Unlocking Potential Book Review

Unlocking Potential by Ben Bergeron is a book I was introduced to recently by a friend. I will say, I love my friend for it. What an incredible book. For those of you not familiar with Ben Bergeron, he is a CrossFit coach/box owner up in Boston. He is mostly known for coaching Katrin Davidsdottir, one of the premier CrossFit Athletes, among others. CrossFit New England is one of the best CrossFit gyms in the entire world and Ben’s leadership skills are impeccable. This Unlocking Potential Book Review is about how great leaders can get the most out of individuals, teams, and organizations.

My Thoughts/Book Summary

Now to the book summary! Wow, what an amazing book. Ben is an amazing athlete, coach, and business owner. In this book, he provides a lot of insight into how he became extremely successful. However, this is not a book about CrossFit. This is a book about how he was able to take CrossFit New England (his gym) from just another CrossFit gym to the premier gym on the planet. In his book, Ben uses a few tips from good to great, which is to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off. But he shares what he looks for when hiring coaches for his gym.

Ben has 3 criteria that he looks for. Firstly, Ben looks for is, are these individuals humble. Secondly, Ben looks to see if they are hungry. Finally, Ben looks to see if they are people smart. Ben says that these three principles help develop the core values for his gym and the culture he wants to set. Which is important for every organization and leader to have. I related to this a lot. From my time as a business owner and now as my time as an officer in the Marine Corps.

Those hiring criteria help Ben complete the flow chain (10 links to the chain) he explains in the very first part of this book. Those 10 links are (in order) familiarity, blending egos, a sense of control, shared goals, constant communication, equal participation, share/group risk, Yes/And, Close Listening, and Complete Concentration. I won’t spoil the rest of the book, you’re just going to have to read it. You’ll thank me for it because it is an incredible book.

What You Need to Know as a Professional

This is important to you as a professional because it will help you understand how to build your network. Putting the right people on the bus and getting the wrong people off will take you places. I’ve noticed this throughout my life. I used to run with the wrong crowds and I was seeing the results from it. But once I started to be deliberate about how I spent my time and who I spent my time with, I saw the change I wanted in my life. Whether you are a budding entrepreneur, military leader, motivated professional, or a coach for a sport this is the book for you. This book will help you build the best teams. When you build the best teams you will see the benefits you were seeking. As Ben says, it will take some work and hurt from time to time, but it is worth it in the end.

Takeaway

This Unlocking Potential Book Review is a review I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while. I finally had the time to read it and I was super excited to write this review. Ben Bergeron has been a huge inspiration of mine since I started my CrossFit journey 5 years ago.

This blog is not about selling you how great CrossFit is but to inform you about a man and a book that offer great advice. This book has so many good points, tips, and advice. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to take their organization or team to the next level.