Le Tour de France

Each July, I enjoy watching le Tour de France. This is the 95th year of the contest. Two thousand two hundred miles through rain, heat, mountains, pain and disappointments. These riders are unquestionably the best of the best in bicycling, and arguably among the most finely tuned endurance athletes who have ever lived. Further, they show us how powerful the human mind and body can be.

As I watch and listen to the commentary, I am astonished at how the methods of these teams and their riders relate to our businesses.

• The contestants in the race are part of a team, and while each may win individual honors, each rider is committed to the team effort. One of the striking things about these teams is that their objective is to get their captain to the finish line in Paris ahead of all other riders. To a man, they all have the same objective, and their individual opportunities are secondary. Some of the riders are dedicated to pacing their captain in the mountains; others are dedicated to pacing their captain in the flats. To watch these teams compete in the team time trials is to observe the very definition of “teamwork.”
• Skill acquisition and development for these teams has been a critical element of their success. Each member has been selected for a purpose, the essence of which is to compliment the different strengths of other riders on the team. After the acquisition of these skills, the team has funded further development of the skills and the riders are eager to apply themselves.
• The mental game of these riders is unshakable. Neither weather conditions, competitors, fans, news media, poor performance of a teammate nor any other factor seems to distract them (individually or collectively) from doing the thing they do. Their focus is amazing.
• They have applied technology wherever it can provide an advantage. The detail to which they have used technology is interesting. For example, they spend time and money with wind tunnel testing. They not only consider details like tires, spokes, wheels, clothing, helmets and body positions but they even consider the place on the jersey to pin their number. That attention to detail may seem over-the-top, but in a contest so important and evenly matched, it can make the difference in the outcome.
• Like all professional sportsmen and many amateurs, they assess their competitors on a daily basis. One rider may be recognized as a strong competitor in time trials, so the opposing teams will try to build enough of a cushion in their total time to allow for that. Another rider may be recognized as a strong climber, so opposing teams will factor that in their strategies for the days in the mountains.
• Each team recognizes its strength and does a great job of playing to that strength. First, they perform a self-examination to identify their strength. By assessing their competitors, they understand how their strength may be challenged and how they will be able to stand out.
• They budget their energy the way a business should budget its resources. In the early stages of the race, it is common to see teams that could take the lead avoid it so they can save energy for the mountains where they may do best. Other teams may save their energy for flat stages. Careful allocation of resources is a perpetual factor in winning this race, which takes about three weeks.
• Finally, there is one other lesson that is evident, and it may be the most important: Discipline is the overriding trait above all of the others. These riders use discipline to stay with their teams and not get sucked into some individual contest.

It takes discipline to stay focused and not be distracted by a condition. It takes discipline to acquire the right team members, get rid of the wrong ones or spend time and effort on technology and skill development. It takes discipline to budget resources and protect them. It takes discipline to research competitors, observe them, pour over notes, develop plans and execute those plans.

I am sure that the objective of these bicycle racers is not to teach us about business. But, if you watch le Tour de France, it is difficult to overlook the value of the traits that make these riders and their teams great — traits that we should apply to our businesses.

Wallace Weeks is founder and president of Weeks Group Inc., a Melbourne, Fla.-based strategy consulting firm. He can be reached at 321/752-4514 or by e-mail at [email protected].