His cancer foundation was seen as proof of his integrity, his essential goodness. By the time the brutal truth was revealed -- namely, that Armstrong was intensively doping before, during and after cancer -- it was far too late to rewrite the story. Our job, then, is to be vigilant about examining would-be icons and vetting their tales.
The old saying applies now more than ever: if a story sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Join Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on twitter. Topics: Business , Lance Armstrong , ethics , leadership , marketing , nonprofit. Even when he started his charity, Livestrong , it was because of what happened to him — his ordeal, his cancer. When I saw his confession, I was struck by several things. First was the seeming lack of remorse. He also seemingly had no regret about the ruined lives on the road to his goal.
Although there was evidence and ongoing accusations of his cheating behavior throughout his career he steadfastly denied it, defended it and took out anyone who said differently, until now. Why now? He wants something. Small personality conflicts can develop into full-blown fissures over the course of a short stage race, and that's the scenario Lance seeks to avoid.
When there is discord in a team, it's nearly impossible to race effectively as a unit. The intensity of competition amplifies even the smallest personal conflict and clouds a rider's judgment during the split-second decisions so critical to success in races.
The situation gets even worse as the races get more difficult. It's always at the hardest moment, when a rider is at his limit, that emotions take over. If they're the wrong emotions, the team implodes; but if they're the right ones, the team gets performances that become legendary. All the money in the world can't buy a team as strong as the Discovery Channel, because it's impossible to build a stronger team without a leader more inspiring than Lance Armstrong.
To the outside world, Lance is an inspiration because he's a cancer survivor and a great athlete. There's an additional aspect to Lance that earns him the unending loyalty of his teammates. They know that when push comes to shove, when the pressure is entirely on his shoulders, their leader will turn himself inside out to win the race.
If there's a lesson to take from Lance's leadership style, it is that a leader can only count on getting percent from a team if it can count on getting the same from him. At the Tour de France, Lance's teammates are there to bury themselves for three weeks so he can ride into Paris wearing the yellow jersey.
It would be easy for them to keep 1 percent of their effort in reserve, just in case there was an opportunity to get a stage win for themselves, but they don't. They give every ounce of their strength because they see Lance right after the hardest mountain stages and time trials. Some choose bravado and blanket denials, but these are self-inflated balloons that distract no one. However, accountable leaders can transform a mistake into an advantage:. Owning up immediately and taking responsibility for mistakes is the adult approach.
Leaders who acknowledge their fallibility derive greater loyalty and respect from their employees. They also serve as the model for everyone to follow.
Mistakes are opportunities to improve. They signal a breakdown in process, checks and balances, etc. They re-open the discussion on accountability and job roles. With so many organizations and internal departments in flux—accelerated global business demands, workplace demographics, etc.
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