We have three values that we evaluate all decisions by at RxFIT. We want to build a strong business that prioritizes creativity, the athlete experience, and professionalism.

But values are just words on a page unless they are (1) easy to remember, and (2) talked about often.

For these two reasons, we have created three “taglines” to remember each value. Additionally, we reserve time for discussion on each of these values in our monthly coaches meetings and quarterly staff meetings (plus our one-on-one roadmap meetings with each staff member).

Below you will find a description of each value, along with their associated tagline.

Find the 18th Camel (Creative)

A father left 17 camels as an asset for his three sons.

When the father passed away, his sons opened up the will. The Will of the father stated that the eldest son should get half of 17 camels while the middle son should be given one-third. The youngest son should be given one-ninth of the 17 camels.

As it is not possible to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9, three sons started to fight with each other.

So, the three sons decided to go to a wise man.

The wise man listened patiently about the Will. The wise man, after giving this thought, brought one camel of his own and added the same to 17. That increased the total to 18 camels.

Now, he started reading the deceased father’s will.

Half of 18 = 9. So he gave the eldest son 9 camels.

1/3rd of 18 = 6. So he gave the middle son 6 camels.

1/9th of 18 = 2. So he gave the youngest son 2 camels.

Now add this up: 9 plus 6 plus 2 is 17 and this leaves one camel, which the wise man took back.

At RxFIT, we recognize that solutions to problems are never only black and white. We creatively problem-solve by looking for and creating the 18th camel.

Become the Purple Cow (Athlete Experience)

There’s really nothing special about a cow. All cows are black and white and spend their days grazing fields of grass. They’re typically only good for their milk and meat.

To put this in perspective, think of all of the fields you have passed where cows were eating the grass on the side of the road. Has anything ever stood out to you?

Probably not.

But, what if you saw a purple cow. And what if you heard that that purple cow had purple milk that tasted like fruit?

How many people would you tell about that experience? Would you ever forget about that cow?

The point is that the purple cow is unlike any other cow; it stands out. The purple cow is worth talking to your friends about and inviting them to come and see. Because the purple cow is remarkable.

Seth Godin wrote about this concept where the essence of the Purple Cow is about being remarkable. And if RxFIT isn’t remarkable, we’re invisible. In other words, we must provide coaching so remarkable that the athlete experience is forever impacted.

We refuse to be just another black and white cow. 

Do the Right Thing, Regardless (Professional & Ethical)

Sometimes, the right thing to do is ambiguous.

Other times, the right thing to do won’t benefit us.

But at all times, the right thing to do is precisely what we need to do.

No better situation is a better example of this than the first week of April, 2020 in the height of COVID-19.

Mark and I were continuously on the phone with local authorities during the initial spike of the virus. They gave us guidelines but never asked us to shut down.

But after much debate with our staff then, we made the decision to close our doors.

The right thing to do was ambiguous.

We knew that shutting our doors would negatively affect our business.

But together, in our gut, we felt at that it was the right thing to do.

Acting professionally is doing the “right thing regardless.”

Takeaway

Every problem, athlete, and decision will be made with these three lenses:

Are we approaching this problem creatively by trying to find the 18th camel?

Are we seeking to make the athlete experience as remarkable as a purple cow?

Are we acting both professionally and ethically by doing the right thing regardless?

Tyler