Achieving the Level 4 Coaching Certification: Lessons to Help with Your Audacious Dreams

It’s hard to share your dreams with others, especially the big, bold, and seemingly impossible ones. The phrase “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” (BHAG) was coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in Built to Last to describe a long-term, visionary goal that feels almost unreachable, yet is still achievable. While they originally applied this concept to business, I believe it can also be used to frame personal life goals. So, why is it so hard to dream big? Are we crazy for even considering these goals? Are they too audacious? What if we fail?

When I first learned I had passed all the assessments for the highest level of mountain bike coach education—Level 4 certification—I was filled with strange emotions…. Initially, I just felt relieved it was finally over, that it wasn’t hanging over my head anymore. But soon, the reality set in: I had actually achieved the goal I’d been working towards for years. That distant, seemingly impossible goal had become my BHAG, and I had pulled it off. Honestly, I was shocked, but also incredibly proud, with a deep sense of satisfaction.

Reflecting on this experience, I realized I learned far more than just how to be a better coach and rider. This BHAG taught me valuable lessons about myself. As I’ve always said, the best things I’ve learned in life, I’ve learned through mountain biking. The lessons I gained through pursuing the Level 4 certification have not only made me a better person but have also better equipped me to help others tackle their own audacious dreams—whether they’re athletic, career-oriented, or personal goals. I believe these lessons can help you, too. Here are a few:

1. Love the Process

More than a decade ago, when I completed my Level 1 certification, I first heard about the Level 4. At that time, only one person in the USA had completed it—Kristian Jackson, who now coaches part-time with us. I remember thinking, “Wow, wouldn’t it be amazing to accomplish that one day?” It felt like a distant dream, much like thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool to compete in the Olympics someday?” At the time, it seemed as unlikely as winning the lottery. But that thought sparked something in me, and the idea stuck.

(If you want to learn more about the Level 4 certification, check out the GSMBC or the recent episode from coaching podcast “Donuts and Bikes”.)

Over the years, I steadily ticked off the small steps toward Level 4. I taught hundreds of lessons and diligently honed my coaching craft. I achieved Level 2 and Level 3 certifications and worked on improving my own riding. Eventually, the Level 4 goal shifted from a fantasy to something that actually seemed achievable. Though I was reluctant to fully commit, I knew the process would be both challenging and inspiring. And even if I never reached the goal, the journey itself would be worth it. So, I dove in.

The key lesson here is to focus on the process, not just the outcome. The value of a BHAG is often not in achieving it, but in what you learn throughout the journey. Be clear about what it will take to reach your goal, and celebrate the small victories along the way. Take pride in the steps you accomplish, and savor the process of growth. Don't measure your progress against others. Instead, judge yourself by your work ethic, commitment, perseverance, grit, and ability to stay resilient in the face of setbacks.

2. Accentuate Strengths, Minimize Weaknesses

The Level 4 certification is evaluated in two main categories: coaching standards and riding standards. In the coaching portion, we teach realistic lessons for riders on the course - arguably the best coaches in the world - to help them improve. The riding standard, however, is daunting. It requires candidates to ride with precision and flow on black diamond and double black diamond trails or harder (which Whistler calls “pro lines”). For many coaches, it takes over 10 years of coaching in advanced terrain to meet these standards.

Right away, I knew I had work to do to meet the riding standard. The course is only held at Whistler Bike Park in BC, Canada, and while I’ve been riding since the early ’90s and was a professional cross-country racer, downhill riding on massive features was a newer skill for me. But instead of letting this intimidate me, I saw it as an opportunity to grow, even well into my 40s. I bought a downhill bike, took private lessons to accelerate my learning, raced downhill and enduro, and rode at bike parks more frequently. I dedicated myself to mastering those massive features with safety and confidence.

I knew my background in coaching and education would be an asset for the coaching portion of the exam. With a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Outdoor Education, and over 25 years of experience coaching mountain biking, I knew this portion would be challenging but familiar. I hoped that my strengths in teaching would help compensate for any weaknesses in my riding ability in that terrain. I studied the material regularly, practiced teaching it to staff and mentors, and sought feedback to improve.

When pursuing audacious goals, find ways to leverage your strengths to support your weaknesses. If you're naturally good at something, work to become exceptional at it. Dedicate most of your effort to improving areas where you’re weaker, but don’t shy away from those challenges simply because they’re uncomfortable.

3. Fail Forward

For better or worse, the process of being “successful” in achieving the Level 4 coach certification standard involves showing up for the course and trying. At one point before I really committed this BHAG, I asked Paul Howard, the founder and author of the certification curriculum, if he thought I was ready for Level 4. His advice was simple: “You just have to jump in. Start taking the courses, see where you are, and use the feedback to improve. You’ll come back, try again, and keep working on it.”

The success rate for passing the Level 4 on the first attempt is notoriously low—less than 20%. While some pass on their first try, most coaches “fail” and return to retest later.

There’s a 2-day prep course that introduces you to the content, helps assess where you stand, and provides feedback on what to work on. I took that course a few years ago and received valuable feedback on what I would need to improve in order to pass the full 5-day course. The message was clear – if that had been the full course, it would have been a “fail” but at least then I had a more clear path to succeed.

I came back a year later and did the full 5-day course. These courses are a combo of learning course content and an examination of your ability to deliver the content at the certification standard. The learning environment in these types of courses can be tough. Always in the back of your mind you know you are simultaneously being examined while also being vulnerable to try new things and practice implementing them for the first time. This kind of pressure, even if it’s self-induced, can make performance more difficult.

I tried the best I could to lean on my coaching strengths to help me through all the practice teaching we did on course. For the riding standard, I was proud of the progress I had made in a couple years of working on my own riding more diligently. I was proud that I had fairly quickly come back from a collarbone fracture earlier in the year requiring 2 surgeries, but I still felt like I had lost some valuable time for improvement before the course. In the end, I was successful in meeting the certification standard for the coaching portion, but “failed” at meeting the riding standard.

It is often said you learn lessons from failures that help you succeed in the future. Had I squeaked through on that course to earn the Level 4, I would have missed the opportunity to continue to improve my riding. It gave me another year’s worth of purpose and motivation to do the hard work of improving. During most of the year, I’m on the bike teaching lessons 4-6 days per week. It’s tough to find the motivation to ride outside of “work” time. After teaching a couple 3-4hr private lessons in the same day, I usually want to go home and rest, not do extra laps focusing on my own riding. I also realized I could also improve my riding purely through increasing strength and mobility. “Failing” on that course gave me the motivation to stick to a dedicated strength training plan for almost a year leading up to my retest.  

So, do you let failures stop you in your tracks or do you “fail forward”, using it as an opportunity to focus your growth. Often, the goals that barely slip away provide the greatest motivation to come back and try again. It’s almost certain you’ll have to try several times to accomplish audacious goals, and the closer you get, the greater the motivation to keep trying. Use the motivation from failure to your advantage to double down on your next attempt.

4. Involve Others in the Process

Research shows that we’re more likely to achieve our goals if we announce them and involve others. However, when the goal feels monumental, it’s hard to share it, especially when you’re unsure if you can achieve it. It can be embarrassing to fail in front of others, but involving the right people at the right times can make all the difference.

A year after “failing” on the full 5-day Level 4 course, I ventured back to Whistler for my re-test. I’d join the second half of a Level 4 course to ride and be another “student” for the other course candidates to practice their teaching. This year, I was armed with better riding ability, more fitness and strength, and another year’s worth of riding experience on the downhill bike. Having passed the coaching portion of the course the previous year, all I needed to do was demonstrate that I could ride at the Level 4 standard.

I arrived several days early to re-familiarize myself with the terrain and practice riding the biggest features. I needed to be able to demonstrate that I could ride with flow, grace, and confidence in terrain that honestly terrifies me. I knew I had the skills and ability, but the mental side of riding in consequential terrain was the biggest factor limiting my performance. My subconscious brain was screaming, “You’re going to die!” while my conscious brain actively tried to calm my nerves, focus, and perform.

One of the biggest lessons I learned through this BHAG was that it’s ok to ask for help and support. Rather than toiling away alone wrestling with the mental demons holding me back, I needed the support and encouragement of others to help quiet those dissenting voices and let the capable Josh shine through. This challenge was big enough that I wrestled with self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and embarrassment that I wasn’t automatically confident. It felt like a big release when I just let go of my ego and accepted that it was ok to be exactly where I was, instead of pretending to myself that those feelings shouldn’t exist.

Once I accepted that I was struggling with the mental process of performance, it allowed me to figure out what I needed to improve it.  For me, that meant surrounding myself with friends who believed in me. I tapped into my friend group in Whistler before the course for help. They were all very generous with their time supporting me, helping me with riding tips, letting me follow them through the biggest features, and helping me strategize how to perform during the re-test. Feeling the nerves creep in, I called on loved ones back home for words of encouragement. Family, friends, co-workers, and peers all showed up to tell me they believed in me. In the end, I was surprised how eager people were to help when all along I felt embarrassed to ask for it.

When striving towards your audacious dreams, don’t be afraid to surround yourself with a core team that shows up to support you. Think critically about what kind of support you need from them and be articulate in asking for it. Sure, there are definitely limits to what others can do for you in terms of time and outcome. Your journey is ultimately your own, but I bet you’ll be surprised at people’s generosity and the impact it will have when you waver along the path.

Conclusion

Now that a few weeks have passed since returning from the Level 4 course, the initial elation of achieving success has faded a bit. It’s felt good to get the congratulations and high-fives from those involved in the process. I certainly carry the pride of becoming only the fourth person in the USA to achieve the Level 4 certification. Looking forward though, this feels like just the beginning in many ways. I’m excited to implement the things I have learned through the Level 4 process more completely in my coaching, business, and riding. I’m also excited for the next BHAG to present itself in my life. I’m certain that the lessons learned on this one will help me achieve the next. I know I’ll be able to focus on the process, accentuate my strengths, work to minimize my weaknesses, use failures as opportunities for targeted growth, and be able to effectively involve others to help me along the way.

Lastly, I challenge you to think about what motivates you to strive for greatness. Are you stuck in a rut, with no clear direction? Maybe pursuing an audacious dream is exactly what you need to bring out your best. Be warned, the journey will be tough, but I guarantee you’ll be a better person in the end - regardless of the outcome.