At Range of Motion, we hold ourselves, and our clients to the highest of standards.

So much so, that we’ve formalised this in one of the six Core Values that lie at the heart of everything we do:

“Be accountable and responsible for building habits of excellence in ourselves and others”.

So why do we do this? Why do we expect, even ‘demand’ so much of the people who have placed their trust in us? (read more at ‘Why we focus on one-on-one Personal Coaching at Range of Motion‘).

Because we have a very important core belief, and it’s summarised in a statement you’ll hear from us a lot.

“We hold you to the highest standards and expectations, because we know that you can reach them.”

This statement is worth re-reading. Because (and this is supported in research into human performance) these words are supremely powerful in helping people get the most out of themselves.

And that’s our job.

To help people get the most out of themselves.

And we know that holding them to the highest standard is the best way to do that.

This statement shows that we (even if they don’t) have an unwavering belief in their abilities and potential. If we show a belief in them, we know it won’t be long until some of that belief rubs off and becomes self belief.

There’s another result of these high expectations.

When we tell you you’ve done a good job, you know we mean it. You know we’re REALLY mean it. Far from being empty praise or a hollow compliment, every shake of a hand, nod of a head or word of praise carries REAL weight.

When you reach a milestone of achieve something new, you know it’s legitimate. And that makes it mean so much more,

Aside from the huge benefits of these standards, there are some real dangers in NOT upholding them. Of course, there are short-term physical dangers, like injury (read: ‘Why we prioritise movement quality at Range of Motion‘), but there are some more insidious long term dangers to.

People tend to rise (or fall) to the expectations placed on them.

This is called the Pygmalion effect, where the expectations placed on you can affect your performance. If we believe you’re capable of a lot (and treat you as if you’re capable of a lot) you will ACHIEVE a lot. However if we pigeon hole you and have a pre-conceived idea of what you’re able to do, the chances are, you may never leave that pigeon hole, and you’ll never reach the heights of your potential.

We believe this is also important for equality. Although we do of course make allowances for age or experience or any other factor, we don’t let these become an excuse as to why something can not be achieved.

We’re also big believers in the power of the ‘broken window theory’. Basically, the concept is that a neighbourhood with broken windows (a visible sign of crime), fosters more crime. By simply fixing all the broken windows in ‘high crime’ neighbourhoods, you’re creating an environment (and a culture) of lawfulness.

So how does this translate to the high standards we hold each other to?

We believe that ‘how you do one thing is how you do everything’. If we can hold each other to high standards in one area, it will transfer to other areas.

And if those standards start to slip in one area, it won’t be long until that dropping of standards spreads across the board.

Virtuosity breeds virtuosity.

Now of course, sometimes it’s emotionally difficult for us to uphold this high standard. It’s human nature to want to be liked, and sometimes we might think that constantly demanding these high standards will push people away. But in our experience with helping hundreds of people, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The standards we set help us build more than friendship – they help us build respect. And friends you respect, who in turn respect you, and the best kind of friends to have.

We hold each other to the highest possible standards, because we know that is the best way to help each other be the best versions of ourselves we can possibly be.