convention, out of which came equal rights legislation granting women the right to vote- and it gave me an appreciation for the power of a unified front and voice.  The ability to impact change is certainly greater when we are unified and speaking the same language.  Perhaps sharing our stories and struggles and creative ideas with each other (over email and phone calls and visits with people in your area, and this blog) can help us?  Perhaps it can even lead to similar great (and overdue) outcomes?     If I can offer any immediate advice, it is that we begin to act more like our male counterparts in ‘taking care of each other.’  For whatever reason, males do this instinctively.   We are all too familiar with the ‘good old boys’ mentality.  Well, let’s work on a establishing a ‘good old girls’ mentality.  Let’s promote each other, support each other, challenge and stretch each other.  Whether we agree or disagree with each others’ training philosophy and periodization strategies let’s do more to make each other better, and help each other be successful.  After all, we are in this together!   As with our female athletes, the greatest barrier we often face is our own lack of confidence.   Too often this is the reason we fail to take risks and/or push for what we deserve.  We work longer and harder, and take on more projects and responsibilities for no change in compensation.  Meanwhile, we are often as educated, knowledgeable and experienced (or more) as the males who are aggressively promoting themselves- and pursuing and obtaining.     OK, so here is my challenge to all of us women in strength- contact, visit, call, or email one female strength coach every month (for a total of 10-12) this school year.  Get to know each other.  Share ideas.  Share your challenges and frustrations.  Offer support.  Nudge each other to get uncomfortable!  By the end of the year (at CSCCa in May) let’s see if we can’t create a forum for discussing and sharing our experiences and brainstorming ideas for future success. You in?

Talking about Stress

Whether we admit it or not, we are all stressed.  It could be from mental fatigue, physical exertion, or emotional drama.  Whatever the reason, stress has an affect on the body, on the mind, and on the heart.  In some cases, stress can save our life, get us back on the right path, or even prepare us to be successful in life's crazy events.  However, stress can also be dangerous.  With too much stress, we can expose ourselves to the negative effects of anxiety - high blood pressure, restless sleep patterns, depression, irritability, etc.  Therefore, overexposure to stress will ultimately lead to sickness, disease, and an overall lower quality of daily life.  So, let me pose this question - how stressed are you?

As strength and conditioning coaches, we all deal with certain levels of stress.  Long hours, hectic travel schedules, losing seasons, winning seasons, spoiled athletes, pleasing our coaches, work/life balance, does any of this sound familiar?  For many of you, I am sure it hits close to home.  We are supposed to be "strong" coaches, the epitome of mental toughness, the ones who never show weakness, however we all have our own issues.  How we handle those "issues" or that stress, is how we are going to be successful as coaches as well as better leaders for our athletes and peers.

Through the previous introduction, you can hopefully foreshadow that this blog has to do with stress and the cumulative affects it has on the body and mind.  Currently, the four contributors of this blog are reading "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" by Robert Zapolsky.  Each week we have agreed to read one chapter and then share and discuss our thoughts and findings.  Through this blog and through our reading, we will propose strategies to help balance the stress in our daily lives.  Also, we want to challenge other coaches to read along with us, comment on the blog, and provoke discussions that will benefit all of us in the strength and conditioning community.

Within chapter one, Zapolsky provided an insightful overview of the stress-response and how it affects our body - on an acute level and on a long term level.  In the following section, I will discuss the highlights of chapter one, and pose a few questions to brainstorm over and discuss. 

- Our knowledge of the body and its physiological components as well as our advances in medicine have given way to an entire new array of potential harmful diseases: stress-related illnesses.  Rather than worry about malaria, tuberculosis, etc.; we now worry about anxiety, depression, and psychological disorders.

- Certain types of stress promote a response: acute physical crisis (think - zebra getting chased by a lion), chronic physical challenges (think - a plague of locusts descending on crops), and psychological/social disruptions (think - the frustration of an athlete being late to workouts).

- When we worry or stress, we turn on the same response a zebra does when being chased by a lion.  Do this chronically, and we are setting ourselves up for a potential psychological and physical disaster.

- Homeostasis vs. Allostasis: there is no one ultimate and perfect level that one can reach because what is ideal in basal conditions, will not be ideal in stressful conditions.  Instead, allostasis looks to make body-wide changes in anticipation of an event rather than change one component.

-  A stressor is anything that knocks you out of allostatic balance or the ANTICIPATION of knocking you out of that same balance.

- Hallmarks of the stress-response include: increased heart rate, high blood pressure, increased breathing rate and rapid mobilization of energy in preparation of the upcoming event.  In addition, inhibited digestion, curtailment of growth and tissue repair, lowered immune system, decrease in overall sex drive, and blunted pain perception represent stress-response trademarks as well.

- Fight or Flight - all of these previous symbols of stress help you "fight" if called upon, but in reality - the stress-response becomes more damaging than the stressor itself.

Questions:

1. What things in your life qualify as stressors?
2. Do you find yourself anticipating stress more than actually being stressed?
3. How often do you succumb to the stress response?
4. What are ways in which you combat the stress response (i.e. hobbies, travel, etc.)
5. What is your definition of allostasis?

I hope this review as well the questions posed above promote some interesting discussion, and in turn help us all become more pro-active in how we handle stress - perhaps not avoiding it altogether, but understanding its role on our physiological and psychological state and finding ways to combat its negative affects.

Helping to prevent ulcers - one coach at a time,

Callye

7 More Highly Effective Leadership Styles

In one of my previous posts, I outlined the first six leadership styles outlined in Inc. Magazine's, " 13 Ways of Looking at a Leader."  This latest post will highlight the remaining seven characteristics, thus wrapping up this two part series on effective leadership qualities as defined by Inc.  In my opinion, the last seven qualities resonated more with specific attributes found in highly influential and successful coaches and military leaders.  Characteristics such as servitude, honor, and story-telling were all outlined in the last seven traits.  Each of these qualities, as well as others that I will soon define not only make for a highly effective leader, but constitute a person who leaves a lasting impression on those they work and serve with, as well as epitomize someone who others hope to emulate.

• Narcissistic - great visionary with the ability to attract followers.  These leaders can set their sights on a vision and have the capability of inspiring others to work hard and move towards their goal.

•  No excuse - a leader with endless vision and sources of life lessons and metaphors.  You have a great deal of mental toughness and inspire others through accountability and swift, yet sound decision-making skills.  

•  Resonant - hopeful, enthusiastic and infectious.  This type of leader has the ability to inspire others by stimulating a positive, emotional response. 

•  Servant - serve first, lead second.  You desire to serve others first, and then chose to lead so as to serve better.  This quality actually epitomizes the strengths of a highly effective military leader and complements the aforementioned styles.

•  Storytelling - leaders must tell stories: about themselves, about their companies, about what employees do now, and about what they will do in the future.  Stories paint a real picture that people can feel, touch, see and taste - emotions and feelings typically have more resounding effects than facts, figures and data.

•  Strengths based - Strengths-based leaders identify and invest in their own—and their individual employees'—talents. Are you an excellent executor, an incomparable person of influence, or a superb strategic thinker? Pick one and run with it.

•  Tribal - The leader's job is to understand those tribes' shared values and beliefs and unite them under a common culture.  Without a common vision or mission, tribes could just as easily make war rather than peace.

Whether you are a authentic leader, a mindful motivator, or a strengths-based servant, we are all in positions of leadership.  In order to know ourselves better and motivate our athletes more strategically, we must be able to define our strengths and outline our weaknesses.  Then and only then can we work towards creating a more competitive, focused, results-based, and enjoyable training environment.  Hopefully, you were able to identify certain attributes that you already possess as well as new characteristics that you might want to develop.  Regardless of what information you took away, there is no right or wrong way to lead.  We are all leaders, but we can always work at being more affective and improving our own skill set.   

Happy Leading,
Callye