The Tour de France just finished this past weekend.  We saw the return of Lance Armstrong along with several amazingly strong cycling teams this year.  What an fantastic race!  The Tour is truly a one of a kind event.  The phrase “One for All and All for One” comes to mind.  Yes, I know that was attributed to The Four Musketeers, but, it could easily apply to each team racing in the tour every year.  Only one man can wear the yellow jersey.  There is a winning team, but only one stands on top of the podium and gets to claim the overall victory.  ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_france)

The strategy is created by the coach of each team.  They review the overall strategy as a team, with tactical briefings at the beginning of the day as well as throughout the day (they have headsets and radio that link everyone together).  Teamwork comes in during each stage.  Each teammember has a role to play.  Again, there can be only one leader.  The team members take on roles known as “domestiques” to do whatever they can to make sure the team captain is in yellow.  Courage comes into play each day during the 23 days of the race.  There are races within the race itself as well as winning an overall stage (day) of the race.  The courage to even show up and declare yourself as a contender for such an honor in such a race.

Each one of these components must be present, plus a few more, to create success and claim victory.  How are we doing everyday in our day to day dealings with our customers.  Are we executing well against our strategies?  Are we working well as a team?  Do we have the courage to stay the course or change as the environment changes?  And how does each decision make a difference to our customers?

A short post this week, but something to think about.  The Tour lasts for 23 days.  How long does our / your commitment to the customer’s experience last?

M

Posted under Customers, Employees, Leadership, Shareholder Value