Latest / Calm Under Fire / Janis Thornton
Transcript
- Col. John Boggs: Welcome to Calm Under Fire. I'm Colonel John Boggs, president of Fortitude Consulting. Fortitude Consulting is an executive leadership development and coaching firm. And today we have with us Janice Thornton. And Janice brings together healthcare, performance, and discipline in a unique way. And she's gonna talk a little bit about golf, I'm certain. After more than two decades in cardiac, rehab, and pharmaceutical sales, That is a whole conversation I need to have her back for. Janis Thornton: you Col. John Boggs: But she built a business focused on helping people stay strong, mobile, and performing over the long haul. Her work is about more than fitness. It's about consistency, accountability, and what it takes to lead yourself when the pressure is personal and ongoing. Janice, I can't tell you how happy I am to have you here today. Janis Thornton: Well, John, thank you so much. really appreciate you having me here today. Col. John Boggs: Janet, a lot of leadership starts with how we manage ourselves. How do you think about self-discipline as a form of leadership? Janis Thornton: So I think of self-discipline as really it's about how do you show up. Now when it comes to business, leaders have to show up if they want to have good performance. Now in golf, when you show up for golf, to get ready for golf, it's not just about going and playing golf. People need to work on what nobody sees. You need to do that in your business as well. Work on things that nobody sees. you know, when it comes, like for business, don't get, discipline is doing the work that doesn't get the applause. So, it could be doing the follow-ups, being consistent with those follow-ups, redefining and refining your processes to make them effective. Taking that look to see what's working, what's not. You know, for golf, it's, It's the work that nobody sees. It's doing the strength training. It's doing mobility training, especially as we get older. We need to do a little bit more than most, just because when you're 30 years old, you can probably just show up to the T-box and go hit the ball. And then when it comes to when you're in your 50s and 60s, that doesn't quite happen the same way. So you have to prepare a lot more and prepare your body so instead of just hitting balls. But both require delayed gratification. You don't see results right away when you just start, I could just start with my mobility work or just starting with the strength training or just starting a little more practice. You have to wait for that gratification. And leaders separate themselves by acting before the results actually show up. Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Janis Thornton: So discipline actually builds internal trust to yourself as well, and especially with your golf swing and in your business. And you start believing your own word when you start developing that trust. So, and like for golf, your body will start believing in your swing when you can start improving on strength, mobility, and all of that as well. So, I think it's really a lot about showing up and, yeah, showing up will give you that discipline, that self-discipline. Col. John Boggs: showing up. Now let's talk a little bit about the consistency, the consistent in their habits and what changes are, how people see change, how do they see the change? I just said consistent in their habits. Janis Thornton: Mm-hmm. Col. John Boggs: Is that what you see particularly like golf? And just so I make sure everyone understands your primary, and please correct me if I'm wrong, Your primary means of making sure people stay healthy is through golf. Janis Thornton: It is through golf and through fitness. I do like, I do golf fitness. have an online golf fitness program and yeah, it's people, if they do want to see consistency in their golf game and how their body performs, it's them showing up on a weekly basis. And of course I want people to, you know, show up five days a week at least, you know, or I'll get. If you're a beginner, we start with three to four days a week. Because I can't take someone who has never worked out before and be like, and now you're going to work out five days a week. That's too much too soon. So if I want something to be consistent, I start with small habits first. So that way we can create consistency over time. And then when we start small, people are like, well, this isn't so bad. I can really, I can actually, I can fit this in and then it becomes a habit. Because it's like, as long as we can find easy ways to bring in what we're trying to work toward, it's really not as hard as people think it is to do whatever activity they want to do. when somebody, people, you and I were just talking about this, people say I don't have time to do XYZ Janice. Well, you always make time for what you want, regardless of what it is. If you want it bad enough, you will always make the time. However, I want people to remember this too. If, when you're healthy, it's a lot easier to make time for things. When you're sick, it's a lot harder to make time for things because you're so focused on being sick. So I would much rather be focusing on being healthy than being sick. And that way it's easier to be consistent. consistently good because you're healthier. Col. John Boggs: Okay, so people feel pressure as they age, physically, Janis Thornton: Mm-hmm. Col. John Boggs: mentally. How does that pressure shape how they lead themselves and others? Janis Thornton: Well, was gonna say, like you said, people, pressure will reveal how you're gonna respond to different things for sure. And it's not just what you say, it's how you act, I think, out of there. Pressure shows up in competition, because we always wanna stay relevant with what we're doing. In golf, pressure shows up physically when we're playing golf, because when you're in a tournament, I can give you a perfect example. had happened yesterday. I was playing in a match play. We had a Lady Solheim Cup and it was on 18. I was playing against my friend, Brigida, and she was up one. So I had to win the hole on 18 so we could walk away with a tie. And I hit a beautiful drive. I was 135 to clear a bunker. to get to the pin, I actually knocked my ball probably 15 feet from the hole. Brigitte was on in three. All I had to do was to putt, to tie. Brigitte is in for a five. So I fell in love with my line and I forgot to hit the damn ball. So I left myself a four footer and I was still putting for par to win. But I missed. So that pressure comes in all shapes and forms. And in golf, it's just like, ugh, such a bummer. So I didn't win yesterday. I didn't make it to the tie, which I was so sad. But at Col. John Boggs: Hahaha Janis Thornton: the same time, like, but it shapes you. You still walk away learning from what just happened to you on the course. Did I, was I bummed? Absolutely, because I hate losing. At the same time, it made me go, no, you just needed to be more mentally tough. I needed to pay better attention on that first putt. So that way I didn't leave myself a four footer. I should have been giving myself a one footer. She would have said, that's good. Or she probably would have made me putt it, but that's okay. But it would have been one foot, not four type of thing. Col. John Boggs: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Janis Thornton: We just have to realize that know, pressure, when we're under pressure with ourselves, we want to adapt to that pressure. How well can we adapt to it? How well can we just adjust, I feel like, with it? But always learn from these pressure situations as well. Col. John Boggs: You know, this is motivation and discipline. Leaders can't rely on motivation. It sounds like Janis Thornton: Yeah. Col. John Boggs: they've got to rely more on discipline. So Janis Thornton: Yeah. Col. John Boggs: what does that look like in your world? I mean, you gave a great story there, this being disciplined. Is that the difference between those that are successful and those that aren't? Janis Thornton: So to me, discipline and motivation are two different things, I think. discipline is like doing daily activities to reach a goal. Like you sit down and every day you do these activities, whatever that goal is, whether it's in your business, whether it's for your golf game, whatever that goal is, and you just get there to where you wanna achieve it. Discipline creates structure. and then structure creates the progress. But then when it comes to motivation, motivation, we all have it, but what also goes up and down, we all have this up and down motivation. I can take, you when it comes to happy new year, everyone wants to lose 50 pounds January 1st, but guess what? After a couple of weeks, you're like, I have to do all these things to lose 50 pounds, I'm just gonna go back to what I did. So it's like your motivation. You need that discipline and to be able to go, okay, these small habits every single day are going to lead up to that motivation that you're going to need. I don't know, I think for me, motivation, like I said, comes and goes, it can come and go. But the more, when you do the daily activities on a daily basis, that motivation increases over time. It's just when you're inconsistent, I think that the motivation decreases. But we should also give ourselves some grace on a day that we're not as motivated. It's okay, do like one little thing then instead of the four things that you have set up for the day. Do something, I think. At least do something. Col. John Boggs: Do something, do something. So how do you help people stay committed like that? Janis Thornton: I will for like my people, I am in contact with them. They get text messages from me to stay motivated. I love to do zoom calls with them and coaching calls. So that way my clients can stay motivated that way. And then I always encourage them to if they have any kind of questions like please ask, that is why I'm here or though, you know, I always want them, if they're in that slump, because all of them get into some kind of slump, because I am online, I'm not in person. So takes a very special person to work with me that they have more motivation than most, because it's easy for them to go, I'm just gonna skip my workout for the day. Except for the problem that they forget is I can tell when they work out every time. So it's like, if I see that you haven't checked into the apps, I know if you've worked out or not. So I'd be like, hello, where are you? Let's talk. And then it's when they want to ghost me though and be, I don't want to talk to Janice. So now I haven't worked out for two weeks or now I haven't worked out for three weeks. That's the most important time that I need people to talk to me because I'm not here to judge. I am here to help. And I hope most leaders do that. If someone starts to lose that motivation that you're not there to judge them. Like maybe something's been going on in their life that they really had some family issues or whatever, that Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Janis Thornton: they just needed some away time from everything. Be nice about it to them. Be like, okay, how can we get you back on track? Find out how can we get you back on track is the most important thing. And just so, and again, I love to focus on daily small things just to get them like. Give me a couple of things that we can do this week, that you can do this week, that you're going to commit to, and let's get her done. know, send me text messages every time that happens. You know, just giving them a little more accountability so that way I can help them stay committed. Col. John Boggs: That's wonderful. But what happens when leaders, when they lose that accountability in their own lives? What happens? Janis Thornton: I feel like everyone kind of just drifts away when we don't keep people accountable with what they're doing. then I've, you people aren't going to reach their goals that they, whatever those goals are in business, or if it's for your golf game, how happy are you going to be if you're not, it's too easy to say, I quit. Or I just, I don't care, which deep down they really do care. And I think people actually Most people like to be held accountable. I feel like they want to, they want to reach their goals and just try to help them stay aligned with their priorities. And you know, want to help people just be able to be structured around everything that they do. And I feel like people also just, they're gonna feel better about themselves. And I'm all about making people feel good about themselves, be stronger. and stay accountable for what we're doing. Col. John Boggs: Most people want to be held accountable. Janis Thornton: I feel like they do, I like to be held accountable and I like when people call me out on stuff. It's like Janice, especially I want people to trust me and Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Janis Thornton: I feel like if you aren't holding yourself accountable for things that you say you're going to do, people aren't gonna end up trusting you then and that's not good. Well, I don't think that's good. Col. John Boggs: Wow. No, that's not good, lose the trust of everyone because you don't hold yourself accountable. Janis Thornton: Mm-hmm. Col. John Boggs: Wow. And I can think of people that I've worked with, organizations that I've worked with, where senior leaders. where senior leaders talk about accountability and holding each other accountable, but they don't hold themselves accountable. And I imagine you see that on the golf course, you see it play out where people aren't having that great game. They're not performing where they need to perform because they haven't held themselves accountable. And it happens the same in business. People don't hold themselves accountable, but yet they want everyone else to be accountable. That seems very odd to me. Janis Thornton: Well, it's hypocritical. golf is, so here's one great thing about people who play golf. You can Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Janis Thornton: really tell. who the person is when they're a golfer and how they are on a golf course. So Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Janis Thornton: they could be this big business man or business woman in their business, but are they that person then who, like if they don't take the penalty stroke or they, I'm just gonna kick my ball out here and hit it, just don't tell anybody. Or, you know, And sometimes that's okay if you know that you're not playing for money, but when you're playing for money, I don't care if it's $1 or if it's $100. If someone's gonna, because that's cheating, then it's like if I'm playing for a buck, you are following the rules. I'm not gonna give you, don't take that stroke penalty, no, absolutely, you're taking that stroke penalty if you have to move your ball. Col. John Boggs: Thank Janis Thornton: whatever they want to do. I'm like, I don't care. That's where golf is great because you can see does someone throw their clubs? Are they cussing up a storm because they hit a bad shot? And I can tell you, like for example, there's people at our club that my husband and I belong to. My husband's like, I don't like playing with so-and-so because the question will be how many times did he throw his club today? Col. John Boggs: Ooh. Janis Thornton: Like it could be over even a decent shot and he'll throw his clubs. And it's just like, he's no fun to play with because Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Janis Thornton: he just overreacts to everything. Well, is that how he is in business too? Or does he hide that in business? You you get people's true colors when they play golf, whether they're really a great golfer or a really bad Col. John Boggs: Wow. Janis Thornton: Yeah, it's interesting. Col. John Boggs: I could imagine, I could imagine. Well, how does being physically fit play into that? Do you find that people who are, they've improved physically, their game gets better, they get better as a person, they get better as a leader? Have you noticed that? Janis Thornton: absolutely. Because I will say I can take someone who I think when you get a bit more of a beginner golfer or just someone who's been playing for a long time, but there's the higher handicap and they've never really exercised before, they just go play golf. That's great. I'm grateful that they're doing the movement. However, like I can watch some of these older adults in their like 50s, 60s and 70s who haven't worked out much and I can watch their swing and they're just not very strong. And they can't get their body into certain golf positions. And I know when we can help that, when we can improve the way their body, like the way their spine rotates or the way their hips, they have more movement in their hips, their swing is automatically gonna improve. When I can improve someone's strength, when they do a takeaway, they're gonna have more control over that club. When I give them better balance because they're stronger, now I can improve their golf swing and they're gonna be able to hit the ball better down the middle. They're gonna be able to last 18 holes better. Or if they're like, I can now walk 18 holes, which I highly recommend for people to do when you can because you actually play better golf. However, if you're not a strong golfer, you're not gonna be able to walk 18 holes. It's a lot. Col. John Boggs: interesting. Janis Thornton: Well, because if... A golf course, when you walk most golf courses, Col. John Boggs: huh. Janis Thornton: they're at least five miles. You end up walking five to seven miles. Some of the, I'll say like when we go play Pinehurst, you might go, you might walk seven to nine miles. I know Aaron Hills is a nine mile walk. By the time you are said and done, and it's a very hilly course up in Wisconsin, and people just don't realize I was one of those people before I played golf. I had no idea. I thought golf is not a sport. Are you kidding me? Until I started to play it. And I'm like, my gosh. I would push my cart with my clubs and walk the 18 holes and I would be pooped by the time I was done. I'm like, are you kidding me? Okay, I gotta stop saying this isn't a sport, because it is. By the time you swing all day long for four hours Col. John Boggs: huh. Janis Thornton: anyway, and then walk the hills and stuff, it's like, So, yeah. Col. John Boggs: what role does confidence play in leadership and being a good golfer and you know how do they earn that confidence or how do they build their confidence? Janis Thornton: I think you just gotta trust your processes for business-wise and that you've shown up consistently. Because I feel like when you do that, then you're gonna be getting the results that you're looking for. In golf, it's going to be trusting your swing. that way you can like over time with more practice, more play, you're going to be developing a very similar swing, a good swing and getting good results. So that way you're going to have lots of confidence in your game. And it's just trusting. especially in golf, trusting your swing. But I think in business too, it's just trusting. Are you getting good results? What are you doing to get those results? And trusting the outcome with that. Col. John Boggs: Have you seen people? Have you seen the golfers, the people you're working with who fight you on pretty much every step of the way? I mean, you're trying to teach Janis Thornton: Yeah. Col. John Boggs: them left and they want to go right. I mean, have you seen that? Janis Thornton: you can because I think it's funny when someone is like that, because I'm like, if you think you know what you're doing, then why did you hire me to help you? And that's a question that I get really blunt with people on that because it's like, I have been doing this for a long time and helping people get better. Like, why are you? I don't mind people questioning me and asking me why. That is fine. However, for them to be like, nope, that's not gonna work, never, it won't work for me. Well, how about we try it? So I push back and ask tough questions to them like, this doesn't make sense. You've been doing X, Y, Z, doesn't work. Now let's try A, B, C instead. Let's see if that works. Col. John Boggs: my. When someone is frustrated or stuck, Janis Thornton: Mm-hmm. Col. John Boggs: how do you help them move forward? How do you help them to get out of that funk that they get into? How do you do that? Janis Thornton: Well, we got to find out what's causing this frustration and then what's causing them to be stuck. And I think break down that stuckness and then into pieces to see like, what can we do in a smaller version to get them past that point of where they're stuck. However, if you don't find out like what's caused, like the root cause, what's the root cause of causing them to be stuck, then they're still gonna maintain there. And I feel like you have to create those small little solutions each and every day that you can do to get them passed. So that way we can unstick them, because we don't want anyone to be stuck. Col. John Boggs: What do people learn about themselves when they push through something difficult? When you see the light bulbs going off, I mean, that's got to feel good for you, but what do you think that does for them? Janis Thornton: Oh, I know what makes them feel great. They're like, Janice, I never thought I could do X, Y, Z. And then all of a sudden I'm like, I saw that you could do it a long time ago. It just took you a little bit to get there. But that's what's fun. And I'll find that a lot with actually women golfers who are a higher handicap. and they'll come play golf with me and they'll be so nervous because I play from I don't play from the forward. I play yardage appropriate tees. I'll say it that way, which typically is not the forward tees. So they will be like, you hit the ball so far. And then I'll watch them and they're consistently down the middle. But and they can get on the green and three instead of maybe two. But then their short game is so great because they're making up for their lack of distance and then they do really well. But I'm like, if you start playing golf with me, you're going to become a better golfer. I said, I promise you to come play golf with me. I don't care what tee box you play. You're going to play, be a better golfer because you're going to focus more. You're going to try harder and you're going to end up with your best score ever. And then when they do, it's fun to watch them all of a sudden be like, my God, Janice, I'm playing so much better. And I go, it's because you're not giggling when you're putting or you watch us on how we do a pre shot routine before we putt. We actually read our try to read the greens and try to make a good putt where when you play with ladies or men who are higher handicaps, they just get up there and swap the ball around. I'm like, of course they got a three putt because they didn't even look to do anything. And It's just like, come on, you guys, you're better than this. Col. John Boggs: What does leading yourself well actually look like when things get hard? Janis Thornton: I think with this you need to take a step back Col. John Boggs: Mm-hmm. Janis Thornton: and like if things aren't working, let's find out why. Let's find out what's working, what's not working. And being able to go, okay, let's see what changes we need to make, what changes we want to keep or what we want to keep and what we want to change. I think in business you just really need to be able to refine everything that you're doing and be willing to hold yourself accountable and see what's working and what doesn't. Like in golf, same in golf, like what's working, what's not and see what you can fix. And there's certain things you can fix, some things you can't, but that's okay. But, know, oh, the other thing, Hire a mentor, maybe it's time to bring in somebody who can take a look at you that's like hiring a coach, hiring a golf coach, hiring a golf fitness coach, hiring that mentor, that business coach. Because it's amazing when someone else comes in with a different set of eyes besides yours to be like, have you thought of XYZ? What about this in your business? What about that in your business? Just to get that different perspective. with your business or with golf. Col. John Boggs: Okay, great. Janice, for people who are listening and they wanna connect with you, they wanna get better, they wanna get better at their game. They want to, and quite frankly, I do believe that golf has got a lot to do with leadership. mean, and I think you nailed it when you talked about, you can play with a person and pretty much read. what's going on in their life, what's going on in their business because of how they handle themselves on the golf course. I firmly believe that. So how do people reach out to you? Can you tell us a little bit more about what you do and how can people reach out to you if they wanna get some lessons or learn something about leadership from you? Janis Thornton: So I, and thank you for giving me this opportunity. So I have an online golf fitness program. And so I work on your golf game through fitness, through mobility training and strength training. And everything is done online, so that way I take out the excuse of, I can't make your one o'clock appointment today because my kids have to go to the dentist or they're sick or I now have a meeting that I have to go to. I take out that excuse because that's a biggie and people don't like to show up. so I love, so I have different ways that you can work with me, whether it's one-on-one, I have this awesome Fit for the Fairway community that I've just opened up that people can join and I have coaching calls in there, I mobility classes and strength training classes in there, it's awesome. You can go to jtfitnessandgolf.com to check out my website. You can also contact me there through my website. If you want to send me an email, you can do it through there. And then I also have a four golf fitness screening that you can take. It's free. And that way you can see what your golf swing is doing right now. And then, yeah, people can just reach out really through my website. This could be the best. Col. John Boggs: And that website is jtfitnessandgolf.com. Okay. All right. Janice, thank you so much. I greatly appreciate Janis Thornton: You're so welcome. Col. John Boggs: this. And what I'd love to do, and I'm going to put it out there right now, I'd love to get you back and let's have a little bit of a slightly different conversation. This is all about leadership, and this is going to stay about leadership, But there are some things that we didn't talk about that I'd love to talk about. And that's some of the things that's in Janice's history where she did a lot about pharmaceuticals. She's well versed in that. And I'd like to get her back on to talk about that. I mean, it will be eye opening. It will be eye opening. I can tell you personally, it would be. So maybe I can get you back for that. Janis Thornton: Absolutely, I would love to come back on. Col. John Boggs: Perfect. Janice, thank you so much. I greatly appreciate it. And for everyone in leadership positions out there, those who want to be in leadership positions out there, stay steady. Remember, leadership is too important to get wrong. And Janice said it very well. She said, get yourself a coach. That's always a great thing. Other than that, everybody, stay well. We'll see you on the next show. That's it on this end out here.