It's July - Lessons from the Tour de France

I love the Tour de France. Yes, it's been critized a lot over the past couple of years but it's still a demonstration of power, focus, energy, stamina and dedication. This past weekend was the first stage of the 2007 Tour de France. The sprint was won by Robbie McEwen, even after a very bad crash that could easily have retired him from the competition. The second stage was won by Gert Steegmans with his teammate, Tom Boonen, coming in second. This was simply classic, over-the-top, A-game performance. A one-two result like this is usually very rare in cycling. So here are some early thoughts on how lessons from the first two days of the tour apply:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

Your performance in the “race towards success” is very much dependent on what happens behind the scenes. All the tour cyclists didn’t just walk off the streets and grab their bikes. Thye practice hard during the off-season. You must do the same thing. In order to be an MP (Massive Producer), you have to act massively behind the scenes. It’s your behind the scenes work that brings you from obscurity and into the limelight.

2. Take immediate control of your mental state

The winner’s edge is in his mental attitude. You must approach every situation with a readiness to tackle it and win. You can’t shy away from displaying your skill when your moment of action comes. There were two terrible crashes on both days but the eventual winners chose to stay focused. Robie McEwen could easily have decided to quit after his very bad fall. In an interview later on, he said, "I gave it everything to be in the right place for the final 200 meters and it seems we did enough. I’m happy with that. I was fueled by frustration, anger and the thought of having nothing more to lose" (link). You can’t allow your mind to wander in hundreds of different directions. You’ve got to harness it.

3. Discover the power of team

No matter how good a cyclist is, he cannot win alone. It takes teamwork. Boonen said of his teammate, "Today it wasn’t possible for me to pass my team-mate but I think that if you’re in a situation like this then it’s the right thing to do to… if you have a guy who leads you out for the entire year and you’re able to give a present like this, then it’s not nice to pass him. “I’m more excited than when I won the stage myself. It’s great to achieve this when the finish line is in your own country. It was an impressive day for our team" (link). McEwen said of his teammates, "I you could see on television how much work guys like Wim Vansevenant and Johan van Summeren did trying to bring me back to the peloton after my crash. It took a very long time because, at the moment I crashed, that’s when the race really started going full gas. I don’t think it was any coincidence that they started riding a bit faster when I was off the back but… well, it’s just incredible how much work my team did to bring me back. This is the perfect way to repay them for their effort". (link). You’ve got to find those people who will elevate your performance. Teamwork makes the dream work. What’s your dream? Are you connected to people that can elevate your game? Discover the power of team and you will multiply your value. You can’t do it by yourself. The days of the lone ranger are over.

Enjoy the tour!