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Creating a High Performance Organization

Written by: Stephen Goldberg

Article Overview: Organizations, just like the teams in the Tour de France, are made up of individuals who perform activities on their own as well as part of a larger whole that we often refer to as a team. Do we realize our own potential to become elite performers? Whether we are the president or the front line staff member, do we understand our own strengths? What do we need to improve in order to deliver the maximum to our organization?

Creating a High Performance Organization

It is a sunny Friday afternoon and as I write this article my thoughts inadvertently turn far from the subject of creating a high performance organization and more to getting on my high performance bike and going for a ride in the country. Summer has finally arrived and I ought to take advantage of it as it doesn’t last very long here in Montreal. However I remain focused on my task so that I may reward myself later.

Summer is also the time of year of the Tour de France, probably the most challenging sports competition ever. Being an avid cyclist for several years now, I am amazed at what I see these elite athletes accomplish over three grueling weeks; 3,650 kilometers of mountain roads and speeds of up to 120 km/h on descents.

Earlier this year, I saw the IMAX film “Wired to Win” that was based on studies of how the brain functions in elite cyclists competing in the Tour de France (check it out at http://www.wiredtowinthemovie.com/synopsis.html). According to Alfred Molina the narrator in the film "Our goals may not be those of pro athletes, but we're all wiring ourselves to win. Any activity that challenges us, and gives us a sense of purpose, will nourish and strengthen our brains."

The film ends as it began, with the home movie of a 6-year-old boy triumphantly riding his two-wheeler on his own. "We fall, we get up, we learn," says the narrator, "Powered by the human brain, there is no end to what we may achieve."

Each cyclist in the Tour de France has a specific role on their team; some excel at keeping the pace on the flats, some on the climbs and others in the sprint to the finish. Without knowing and using their strengths and having others compensate for their weaknesses, the team could not compete and win the race!

Organizations, just like the teams in the Tour de France, are made up of individuals who perform activities on their own as well as part of a larger whole that we often refer to as a team. Do we realize our own potential to become elite performers? Whether we are the president or the front line staff member, do we understand our own strengths? What do we need to improve in order to deliver the maximum to our organization?

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Article Tags: alfred molina, cyclists, descents, elite athletes, friday afternoon, high performance organization, home movie, how the brain functions, human brain, imax film, kilometers, mountain roads, narrator, performance bike, sense of purpose, sports competition, time of year, tour de france, two wheeler, wired to win



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