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The Tour De France, Relationships and Success

Written by: Bud Bilanich

Article Overview: Successful people are interpersonally competent. Interpersonally competent people build and maintain solid relationships with the people in their lives. Just like in bicycle racing, cooperation, sharing the lead and the work are key to creating strong, mutually beneficial relationships. If you get a chance, tune into the Tour de France one July. You'll see cooperation in action, even among competitors.

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The Tour De France, Relationships and Success

Interpersonal competence is one of the keys to personal and professional success that I discuss in my books. If you want to become interpersonally competent, you need to do three things. First, get to know yourself. Use this self knowledge to better understand others. Second, build strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with the people in your life. Third, resolve conflict positively and with little disruption to your relationships. If its July, then it's Tour de France time. For me, the Tour was more interesting this year, because Lance Armstrong was back in the saddle.

I'm always amazed at the complexity of bike racing. It's a sport that requires amazing levels of fitness, the latest technology and high levels of teamwork.

If you've ever watched a bike race, you've seen teamwork and cooperation in action - even among competitors. I think there is a lesson about building relationships here.

In bike racing, the person who is in the lead has to work the hardest. He or she has to deal with all of the resistance caused by the wind. The people behind the leader have it a bit easier as they have less wind resistance. They stay just behind the leader and one another. This principle is called "drafting."

If you watch a race, oftentimes you'll see a lead group of several riders. These riders will take turns moving to the front. In this way, they help one another go faster. They will keep this up until they are ready for the final sprint to the finish line - in which case it becomes every man or woman for himself or herself.

One rider, David Millar, made a lone breakaway with 29 kilometers to go. For a while, it appeared as if he was going to win the stage. However, by working together, the peleton (the large group of riders) was able to catch him and deny him his stage win. David won the Prix Brandt de la Combativitie prize, a testament to his warrior mentality - but he didn't win the stage, Thor Hushovd did.

The report I read on line said ...

The end was swift and painful to watch as Millar was devoured and spat out with just under 2km to go. "To be honest I was suffering and didn't feel in control of the effort all day although I did start to feel good towards the end, although that was the adrenalin and emotion," said Millar afterwards. "What prompted the break? Stupidity, it wasn't my smartest move. I know that coast road so well from training that I thought I might have some fun. With 10km to go I thought I had a chance but then saw the huge boulevards on the run and knew the bunch would get organized. The moment you look around and see them, it's like somebody unplugs the power and you just die."

David Millar's game effort but ultimate disappointment - he didn't even finish in the top 10 in the stage - shows the value of cooperation and sharing the lead and the work. This is true in relationships too. In solid, lasting mutually beneficial relationships, all parties help one another.

I'm a bicyclist. I've just returned from a ride as I'm writing this. I'm not a fast rider. I'm not a slow rider. I'm a half fast rider. (Read the last three sentences aloud if you didn't get the joke.) However, I have experienced the power of teamwork even on a recreational ride. It always helps to have someone in front, doing the hard work and shielding me from the wind. However, I realize that I need to go to the front on occasion and do the same for my riding partners.

The common sense point here is simple. Successful people are interpersonally competent. Interpersonally competent people build and maintain solid relationships with the people in their lives. Just like in bicycle racing, cooperation, sharing the lead and the work are key to creating strong, mutually beneficial relationships. If you get a chance, tune into the Tour de France one July. You'll see cooperation in action, even among competitors.

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Home > Business-Coach > Bud Bilanich > The Tour De France Relationships and Success
Article Tags: Cooperation, Interpersonal competency, Relationship building, Sharing, Success
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About the Author: Bud Bilanich
RSS for Bud's articles - Visit Bud's website

Bud Bilanich, The Common Sense Guy, is an executive coach, motivational speaker, author and blogger. He is the Official Executive Coaching Guide at SelfGrowth.com. He helps his coaching clients succeed by applying their common sense. Dr. Bilanich is Harvard educated but has a no nonsense approach to his work to goes back to his roots in the steel country of Western Pennsylvania. His approach to career and life success is a result of over 35 years of business experience, 10 years of research and study of successful people and the application of common sense. He is the author of seven books, including Straight Talk for Success: Common Sense Ideas That Won’t Let You Down, where he presents his blueprint for career and life success: • Develop your self confidence. • Create positive personal impact. • Become an outstanding performer. • Become a dynamic communicator. • Become interpersonally competent. His clients include Pfizer, Glaxo SmithKline, Johnson and Johnson, Abbot Laboratories, PepsiCo, AT&T, Chase Manhattan Bank, Citigroup, General Motors, UBS, AXA Advisors, Cabot Corporation, The Aetna, PECO Energy, Olin Corporation, Minerals Technologies, The Boys and Girls Clubs of America and a number of small and family owned businesses. Bud is a cancer survivor and lives in Denver Colorado with his wife Cathy. He is a retired rugby player and an avid cyclist. He likes movies, live theatre and crime fiction.

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