FILEX PRESENTER
GAME ON!
SEIZE EVERYDAY
OPPORTUNITIES TO LEVEL UP
Daily challenges provide real opportunities for personal and professional growth, so face them
head-on and develop the skills to reach the top of your game, writes Ish Cheyne, Head of Fitness
for Les Mills New Zealand.
he best advice I ever received
was ‘You think you’re good
because you’re good at your role
in the fitness industry, but you’re
actually good at something that you’re
applying to the fitness industry: figure out
what that is, and you can work anywhere.’
I must confess, I like a bit of gaming. I’m
not obsessed or anything, and I’m definitely
not the guy who stays up playing all night,
munching potato chips and vaping in the
dark. But I do go through phases where
I spend a few hours tapping on an Xbox
controller and conquering worlds.
My favourite game series is Tomb Raider.
In fact, I’ve been playing as Lara Croft since
it came out on PS1 back in 1996. The appeal
of the game lies in the fact that the character
you have at the end of the game has
significantly more skills and abilities than
the character you have when you start out.
Through overcoming challenges, defeating
demons and unlocking mysteries, the
character is developing the skillset to win the
game. If you tried to complete the final battle
with level one Lara Croft from the beginning
of the game, you would be unsuccessful:
she just doesn’t have the skills yet.
Now, life is no game, but challenges,
demons and mysteries provide real
opportunities for growth. 70% of your
personal development will come from
opportunities and experiences that are
already around you, 20% will come from
your network of people and relationships,
and 10% from formal education. It’s that
70% that interests me.
Your abilities will grow faster when you
see events as opportunities to learn and
level up. Not all will be positive, and life is not
always fair, but when you’re going through
hard stuff, ask yourself ‘What am I learning
here that will help me in the future?’. The
meaning you attach to an event will become
the reality of the event.
T
When you are presented with a challenge that requires you to step
up, take a risk, strengthen an existing skill set or unlock a new one,
take it! If you fail a few times, then learn and try a new approach.
People we consider to be successful have failed more than most,
and if you’re not getting a few knocks, you’re not even in the game.
Unlocking your awareness to see the learning opportunities
around you is an essential level one skill; being able to use them
to grow is a level two skill; being brave enough to try things you’ve
never done before is level three. Knowing what skills serve you best
will take you through level four. And realising that it’s not about you
and being able to create opportunities for others to grow? Well, that’s
level 10 – and that’s leadership.
The person who gave me that eye-opening advice was right: I
have developed a skillset that could be applicable across any number
of sectors. The fact is though, I believe that the fitness industry is an
incredible one to be working in, and I choose to apply my skills here.
What skills and abilities do you already have? You’ve been playing
already: you’ve faced challenges, battled demons, and unlocked
mysteries, so your leadership journey is already underway. So,
what level are you at, and are you ready to embrace the learning
opportunities that will help you reach level 10?
Ish Cheyne
With over 25 years in the industry, Ish’s fitness career has
taken him from working in membership sales to being
Head of Fitness for Les Mills New Zealand. His innovative
approach to doing things ‘outside the box’ has positively
impacted the way Les Mills runs its fitness departments.
FILEX 2020 POSTPONED
Ish was scheduled to delve deeper into the world of leadership strategies
at this year's FILEX fitness industry convention in May. The event has been
postponed due to government restrictions on large gatherings that have
been put in place to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFO ON THE EVENT
NETWORK AUTUMN 2020 | 17