Today I thought about how elite cyclists think about position, power, control, efficiency, and endurance. I have three different riding positions set up with various handlebar configurations on my bicycle. I use each for a different reason.
The aero bar configuration best positions riders to apply their strength (glutes), gives the most endurance, creates the least wind resistance, and allows the fastest speeds. This configuration uses narrowly-positioned elbow rests to allow the cyclist's torso to be parallel with the ground.
The tradeoff for this sustained power in the aero position is...control. Access to the brakes and gears requires moving about, yielding a slower reaction time. Additionally, the rider's arms and hands are along the centerline of the bicycle, reducing steering control.
Like great cyclists, great managers know that trading off personal control in the long run yields a more powerful, sustainable organization. When applied in the right context (a non-crisis situation within an culture of established high trust) everyone is better positioned to apply their strengths, the team has more endurance, there's less organizational friction, and the mission moves ahead faster on average.
Great leaders trade personal control to build more powerful & sustainable teams, communities, & organizations.
But wise leaders, like accomplished cyclists, also know there's a time and a place to use other riding configurations. The aero riding position isn't inappropriate for all circumstances. A powerful short sprint up a hill requires standing to leverage your full body weight, not just your muscles, to summit. And you can't easily do that on the aero bars.
So we must not only grow our competence in various riding positions, but also develop our instincts on when to use each position, alongside the agility to switch rapidly between configurations as the situation changes.
In your leadership practice, are you choosing your riding position based on personal comfort? Or on outcomes for your mission like strength, endurance, speed, and agility? Can you instinctively assess when to use each position and rapidly change between them as circumstances evolve?
* Another footnote on audio recording today: it's also difficult to filter out background traffic noise! Hopefully the captions help.
This is not an adventure for those who fear getting a little sweaty. Upon arriving at my destination, my arm reminded me that this journey will take sweat (and probably some tears and blood as well)!
