The Instructor Podcast #3 - Keir Wotherspoon on personal development.

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You can listen to Keir's episode on Apple, Spotify, Google and more. 

Keir Wotherspoon started as a personal trainer in 2012.
However, prior to that he was working in a factory, but keen to change his life, so he quit his job, sold his home, and headed off to university.
After getting his degree he opened his own gym which he ran for 5 years before deciding that he still was not living the life he wanted. So, he entered the world of high-performance coaching.
And that is what he joined me on this episode of The Instructor podcast to discuss – personal and professional development, how to take the opportunity and how to overcome imposter syndrome. Throughout the discussion Keir gives many examples of what driving instructors can do to develop themselves and their business.
Keir talks frankly about how he used to hide behind his qualifications and used them as an excuse not to follow his dreams.
 
One of the big influences on Keir’s choices was when he started helping a driving instructor with his fitness. As their relationship developed, they found the coaching steering more towards personal development rather than fitness.
Over time the instructor’s mindset completely changed.
He was loosing interest due to working to many hours and doing too many lessons, this only increased his stress level. Keir helped him change and reduce his hours, increase his happiness and now he is happier.
Keir talks about the importance of marketing yourself correctly and charging the correct prices. He uses the example of driving instructors going after a specific niche, such as people who need to pass inside a month, or people who suffer with anxiety and panic attacks.
You get what you pay for. So, if you need to pay a bit more than the average lesson price to achieve that fast pass or have someone take their time helping you overcome your nerves, then it’s worth it.
 
We discuss the way people treat learner drivers on the road and how we can handle those situations better, including sharing a study that was done comparing how people reacted when cars remained stationary at red lights.
The Rolls Royce was left in peace, the Ford Fiesta received a lot of beeps!
Very much the same way learner drivers and current drivers are treated differently on the road. Learners are often viewed with disdain, while experienced drivers are given the benefit of the doubt.
 
We also take the opportunity to discuss my imposter syndrome and how 12 months ago I would not have had the courage to do this podcast. How I was afraid to do anything or take a chance. So many instructors are in this position, and we need more to offer up the quality they have.
Keir’s biggest tip is to adopt a role model mentality.
He shares how he can’t really remember the specifics of what he was taught by his instructor, but he remembers his influence, his calmness and how he made him feel.
Who do you want to be when you get in the car? Do you want to be the person who cares about the student and prioritises their safety and learning?
By being a role model, making people feel a certain way and influencing people it enables you to increase your prices because people want to work with you.  
 
Keir offers some wonderful thoughts on working with the people that make you happy. He suggests working with a wide variety of people initially, until you find out who you actually enjoy working with, then marketing towards them.
By targeting a specific niche, it does not rule anyone out, but it does make it more likely for you to attract and work with people you enjoy.
By working with everybody and anybody you will become resentful towards your job as it’s taking a large part of the enjoyment away.
To target the person, we want to work with, we need to address their pain points. So, if someone wants to pass their test quickly, we need to be able to offer that. Someone panicking about the first lesson? We could meet them beforehand or at least have a call.
 
Keir’s final piece of advice – You are the biggest asset withing your business and if you’re not working on yourself, then everything else will go to shit. When you work on yourself, life gets better.
Wise words, I’m sure you’ll agree.

You can find Keir Witherspoon:
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​Website
​Twitter