Teach With Honor
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College
of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN
The purpose of this article is to
state that exercise physiologists can turn the corner on professionalism in exercise
physiology "if they will do the right thing." However shocking or otherwise considered, the
writer of this piece has not lost his marbles.
The most badly needed thinking about exercise physiology is "we have
the right to our own professional organization." This thinking is nothing more than what is
expected of a reasonably intelligent person after studying the development of
other professions.
One doesn't discover new lands
without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.
– ANDRE
GIDE
The
ASEP Thinking
|
Worse than being dumb is to
know and not understand.
|
Naturally, my views are consistent
with the thinking of the ASEP leaders.
They, too, understand how exercise physiology differs from exercise
science, and why a professional strategy is critical to achieving the status of
a healthcare profession. Unfortunately, there
are at least two major and often diverse ways of thinking about exercise
physiology. There is the sports medicine
tradition and, secondly, there is the ASEP thinking. In regards to tradition, however seemingly
coherent it may have been at the time, to create accreditation of exercise
science actually makes very little sense.
And yet, the bad news is that many academic exercise physiologists continued
to embrace the traditional view. At a
casual glance, they may think of themselves as exercise physiologists. However, it is obvious they have failed to
evolve as exercise physiologists.
The same insult to the professionals
in exercise physiology can be said of those who present themselves as exercise
physiologists when they aren't [1].
Isn't it time that non-exercise physiologists call themselves by their
actual academic degree title? Recently,
a student said, "While I had not thought about it consciously, it always
seemed wrong to graduate with a kinesiology degree and call myself an exercise
physiologist. I have only begun to see
why."
Simply stated, it is bad for
exercise physiology and bad for those who actually are exercise physiologists
to allow non-exercise physiologists to call themselves, Exercise Physiologists. Ironically, sports medicine (i.e., the American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM) is
still associated with exercise physiology.
It is with this semantic clarification that I argue for the separation
of sports medicine and exercise physiology.
Doing so would enhance the long-term profitability of both
organizations. After all, true
leadership comes from knowing yourself.
Actually, I have come to believe that exercise physiologists, in
particular, and sports medicine, in general, are short on leadership. We need leadership today more than ever. Yet few of us have taken much time to
consider this point of view.
What
I Believe
First, I believe that the present
situation poses a key question for academic exercise physiologists who now
endorse sports medicine but who are thinking about ASEP. Should they stay with the sports medicine
tradition knowing that it isn't the professional organization of exercise
physiologists? Should they become an
active member of ASEP? Perhaps, more
specifically, should they link the ASEP professional infrastructure to the
long-term goals and objectives of exercise physiology? Or should they just junk the idea altogether
and stay with sports medicine?
It is my strong belief that
exercise physiologists must acknowledge and serve their profession first. Second, I am convinced that this is so plain
and so obvious to those who understand professionalism and those who have
studied the organizational culture that embodies professional organizations
that others wonder why we are so slow to get it. Third, I am convinced that if exercise
physiologists don't come together to embrace "exercise as medicine,"
then other professions will surely do so.
Considered in this manner, leadership is critical to the future of
exercise physiology.
Control
your destiny...or somebody else will.
-- JACK
WELCH
|
The trouble is, if you don't
risk anything, you risk even more.
– ERICA
JONG
|
Fortunately, it is becoming fundamentally
clear that one trend among young people is clarity in how they view exercise
physiology. Their inherent nature is not
to embrace history, since they don't have one.
I find this both interesting and almost unbelievable, given that I have
taught at the college level nearly 40 years.
The clarity has resulted in several effects. Increasingly, instead of automatically
accepting the sports medicine perspective, young people are questioning the
intrusion of non-exercise physiologists.
Aligning
with ASEP
However difficult the task may
be, particularly given the competing interests, young people are increasingly
aligning themselves with the beliefs of the ASEP leaders. My own judgment is that it is just a matter
of time before the baggage of yesterday is thrown out. To me, ASEP is about exercise
physiology. It is about being the leader
in exercise prescription. Yes, it is all
about striving for professionalism, while understanding it will take time to
change, to think differently, and to have the confidence to stay the
course. This thinking, the ASEP leaders
believe, is contagious. It reduces fear
and increases hope.
I believe the convergence of
these feelings is becoming the social and intellectual norm. Yes, of course it is slow as one might expect. It would be funny for ASEP, which was founded
in 1997, to be on the same level as organizations founded in 1950s. But unfortunately, this is exactly what some
people think. Well, here is the deal –
they are much less clever than they think.
One must wonder just what their earnings actually may be. Without the indispensable ability to think
right, it is really hard to image people managing their affairs without
problems. True leaders have problems,
but they are responsible. They help
others get what they want. They
understand their thinking could be wrong from time to time. That is life.
But, they are willing to pay attention to what others say, and they are
ultimately in control of their feelings and thinking. The latter is especially important.
The
Root of the Problem
Until exercise physiologists
address the root of their problems – fear, pressures, and desires that distract
them from taking charge of their own profession – they will continue shooting
themselves in the foot wondering why poor choices and failed thinking persists
long after the benefits have disappeared from the equation. This harsh judgment is almost surely
correct. Think about it. If exercise physiologists are going to get
out of their historical mess, they must stop digressing into the same old way
of thinking. It is time for the 21st
century exercise physiologists to prevail. It is time that all of us – exercise
physiologists wherever you are – to start addressing the real problem of
professionalism, credibility, and financial stability, and stop letting others
and their impulses guide our decisions.
Put another way, it would be
unbelievable to wake up tomorrow and say, in light of the work the ASEP
leadership has done in just 10 years, the organization is taking off. But this isn't the case, is it? In some sense, it isn't "keeping up with
the Joneses" at all. The sports
"medicine" people represent a heavy dose of inertia and
groupthink. Their commitment and power
are significant. No one is immune from
the pressures to embrace certain organizations.
Even ASEP Presidents have been taken in by promises, especially when
motivated to become part of ACSM. Clever
they are and, frankly, all such organizations with a huge business mentality
are driven by the bottom line.
Tempted by "what if" thinking,
sports medicine people want the market.
If it isn't the exercise specialist, then it is the health and fitness
instructor, but of course it could be the RCEP or even the personal trainer! Most of us get this "dog-eat-dog"
mentality. Why not start now with a new
way of thinking about exercise physiology?
There is a profession of exercise physiology. Everyone plays a role in it. Some exercise physiologists look at the ASEP
organization. Some join it, and some
lead it. Which one are you?
Key
to Professionalism
The key to professionalism is not
about prostituting one's beliefs. It is
based on a sound absence of unethical behavior; one that is supported by proven
principles and standards of professional conduct. If only exercise physiologists were required
to study the subject of professionalism, then, they would understand this
article. They would understand why
vision important. They would know that
it's not the size of the organization per se but the people within it that
counts. They understand mistakes, and
they are willing to make them if it is part of the change process.
It is more
important to do the right thing than to do the thing right.
-- PETER
F. DRUCKER
|
We become what we think, what
we talk about, and what we do. If we
think our work is for the right reason, if we think that our actions will
bring forth positive results, and if we start living as professionals, we
will become our vision
|
Very few people live to
understand passion and vision. That's why
those who do come across as strange or different. Personally, I believe "being
different" is the only way to find a level of commitment far beyond
others. It helps turn impossible
thinking into a new reality that is necessary to counteract the old thinking. And it would be a great relief to say
exercise physiologists get this point; that they are motivated to change, that
they understand the ASEP direction, and they are ready to take the big step. The reality is that they don't get it at
all. They don't understand risk-taking,
action, and persistence. Staying on
target means nothing to them.
Overcoming
Fear
Fortunately, this is where ASEP
comes into the picture. It is the right
medicine to cure the lack of credibility and all other negative associations. It is the
way to overcome the fear of thinking differently. ASEP is the step in the right direction to
let go, to risk failure, and yet to grow as a professional. Professions quickly come to understand that
compliance with professionalism is a critical concept. History shows that the failure to take
professional development seriously is an agreed upon failed path.
Risking
failure is the first step to being successful.
It is no wonder that exercise
physiology is in a state of conflict. Exercise
physiologists aren't by design risk takers.
If they were, ACSM would now be in their past. There is nothing novel about this view. The key question – the one that dominates
this article – is how best to raise the same level of awareness and expectation
about what is exercise physiology and who is an exercise physiologist. Much like having a vision for direction and
peace of mind, conviction is everything.
Exercise physiologists must learn this simple lesson.
Learning
to be Responsible
Physical therapists and other professionals
know the "what" and the "who" – exercise physiologists do
not! This is the challenge of the ASEP
exercise physiologists. But, getting the
message across to others isn't easy. It
takes decades of hard and unrelenting work. It takes an attitude that it is okay to adopt
a higher way of thinking, such as:
"This is our business. We
must learn to be responsible; it is everything.
Without it, we go nowhere and lead no one from sports medicine. Here again, though, responsibility requires
communicating with each other.
It's true that failure to think
as physical therapists do, our lack of inner "self-talk" give them
the advantage. How many times a week do
you consider this point? Not often,
right? That is part of the problem. While I'm not interested in describing it in
detail here, let's take a little look at the context of our reality. For example, have you thought about why there
is so much indifference and ambivalence towards change in exercise physiology? Actually, it is tough to do so. Thinking is everything. If you can do it, you're got it made.
What's
Their Problem?
It seems part of the answer is
that too many exercise physiologists are simply comfortable in their present
conditions. Here, I'm speaking mostly
about college teachers. To put it
mildly, this tendency to turn a blind eye to what it means to develop as a
profession because life is good for the professors is a little sick. In fact, one graduate student said,
"What's their problem? Don't they understand
we have no future if they don't support ASEP?
Perhaps, it is equally correct to say, "They don't have the
backbone to change?"
|
We must become the change we
want to see.
– MAHATMA
GANDHI
|
The short version of the problem
is that most do get it. Yet, they are
afraid to change. They are nervous and
fearful of the change process. Too much
pressure and too little emotional preparedness leave them helplessly attached
to sports medicine. Hence, more often
than not, they focus their work on activities of concern to their tenure and
promotion, which leaves little time to thinking about professionalism. One student said, "Just imagine what
exercise physiology could be if they would only deal with their issues and get
with the program." I agree.
With the college teachers' roots
outside the ASEP organization, their interest is naturally on themselves, and
not on what they should be doing to advance the good of the profession. If only they would not worry about what their
tenured colleagues think. If only they
would stop thinking of themselves, and think more about their students. If only they would try listening more to the
ASEP leadership. Then, they and all
other exercise physiologists would reach their destination, and everyone would
be successful. Why not choose exercise
physiology and not sports medicine? Why
not take action on behalf of ASEP?
Success
is a Personal Thing
It means reaching one's goals and
realizing one's dreams. I believe it
comes when we stop depending on others to define what we do and who we
are. The same can be said of life in
general. Why not make a commitment to
ASEP? Why not stop supporting something
other than exercise physiology? Now is
the time to understand the past is what it was, and as such it is still less
than what it must be. By taking
responsibility for the professionalism of exercise physiology, we create more
results than ever believed possible. The future, our future, is literally
defined by our choices, especially those we make now. There is nothing novel about this
thinking.
|
Exercise physiologists are
growing more aware that new thinking is in the air. In the words of John Dargan, MA, EPC:
"The ASEP leadership give us an opportunity to transform
exercise physiology into a true healthcare profession."
|
Though we are in only its first
decade, the 21st century is already shaping up as "the time to
change." The major struggle during
the 20th century has always been the struggle to exist, and exercise
physiologists did so rather well in face of the failed rhetoric of sports
medicine. This notion of continuing with
the same is like considering a two sided coin.
One side is about yesterday's way of thinking and the other is about new
thoughts and feelings. To make real
progress, you have to decide which side of the coin is all about possibilities
versus the same old path of poor jobs and lack of respect or success.
Proving to others through our
research that we exist is less important now than it was in the early years of
exercise physiology. Professionalism and
professional development is much more important now today. But, unfortunately, unlike in the past,
organizations are mainly about making money.
In fact, most decisions are driven by politics, if not greed. Seldom are emotions or logic the core driving
factors in making decisions. This is why
most members of organizations are engaged in a bitter struggle to be #1, especially
in reference to their membership as well.
Seldom, in fact, is it clear to the membership that willing to "win
at costs" is the perfect step in the wrong direction.
There is no winner or happiness
when people embrace at the gut level the notion that everything is fair when in
competition. I think it is better to
avoid competition when such thinking prevails, especially the decisions that
are unjustified if not unethical. This
kind of thinking is important if we are to understand the dangerous qualities
of fulfilling one's desires at the expense of others. Unfortunately, cheating works for many. But nothing is life works well when cheating
is acceptable.
It's
Time to Try Something Different
Thanks to the ASEP leadership,
the means to thinking right about the profession of exercise physiology actually
exist for members. They can (and should)
share their excitement about building their profession. Understandably, this is a huge shift in
thinking. Moreover, it is actually
extraordinary thinking, since it allows for the fulfillment of the dreams of so
many who sacrifice for a college education.
Maybe you know of someone who in college, who has the vision and passion
to be an exercise physiologist.
The ASEP organization is helping
young 21st century exercise physiologists to find their place in the healthcare
field. It is making communication of
what they are and who they are easier to others. However, that is the point, isn't it? We must communicate to others that the 20th
century sports medicine rhetoric is old and unsustainable. Remember, what Kenny Rogers sang in "The
Gambler" – "Know when to hold 'em.
Know when to fold 'em." It
is time ACSM get out of the business of exercise physiology! Fold 'em ACSM. Try something different!
There is nothing inherently
overwhelmingly wrong about these points if exercise physiologists are to confront
their problems as other professionals have done and continue to do today. Often we forget the power in thinking
right. This is but one of many things we
must learn. Think professional. Maybe this is the problem...you don't know
how. Then, why not join ASEP and find
out how to serve the profession? Sure,
we have been "off course" for decades, but we can correct our
course. We can adapt and change to a new
way of thinking.
Here
is an Idea
|
Persistence is powerful. It's a lesson we must learn. So, don't let anything or anyone discourage you or
stop you from campaigning for the ASEP organization.
|
Why not share the values of ASEP
with your colleagues? As Mary Kay Ash
said, "Expect great things and great things will happen." Why not correct others when they say,
"The EPC credential is not recognized by exercise
physiologists?" In short, if people
say it cannot be done, just say to yourself that it is being done – and keep on
doing it. Hence, why not face such
negative thinking head-on? You might
also want to come to the understanding that no profession is fully created in
one day. Everything, including who we
are grows a little bit everyday – however painful and challenging the work for
nothing good comes from the "all of a sudden way of doing things."
Students...please listen: Isn't it obvious that college teachers need your
help to think right? For at least a
decade, they have been slow to change.
Many are in denial and avoidance.
Many say, "It cannot be done."
Thus, they pander to sports medicine wishful thinking, allowing
themselves to be polarized by the politics of a non-exercise physiology
organization. This attitude is
debilitating, as it takes from every opportunity to expect a miracle every
day. Instead, why not focus your
priorities? Why not find your way...the
exercise physiology way?
Success
is Hard Work
Forget about making
mistakes. That's life. Forget about pleasing everyone. That's not possible. Turn your head from the rat race to nowhere
to the company of those who have the same dreams. If you are open to it, ASEP will become the
stuff of your making. It will grow and
you will, too. After all, infatuation
with something other than exercise physiology makes little sense to the
die-hard exercise physiologist. The
realization of this point is "the line in the sand." It is YOU defining what is important, what is
right, and why.
Success is not a secret. It is hard work and commitment. Why not build this thinking into who you are
and what you expect of yourself? Look
for those who "get it" and, then, come together without guilt or
blame, but with a purpose to push change forwards. Remember:
It is not the organization. It is
the leadership in the organization that counts.
Be a leader. Plant the seeds of
greatness in others, and do it now regardless of the risks.
Pssst...ASEP
will save you the heartache of yesterday's thinking.
When there isn't
"sharing," there is lost opportunity.
What a strange way to exist. To turn
from ASEP towards something other is confusing.
To hear or even to see and yet not understand is an overdose of
superficiality and inadequate thinking that can only render a person
ineffective. Such conditions not only
delay growth, but short-change energy, drive, and focus. Hence, the more college teachers neglect
their responsibility to help students of exercise physiology to grow within
their own professional organization, the greater the payoffs to other
professions.
|
Isn't it time to move on from
what has been to what must be if exercise physiology is to survive? Isn't it time to examine where we are? Isn't it time to ask the question: "Is
this where we want to be?"
Honestly, isn't it time that exercise physiologist get a
backbone?
|
The
Key Question
"Why?" Isn't it time to move on from what has been to
what must be if exercise physiology is to survive? Isn't it time to examine where we are? Isn't it time to ask the question: "Is
this where we want to be?"
Honestly, isn't it time that exercise physiologist get a backbone? Hello, anyone ever heard of the expression,
"Know Thy Time." Well, it is
now. It isn't just eminently
plausible...it is the "order of the day." To be effective leaders is to know when to
change and to do it responsibly.
Frankly, in many ways, the Enron
story is another excellent example why exercise physiologists must learn to
think for themselves. Imagine, the CEOs,
much like the presidents and Board of Directors who run organizations, who manipulate
their businesses (organizations) to enrich themselves while the savings (future)
of employees (members) are wiped out. Whether
it is WorldCom, Tyco or Wall Street, none of the leaders are so big or right in
their thinking that warrants our complete trust. And, under no circumstances should exercise
physiologists just sit back and blatantly allow other organizations to engage
in questionable practices that hurt the profession of exercise physiology.
Equally disturbing today (as a
parallel thought) is the idea that it is okay to promote performance-enhancing
substances if they are not illegal.
Sports nutritionists, who are also in many cases exercise physiologists,
do it everyday. They say: "I didn't
break the law, so I haven't done anything wrong." Such thinking is simply wrong. Why, because it is nonetheless unethical
behavior. Just because it isn't illegal
doesn't mean it isn't unethical. Of
course, the decline in ethical norms is not confined to just one area. It touches everything, including the politics
of individuals, organizations, and nations.
Coming
Together
In addition to incivility among
exercise physiologists, there is more than the leisurely exchange of
questionable practices among tenured exercise physiologists. This comment speaks actually to those who
threaten their colleagues to disassociate with the ASEP organization or you
will not be tenured. These people should
be taken to court to assess their violation of human rights. The more ASEP members come together on this
point, the more they will benefit.
Our power
lies in thinking right.
As members of the profession of
exercise physiology, it is important to develop a better understanding of how
to use professionalism to support higher ethical standards. This is one reason why I wrote the book, Is Sports Nutrition for Sale?
Hopefully, in time, all exercise physiologists will come to understand
that thinking about profitability alone isn't the correct way to teach sports
nutrition. Rather, why not focus on
critical and ethical thinking.
Professionals who follow this logic do not typically adopt the use of
sports supplements. Rather, their
attitude is a different one, reflecting especially their conviction that
athletic performances are a function of genetics, hard training, and excellent
coaching.
|
Do what you can, with what you have, where
you are.
– THEODORE ROOSEVELT
|
As previously stated, to a large
extent, the promotion of sports supplements represents the loss of a moral
compass just as failing to support ASEP is a larger problem of ethical failure at
a personalize level. People-decisions are time-consuming.
But, when there is work to be done, regardless of the time, thought, or
judgment, people (exercise physiologists) must get it done. Hence, the first step towards professional
development is therefore to do the work that must be done! It is amazing just how simple a decision to
act enables us to test our beliefs against reality. The ASEP leadership understands this
point. They are using the conflict of
opinion about "what is exercise physiology" to make sure that others
are encouraged to communicate with one another, trust one another, and identify
with one another as exercise physiologists.
Culture
of Failed Leadership
However difficult it may be to
recognize the reality of the two related conditions (professional social responsibility
and ethical athletics), they nonetheless exist.
The "culture of failed leadership" is especially troubling. The ASEP leaders believe that ethical issues
should be given special attention. This
is what the ASEP organization is designed to do. Clearly, ethical thinking within exercise
physiology needs some degree of support from the membership, as do all
normative systems. Only when exercise
physiologists work together will they transform the profession and encourage
new thinking. This kind of commitment is
what gives an organization a competitive edge.
The bad news is that the tendency to do nothing but stay the course with
past thinking is exactly what keeps exercise physiologists invisible as a force
for change, both within their profession and in healthcare.
In a way, this is what the
psychologist Irving Janis terms groupthink. In the case of exercise physiologists, it is
the same as it is otherwise applied in all other aspects of life. Groupthink is the tendency for exercise physiologists
who embrace, attend, and support an organization other than ASEP to develop a
highly narrowed view of the exercise physiology because members share a common
way of thinking. Also, if their
association is only with the organizational members, they fail to realize their
thinking fails to embrace other viewpoints.
Failing to recognize they are no longer thinking for themselves, they
can't understand why their colleagues would think differently from them.
|
What's important here is that the ASEP leaders
have a vision, and they have goals that are clearly understood within the
organization. The goals are
challenging but attainable.
|
All of this feeds the
organizational culture that defines specific organizations. In the end, members are forced to carry out
the will of the organization. This robs
members of their individuality, including often their will to disagree. Members censor their own doubts, and when
they think otherwise group pressure is applied to members who express doubts or
questions the group's thinking [2].
Indeed, when it is evident that
what I've described is having a negative effect on exercise physiology,
something has to be done. This is
especially the case when students get caught up in "what is exercise science"
and "why isn't it exercise physiology." Disoriented and confused, they wish for their
teachers to free them from the history of failed thinking. They wish for teachers who are willing to
guide their thinking and behavior in accordance with a moral compass. Surely, it is obvious that when groupthink is
left to define the norms, what is left is inadequate and destructive. And, academic exercise physiologists, in
particular, find it impossible to escape the prison of the sports medicine
mindset.
Final Word
The major initiative for change
must come college by college, led by individual teachers who become convinced
that the professionalism of exercise physiology will give them and their
students a strategic competitive advantage in the healthcare marketplace. While this is an optimistic conclusion, it is
not without hope. Within any one college
or university, there are usually three to five exercise physiologists who can
decide what is in the best interests of their students. They have the power, the influence, and the
knowledge to bring it about. If they do
so, others will follow and our students will benefit.
The good news is that some
academic institutions have moved in this direction. The bad news is that most have not. Professionalism has always been a work in
progress, never a finished product.
Exercise physiology is no different from other professions. Why not "Teach with Honor?"
References
1. Boone,
T. (2006). An Exercise Physiologist’s Perspective on the ACSM Conference on
Integrative Physiology of Exercise. Professionalism of Exercise
Physiologyonline. 9:11:1-11
[Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/ACSMintegrativeConference.doc
2. Janis,
I. (1983). Victims
of Group Thinking: A Psychological Study of Foreign Policy Decisions and
Fiascoes. (2nd Revision). Boston,
MA: Houghton Mifflin.