Franck S.’s Post

Tough Decisions by Kiwis in America's Cup Explore the strategic decisions and challenges faced by the Kiwis, New Zealand's team in the prestigious America's Cup, in this insightful article. #FOILINGnews

For many of you who have known me for a while, you know that the sport of cycling, and especially, the Tour de France, is something I follow intently every year. Today ,the cycling world witnessed a historic moment as Sir Mark Cavendish (one of my favorite riders of all time) achieved his 35th Tour de France stage win, surpassing the legendary Eddy Merckx's record of 34 wins. Despite facing adversity and doubts, Cavendish's perseverance and will to win prevailed. This victory, coming 16 years after his first stage win in 2008, showcases the power of resilience and dedication. Cavendish, known as the "Manx Missile," overcame a career-threatening crash last year, displaying remarkable fortitude. His success is a testament to the support of his family, team (ASTANA QAZAQSTAN), and unwavering belief in himself. As he once said, "If your goal truly matters, you will never quit," inspiring us all to push through challenges towards our aspirations. While most of us may not be professional athletes like Cavendish, we can learn from his journey. Perseverance, the ability to persist despite difficulties, is key to achieving success. Reflect on what truly matters to you and what goals you aspire to achieve. What is holding you back from pursuing your dreams with the same determination as Sir Mark Cavendish? #tourdefrance #markcavendish #perseverance #leadership #accomplishmentculture

What can business leaders learn from Olympians? Our latest article by Australian cycling champion, Anna Meares, reveals how competitive rivalry can fuel success. Read Anna’s inspiring story to elevate your game here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gNBEx8-U #Procurement #TakeTheLead #Competition

🏊♂️🚴♂️🏃♂️ The Heartbreak of Near Misses: Reflecting on Sam Long's IRONMAN Frankfurt Journey Last weekend, amidst the historic backdrop of Frankfurt, Sam Long, known to many as the 'Big Unit', gave it his all in an attempt to clinch a spot for the much-coveted Kona IRONMAN World Championships. Despite an awe-inspiring display of endurance and strength, Sam narrowly missed qualifying. Having followed Sam’s career and witnessing his dedication and resilience, this outcome reminds me so profoundly of the razor-thin margins between success and near-misses in competitive sports. The journey to achieve elite status, especially in a grueling event like IRONMAN, is filled with such highs and lows. Each race isn't just a test of physical limits but also a mental and emotional battle. 🤔 It poses a question to all of us striving in various professional fields: How do we handle setbacks? Do we see them as stumbling blocks or stepping stones? 💡 A lesson here is clear - perseverance and resilience are non-negotiable. Whether you're a triathlete like Sam, a budding entrepreneur, or a professional climbing the corporate ladder, every setback is a setup for a comeback. Let's take this moment to not only applaud Sam for his unyielding spirit but also to reflect on our own responses to setbacks. How do you bounce back stronger from professional or personal setbacks? 👉 I encourage you to share your stories of resilience in the comments! #IRONMANFrankfurt #SamLong #resilience #professionalgrowth #setbacks #comebackstronger #endurance #sportpsychology #triatlon Discover more tips, insights, and resources by visiting our site at https://lnkd.in/gnDcMmaA

In sports, the best coach is not necessarily the best athlete. And that also goes for CEOs. An example: Sven Vanthourenhout, the former head coach of the Belgian cycling team, helped our team to get 99 (!) medals. That’s a record. Now, Sven can’t make someone like Wout van Aert or Tim Merlier cycle faster. What he CAN do however, is create a team spirit in which everyone pushes their limits, cooperates with their team mates, and wants the team to win. Despite every cyclist having their own separate team and goals. Without a coach like Sven, a lot of cyclists will ride for themselves, their own career, their own team (which you could see in the Gravel World Championships). *** The same goes for companies: As a CEO (or manager), you want to surround yourself with good, talented people. But that alone isn't enough. Real leadership is making sure there’s a strategy, a vision. And grouping everyone around that vision. Only then will you reach the full potential of your team. Where 1 + 1 = 3. PS Is it obvious I’m into cycling? 😅

Consider the profound impact of a mere 1% improvement. It may seem insignificant, but its implications for your career or life can be monumental. Reflect on the British cycling team's transformation in 2010. After enduring decades of mediocrity, they welcomed Dave Brailsford as Performance Director and embraced his concept: "the aggregation of marginal gains." This isn't just cocktail chatter; it's a testament to the power of small, meticulous improvement. Brailsford left no stone unturned, scrutinizing every detail of the British team, from riders' cramp gels and dust that got into the bikes to fabric compositions. His goal? Enhance each aspect by just 1%, banking on the cumulative effect of marginal gains. The results were staggering. From 2012 to 2017, British cyclists achieved unprecedented success, claiming 178 world championships, 66 Olympic or Paralympic gold medals, and 5 Tour de France victories. It underscores the power of detail. In the words of the late Jim Rohn, a giant in the personal development world, "Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day." It's about consistent and intentional actions. Commit to this philosophy. Embrace small improvements daily and watch as momentum propels you forward. See you at the front of the pack!

FANTASTIC BUSINESS LESSON FROM THE OLYMPICS... Watching the Olympics over the weekend, I was particularly impressed with the Women's Cycling Road Race Event. The final sequence of this 158-kilometer (98 mile) race was thrilling... and (I believe) there's a business / sales takeaway. Here's the setup: American Kristen Faulkner, along with another cyclist from Belgium chased down the two leaders with about 3.5 kilometers remaining in the race. For a brief moment, there was a pack of 4... jockeying for position as they rounded a turn. Then, Kristen Faulkner made her move - she sprinted ahead of the pack - surprising the commentators and (presumably) her rivals as the finish line was still several kilometers ahead. Kristen explained afterwards: "I knew that if we caught them, then I had to attack because I couldn't beat any of them at the line. The best place to attack was right after we caught them and everyone was tired. That was my chance, I practiced my late attack several times this year." Kristen was the least experience cyclist among those on the podium. Her background is in business, having previously worked for a silicon valley VC firm. She walked away with the gold medal (the USA's first in that event in 40 years) and afterwards she said the following: "I learned how to calculate risks and assess risks. In a race, I take that mindset with me: What is the risk-reward ratio? Knowing when to go all in." For me... one of the big takeaways... DON'T ALWAYS WAIT UNTIL THE END TO MAKE YOUR MOVE. The world of business and competition is not always like a fireworks show... you don't need to wait until the finale! Knowing when to make your best move and sprint head (whether working on a project, giving a presentation, or directly facing off against your competition) is immensely important. #olympics #competition #sales #businesslesson

❓ “Will it make the boat go faster?” ❓ and why keeping things simple can make you achieve more. I have been purposefully working on “focus” since the beginning of this year and how doing less can lead you to achieve more. And yesterday, when I had the chance to step away from the office and attend a GenAI sales event (BTW, thanks LinkedIn for Business for the invitation), I heard this phrase that really brought it home. If you haven’t heard of this phrase before, in 1998 after losing the Rowing World Championship, Ben Hunt-Davis and the rest of the GB rowing team realised that if they carried on doing what they were doing, they would keep ending in 7th place. Instead, they changed how they approached rowing and just asked themselves a simple question – which steered the decisions they made. “Will it make the boat go faster” ultimately helped them land a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In a time when no one seems to have time, when we are multitasking or going from one meeting to another without a break, when we think that AI can actually solve all of our work problems, when we are snowed under internal reporting or internal committees, we need to remember that being busy doesn’t make the boat go faster, that working late doesn’t make the boat go faster, that having a long list of to dos doesn’t make the boat go faster. Keeping it simple gives us clarity and direction. Get rid of all the distractions and be the leader that challenges and asks… “Will it make the boat go faster”?

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Is there any sport as beautiful and riveting for its viewers and simultaneously as hard and dangerous for the participants as "the Tour"? While we sit comfortably in a lounge chair, watching the stunning French countryside and mountains, urging the cyclists on in the mountains, they are out there pushing their bodies to the maximum for 21 days, hurting even when they are lucky enough not to fall. There is no sport as hard as the Tour de France. Guaranteed.!! This is the one sport where you make sure you watch the interviews at the end. Cycling seems to be the one sport where you can still get a real, from-the-heart interview at the end, instead of the pre-packaged and coached responses after a rugby game. In these interviews you see the hurt, the unbridled joy and frequently tears of relief after years of trying to win. You see the immense joy of a team mate congratulating a winner. You hear the F bombs if the day didn't go as planned. Real emotion!! Just a quick summary for those not close to the sport: There are 7 competitions playing out on a continuous basis over the 3 weeks of the Tour: 1) yellow jersey - or overall winner or GC (general classification). The person with the shortest cumulative time across all the stages. 2) the white jersey - same as above, but only for riders under 26 years. Uses the same times as above 3) green jersey - Based on POINTS collected in the sprint stages - not based on time. Competed for by the big sprint teams. 4) Red polka dot jersey - based on POINTS collected in the various mountain stages. 5) winner of the stage of the day (there are 21 stages and 2 rest days) - winning a TDF stage puts you in a different league i.t.o. earnings. It's like winning an Oscar 6) most combative rider for the single stage - the person that spent the most time on the day in the front , or rode the most aggressively - gets a red number to wear the next day 7) team competition – a very low key competition during the 21 days Drop me a comment what you love or hate most about the Tour.

High Performance Team: 2nd place with the team in the 1st Baden-Württemberg state league at our home race in Neckarsulm. The result with individual placings 3, 6, 7, 11 and 15 was an outstanding team performance in the 1st league. Why is that possible? Because we have a goal in mind and we deliver a consistent high performance over the long term, which ultimately led to a 2nd place in the overall ranking in 2024. In a professional context, this means ‘high performance team’ in a strong team, where everyone works together to achieve a one goal and is driven by the dynamics of the team and a mutual trust. The following three characteristics can be identified from this: •A consistent goal: All team members have a personal passion for a common goal, which binds them together and gives them direction. • Sustainable success: This is made possible by all team members achieving high performance over a long period of time and thus achieving outstanding results. • Shared success: The team sees itself as a unit. Everyone is valuable, but there is no room for lone warriors. It is not the personal successes that count, but only the achievements of the team. The team members are interdependent and see themselves as a unit. In a business context, the success of these teams does not only depend on the product or service sold or the individual talent of the team members. In fact, a correlation can be identified between the type of cooperation and the framework conditions for such teams that lead to success. What do you think? 😉 #league #suntriathlon #team Angst+Pfister