The Giro started this weekend. We of course hope for Dutch glory again in the person of Tom Dumoulin and his team Sunweb. The Tour de France will also start again in the summer. Cycling is one of the main sports where both the individual and the team are of crucial importance. Talent can only succeed if the team functions. There are many interesting management lessons to be learned from cycling in particular. We have listed 6 for you.
Lessons and leaders must follow.
A major cycling race is a war of attrition. Even a great leader must recognize that it is impossible to always be in the lead. In a cycling team you have specialist riders who can do the leading work in certain circumstances (for example in strong winds or in the mountains). These specialists can lead in their own niche like no other. You cannot be the best at everything, but sometimes it is wise and necessary to take on the next position as a leader.
You need everyone
A red card in football is often disastrous for the result. This also applies to cycling. If one rider drops out, the rest have to work harder. So you need everyone. In fact, during a team time trial your time is only determined once the last rider has arrived. As a leader, it is crucial to keep your team together. You need everyone in the team, everyone has their own role. If you lose people along the way, it becomes even more difficult to achieve your goals.
Material matters
Without the right equipment you won't get far. Whether it is cycling or Formula 1, for example, investing in materials and technology pays off. You can't be a great time trial rider without a good time trial bike, simple as that. Give your team the materials they need to perform. Do not save on technology, IT or other important materials, this will undoubtedly be at the expense of the team atmosphere and performance.
It starts with training
In a team that is attuned to each other, the team members understand each other well and know each other's strengths and weaknesses. It is a well-oiled machine. The best coordinated teams, which use individual qualities in the interests of the team, are generally the most successful. However, forging a well-rehearsed team is faster said than done. That takes an effort! So training. The apparent ease with which the best cycling & football teams perform is the result of intensive training.
There is always time for recovery
Joop Zoetemelk used to say it: 'Paris is still far away'. When you work with your team on a large project, there is always time to correct any mistakes. In cycling it also regularly happens that team members, or the leader himself, have a bad day. That can happen. But, there are almost always opportunities to correct the error. Where people work, mistakes are made, so don't count your team on human errors, but above all motivate them to learn from mistakes and repair them.
Share the proceeds
Success must be shared! In a professional cycling team, the entire team contributes to the leader's success. However, the proceeds do not only accrue to the leader, but are distributed among the team members. For example, when winning a major round, all team members receive a significant bonus. This ensures that all team members have the same goal in mind and are committed to the leader of the team. This shows how important it is to have a shared goal and therefore also a shared reward in mind. For example, by working with a team bonus instead of, or in addition to, individual bonuses.
At Kenneth Smit, we are often inspired by the top performances of sports teams in our training techniques. Football, Formula 1, cycling, there are many lessons to be learned from top athletes. Do you want your team to perform optimally? Then get to know our offer.