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I am incredibly fortunate and thankful to be a part of Rodney King’s
Performance Coaching World Alliance (PCWA) and the CMD Program. I was introduced to the PCWA over a year ago by my martial arts coaches. Very quickly I recognized the value of the organization that Rodney had created and was glad to see my gym, Attitude First, out of Phoenix, Arizona become affiliated with his program. This realization was due in part to Rodney’s clear and concise common-sense approach when delivering a world-class high-quality martial arts system, but more importantly to me, the concepts used throughout the program also applied to life outside of the gym. When I’m not playing the part of father and husband or engaged in martial arts training, I’m an information security officer for a globally-recognized organization. I have been employed in information technology, in one form or another, since 1989 and hold several industry certifications in information security and IT. During the past seventeen years, I have worked in the IT trenches as well as battled from time-to-time in the boardroom. One of the first concepts that I recognized almost immediately as being applicable outside the gym is Rodney’s adaptation of Chaos Theory to sparring. His concept suggests that even the tiniest deviations from the fundamentals of your sparring game, when left unchecked and uncorrected, will result in larger deviations over-time and therefore failure to achieve your objectives of the match. As Rodney explained this concept at a seminar my coaches were hosting, I couldn’t help but see the parallels in business. As I listened, it occurred to me that many times I had seen this over the past seventeen years in business meetings - we failed to meet stated objectives due to even the tiniest tangents, distractions, or deviations from our goals. Ultimately we ended-up wasting hours discussing everything but the real reason for which we met in the first place. Likewise, how many times did I see projects fall short of desired business objectives because those involved failed to either recognize when deviations were occurring or deviations were detected but never corrected? All too often I have seen this throughout my career and the end result is always people sitting around scratching their heads wondering how, when, or where “things went wrong”. As often as possible, I relate Rodney’s adaptation of Chaos and sparring to co-workers. It has proven to be an effective tool for keeping people focused on objectives. In workgroups where I have shared the concept of Chaos and sparring, I have witnessed an increase in the number co-workers becoming more aware when we go off-topic. Additionally, I’m currently in the process of developing a set of ‘drivers’, similar to Rodney’s CMDP Drivers, to help ensure I and others have a performance-based game in the workplace. I have also greatly benefited from Rodney’s philosophy toward sparring which is in-line with the attitude at my gym. Sparring is not about dominating another human being but conquering yourself and becoming fully present in the moment. This requires an individual to focus on themselves, their personal objectives, and “what is” - not what has happened, will happen, or what your opponent is doing during the sparring session. Sparring in this manner has made me more aware in my personal life and during confrontations or difficult meetings at work. Not surprisingly, this approach also translates to the business world. Too often, activities in the workplace are driven by ego and the desire to “be right” - taking a particular position and defending it at all costs regardless of the impact or outcome. In my opinion, the ability to remain focused, to “roll with the punches” (pardon the pun), and deal with objectives and “what is” versus allowing my actions to be dictated by egocentric positions (mine and that of others’) has made me a more valuable employee. In short, the Alliance has transformed my life on numerous levels – not only mentally and physically but, more importantly, philosophically and spiritually. The Alliance has opened my world to hundreds of like-minded individuals who continue to prove themselves selfless, caring, and supportive. I am truly grateful for everything that I have gained as a result of being a member of the Alliance! Long live the PCWA! Mike Tedeschi- Information Security Officer For A Global Organization The CMD program provides teaching methodologies and training philosophies that provide valuable guidance for management in a performance based organization. One of the greatest benefits of the CMD program was the overlapping of my vocation and my avocation. The principles of the CMD program have benefited my career as well as my martial arts. I’ve applied the principles of coaching which was a great resource to writing an updated version of our City’s coaching manual. The methodology of teaching in an intuitive progression and being performance based, as CMD does, has provided guidance for me to develop strategic plans and performance reporting. The CMD program emphasizes application of techniques, from this I came to the realization that knowledge is not necessarily power, application of knowledge is. As with my martial arts practice, I concentrate on effective application of knowledge to successfully move our City to a better future. Gary Watahira- Administrative Manager for the City Of Fresno's Managers Office From a personal perspective the 9 months I spent at your gym was inspirational and above all, educational! Having followed sports of another nature, such as running and cycling, adapting to functional, mixed martial arts was exciting. Mentally, the programme and principles stretch you to your limits, and the Crazy Monkey Defense instructors seem to have the knack of helping you stretch that further. This combination has made it difficult to take a break for the last 3 months due to illness , yet it is this sort of disciplined , challenging experience which makes it very difficult to stay away from , no matter at what level you are at. I found that I have been able to adapt these physical, challenging “strategies “into the business environment. My company is a medium sized one, where with a small staff of 20, we need to stay on our feet, stay focused and execute efficiently. This is exactly how I see it happen at your gym. Simplistic execution well focused and well prepared business and life principles which can be put to great use. I am certain this “Street Smart “knowledge can be imparted to many different business and in many different industries (just not to my competitors please!). I look forward to continued growth and challenge at your gym. Yours truly David Wright ( Grad Diploma Marketing (IMM), MBA ( Heriot Watt UK ) ) Managing Director Flavourome (Pty) Ltd |