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Burn with Kearns: Self-confidence, a gift for your employees – Kevin Kearns
by Kevin Kearns, contributing writer on exercise and fitness
A new twist on employee retention, recruitment and increasing morale
In today’s challenging world with high stress environments, especially in the sales world, it can be very difficult to retain and recruit employees. Also, in keeping a high level of morale in your workforce. This is more evident with people parts that in individual sales. Or being on the road all the time and away from the main business.
Examples of this are real estate agents, door to door salesman, insurance agents, home inspectors, and even home security installers. Any job that requires you to visit homes, or be on the road on a regular basis can be very challenging for your personal safety.
So, what is an owner of a big business, medium sized business, or a small business with 10 to 20 employees, to do to keep his employees happy, content, motivated, and confident while they do their jobs daily?
Here is my different twist on employee retention and recruitment. Let’s take real estate agents, for example, that have a high risk job that people don’t often consider. They’re in a home with a potential buyer who they don’t really know. These homes can be deep in the suburbs in the wooden areas with not many people around. There was a case not long ago of a man who was caught with a stun gun with the intent to rape and kill a realtor.
‘Consider the case of a real estate broker working an open house earlier this year in Tinley Park, Illinois. She was alone in the house with “prospect” Stanley Keller, 50, an ex-con. Keller asked the female broker to show him the upstairs bedrooms, basement, and garage. As she was leading the tour, she told police her body began vibrating and that she was having trouble speaking. When she turned to face Keller, she saw he was pointing a stun gun at her. After a struggle, the broker was able to escape and summon help. The police arrived and found Keller sitting in his car with the stun gun and a contraceptive he apparently planned to use on the broker. He was arrested on charges of attempted, aggravated criminal, sexual assault. (NRA 2023)
These cases are ever increasing, unfortunately. So here is my different twist on employee retention and recruitment.
Take Emilio DiSpirito from Engel and Volkers in East Greenwich, RI. He decided, with me, to give his employees and potential brokers a complimentary event on personal self-defense. This was a very interactive class that I taught called “Be Your Own Bodyguard”. This was a combination of my over 40 years in martial arts as well as working with law enforcement and military organizations. This was not only a fun workshop for his team, it also added value for their personal safety. They enjoyed it so much we are doing it on a regular basis, every six weeks.
Also, many of them decided to form small groups and have me train them regularly in self-defense and kickboxing. The feedback that Emilio and I received was off the chart positive! Although it is important to have ongoing training and sales techniques, and the like, to have confidence for one’s personal safety is, without question, priceless. When you think about how much energy goes into your job or career, why not spend the time, energy, and money to feel more secure and confident?
What this also did was bring other potential brokers into his organization and show them how Emilio is giving back to his team. Not just giving them sales training, but giving them personal safety training and confidence while they are doing their jobs daily. The boost of morale was remarkable.
In other companies such as UPS, Pegasystems, and Granite Telecommunications I have taught regular, functional fitness, and something we call ‘White Collar Fight Club’ for their employees. Take the example of UPS. I regularly went in to meet with the truck drivers to give them tools and tips to keep them healthy on the job. They’re at high risk for injury, for they are our industrial athletes.
Take the example of Pegasystems. My job was not only to help the people on location at the company, but those that travel, and give them tools and tips to stay healthy while maintaining travel demands. We did that by doing zoom calls, and giving them equipment that was usable on the road.
One last example is Granite Telecommunications. They had their own gym of 20,000 square feet, on location. I came in to fill in for their boot camp instructor who was sick. That lead to a two year contract with their employees where I taught six classes per week with our MMA fighter fit, and our white collar fight club. In the latter class they learned how to hit and hold focus mints for each other. Not only were they learning self-defense, burning up to 1000 calories per class, but they were also increasing morale and camaraderie. The other value in benefit was the average weight loss over three months was 12 to 15 lbs! At the end of the day that lowers overall cost for the company and healthcare costs as well as keeping people motivated mentally and physically on the job.
So, at the end of the day when you consider going into 2024 and holiday bonuses this year, why not consider my different twist on giving back to your people, and bringing in new potential stars to your company?
Both of Coach Kearns’ books may be purchased on www.Amazon.com. For more information about Coach Kevin Kearns, including scheduling speaking engagements and classes (both online and in person), please contact him at 508-404-8503 or [email protected].Author of “There’s Light In The Tunnel” How to Survive and Thrive with Depression – “Always Picked Last“ A guide to navigating bullies on Amazon and Audible youtube.com/user/burnwithkearns https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/burnwithkearns
Coach Kevin Kearns has been coaching in the world of fitness, nutrition, and tactical self defense for over 3 decades. As the former conditioning coach to 15 UFC Pro Fighters, and ranked in the Top 5 in the UFC , he is no stranger to the the importance of proper nutrition and proper mindset programming. He has long advocated to all his clients – athletes or the general population – about the importance of programming mind, body and spirit. Coach Kevin Kearns BS FMS CPT – Former conditioning coach to 15 UFC Pros Ranked in Top 5 by the UFC Personal Fitness Coach, Author, Columnist, Motivational Speaker, Corporate Wellness Consultant, Youth Wellness Program Provider, Certification Specialist, Personal Self Defense, and Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics Specialist.