Lessons from the Tour de France

As an avid cyclist, I’ve been watching the Tour de France with great enthusiasm and hope for all the Americans in this year’s race. Of course, I want Armstrong to win an unprecedented 7th consecutive Tour.

But, Terri Lonier, took her enthusiasm one step further … to glean certain lessons that can be applied to all businesses as well. These lessons apply equally to lawyers and The Business of Law(tm).

In her current Solo newsletter, Terri Lonier said:
“If it’s July, it means that the annual cycling spectacle, the Tour de France, is underway… There are so many things to be gleaned from this competition. I believe three key lessons for soloists are:

1) Successful solo efforts have a team behind them.
While a single cyclist may get most of a day’s headlines, the Tour is the result of the efforts of not only the eight other riders on a team, but also the dozens of individuals who contribute to the months of preparation and training.
* Who’s on your solo business team?

2) Executing details matters.
Lance Armstrong, in attempting his 7th victory before he retires from competitive cycling, is obsessed with details. This extends to the design of his bicycle and the team’s racing jerseys, and subjecting them to wind-tunnel tests. This year his design team has been able to shave off several grams of weight, which in the long haul up those French mountains makes a difference. When you consider that a paper clip weighs about a gram, you can see how focused they are on getting all the details right.
* How closely are you paying attention to executing the details in your business?

3) Know when to make your move.
Many of the individual stages of the Tour de France are decided in the last few seconds of a multi-hour race. Top cyclists know their bodies, their team, their equipment, and their competition. They know exactly when to make the move toward their goal, and the value of patience until just the right moment.
* As a soloist, how well do you know your capabilities? How can you strategize your timing to maximize your efforts?

July also means the year is half over. What can these elite riders teach you about where you want to take your solo business before that New Year’s Eve ball drops?”

Quoted from Terri Lonier, author of the “Working Solo Newsletter” series and president of Working Solo, Inc.

Categorized in: Management