Leadership Lessons from the Super Bowl and... Lance?

The Super Bowl was SUPER! But I have to admit it made me think of… cycling and the Tour de France. I’m serious. The Tour de France is the Super Bowl of professional cycling, where 180 of the world’s best cyclists race an average of 100 miles per day for 21 days. To win this grueling event is a great achievement; to win it a record-breaking seven times in a row after recovering from life-threatening cancer, as Lance Armstrong has, defies imagination (which may explain why so many people still believe he used performance enhancing drugs… despite being the most widely tested athlete in history).

You might think that Lance’s victories are so mind-boggling that there couldn’t possibly be any lessons to learn for mere mortals like you and me. However, as leadership consultant who is also a cycling enthusiast, I believe that there are three fundamental leadership lessons that can help you and your team (at work and home) win any race you choose to enter.

Lesson # 1 – Leaders Clarify Everyone’s Role

Every rider on Lance’s team knew his role in the Tour de France. Their specific roles were based on their unique talents. Some riders were assigned to lead Lance through the long, flat, often dangerous stages. (That’s right; sometimes the best place for the leader is IN THE BACK!) Other riders were asked to protect him during the early mountains climbs, while a few were chosen to assist near the end of those mountain stages.

The Gallup survey of over 1 million employees, summarized in Marcus Buckingham’s book, First, Break All the Rules, reports that workers work best when they are using their unique talents. Leaders see dramatic increases in productivity when they learn to encourage employees to adapt their skills to what they do to their roles at work.

Leaders, at all levels of the organization, can engage employees more by exploring what they like/dislike most about their job. Create flexible responsibility charts based on their strengths AND the job requirements. A commercial (aired during one of Lance’s Tour victories) declared that Lance is, “Driven by what’s inside.” The truth is, everybody is! How will you discover, celebrate, and expand what’s inside your team?

Lesson # 2 – Leaders Manage the Tension between ME and WE

Journalists often reported that Lance was a great cyclist. Lance points out that his individual achievements were only possible because of the team’s contribution. For example, he says it was the team that helped him conserve energy during the early part of those grueling mountains stages. When their work was done, Lance launched his devastating mountain accelerations, leaving his gasping competitors behind. First it’s we, then it’s up to me.

I recently coached an executive not to make the opposite mistake – to focus so much on the team that the individual is lost. This leader held frequent team meetings, but forgot to have one-on-one conversations. He promoted ideas such as “There’s no I in TEAM,” yet overlook the fact that a team is a collection of “I”s. Wherever you find a leader over-emphasizing teamwork, you’ll find high performing individuals complaining in the team’s shadow.

Leaders must overcome the tendency to be trapped by the either/or mindset (you’re either on the team OR on your own…). Winning demands both/and thinking (the team AND Lance won seven Tours). It embraces the we AND me, the forest AND the trees, interdependence AND independence… How can you reward both your team’s success and the individual’s contribution?

Lesson # 3 – Leaders Sweat the Small Stuff in Practice

The Tour de France is raced in July, but it is won in December. Lance won this race seven times because he was sweating the small stuff in practice seven months before the race begins. He paid attention to the smallest details even during the off-season. For example, despite beating the competition in almost all previous Tour time-trials, Lance spent hours in the wind tunnel during the off-season perfecting his position. His biggest pre-race rival, Jan Ulrich, seldom practiced in the wind tunnel. Lance understood that practice doesn’t make perfect, progressive practice makes perfect. He also knew that many of his rivals had the will to win, but few had the willingness to suffer in practice to win. How about you?

There are many lessons to learn by studying Lance’s remarkable seven consecutive wins following his recovery from cancer. How can you adapt the three identified here to help you and your team (at home and work) win your race? Which ones have worked for you? Have you noticed that when teams compound their interest in small change, over time, everybody profits.

Keep on Stretching,

Dave

P.S. Dave Jensen and his team transform proven leadership tools into your success stories. Dave is an executive coach and an engaging speaker at conferences, meetings, and workshops. He can be reached in Los Angeles, CA at (310) 397-6686. Click here for more info about the research-based, online 360-leadership assessment (XLM): http://xlmassessment.com/ )

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