The XXXI Summer Olympics are over and I am going through a bit of withdrawal. For the entire two weeks we were drawn to the television to watch whatever event the network producers decided to highlight. We especially enjoyed watching the swimming events, since I had coached my three grandchildren to meet their own individual swimming goals by the end of summer. Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky had us mesmerized with every race. Simone Biles caused our jaws to drop with her near flawless gymnastics and support of her teammates who dubbed themselves the "final five." And there were many exciting moments in a number of sports that we do not regularly follow. We saw much of what the old ABC Sports theme described, "The thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat."
Bicycle racing is one of the sports we do not follow. But we were fascinated with both the men's and the women's road races this year. Both races had us on the edges our seats for the final few kilometers and the last 200 meters had us absolutely glued to the set cheering them on. Both races saw a lone rider out front with a sizeable lead ahead of the nearest pack until the last few hundred meters when a pack of three riders overtook the leader and snatched away the gold, the silver and (in the women's race) the bronze medal.
For years I did not understand why they called cycling a team sport. It looked to me like a race of individuals. But this year I learned about the peloton, the group (from the French for "platoon"). Like geese who fly in formation taking turns drafting the leader, each rider takes a turn up front taking the full wind resistance, allowing the other teammates to exert less energy and increase their stamina.
Mara Abbott had stayed with her peloton up to the last hill in Rio. Hills are where Abbott is strongest, so she pulled way ahead of her teammates with them cheering her on, although she was still far behind the front leaders. Then there was a major accident on the last brutal curve with bikes descending at well over 50 miles per hour. As Mara passed the pile of spilled bikes and riders, she sped down the hill to take a 38 second lead ahead of the nearest pack of competitors. All the way up to the last 200 meters we were sure Mara Abbot would take the gold medal. But then the final drama began to unfold.
Three riders working together as a peloton began gaining on her. I don't know when she became aware of how close they were coming and how fast, but when she tried to turn on the kick, the turbo chargers just weren't there. The pack of three passed her and Mara finished fourth--no medal.
The really interesting part of this for me is the fact that the three riders in the championship pack were from three different competing countries: Anna Van Der Breggen of the Netherlands, Emma Johansson of Sweden, and Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy. Somehow the three managed to form not just a pack, but a pact. If they joined forces, each of them would increase their potential to win a medal. At the very end of the race, all three of them pedaled with all their might to go for the gold, but up until that final stretch they knew that they had to form a team and work together for any of them to possibly overtake the front rider. In the final seconds Mara Abbott saw the agony of defeat as Van Der Breggen won the gold, Johansson took silver and Borghini got bronze. Mara Abbott put in a magnificent individual performance, but at the end of the race she finished fourth, which in Olympic terms means she lost.
Hint to the Leader:
Sometimes you have to team up with unexpected partners to overcome common challenges. Keep your eye on the big picture--not just your department or division, not just your own goals, but the ultimate goals of your company or organization. What can you do to motivate your followers to work together more as a team?
Hint to the Follower:
If you only work for number one, then you are likely to discover one is the loneliest number. We all need others with different strengths to help us reach our larger goals. Who do you need? Who might also need you and your strengths?
© Dr. Larry N. Gay, August 2016.
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