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“We work with the best people and the best technology.” What can every leader learn from this historic move in cycling? Wout Van Aert, one of cycling’s great riders, signed on for the rest of his career with Richard Plugge and Team Visma l Lease a Bike. There are a few important factors to note here: 1. This contract comes at the end of a not-so-great season for Wout Van Aert. He had a few terrible crashes- and did not finish either the Tour de France or the Vuelta Espana- the two biggest races. The team leadership invested in his history and his potential. 2. Team Visma lost its position on top of the podiums for both the Tour de France and the Vuelta Espana- podiums they dominated in 2023. Wout Van Aert invested in the history of the team and the team’s potential. 3. Most important in this article, Wout says- “we work with the best people and the best technology…we focus on continuous improvement which means we grow both as individuals and as a team.” For anyone who wonders what culture really is- look at this article. It is not investing in people over systems, nor the other way around. It is bringing the investment into balance, and always growing and developing for better outcomes. What else do you take away from this incredible moment in cycling? #culture #leadership #takeyourspace

Last weekend, LangLeven’s Founder/ managing partner Annick-Isabelle Marcoux and General partner Leonard B.C. Schlemm — both accomplished athletes I look up to — competed in a Hyrox Race held in Toronto. 🏆 What’s most impressive isn’t just their winning of the mixed double competition, earning them a spot at the 2025 Worlds championships, but their decision to step outside familiar grounds — and devote resources needed to successfully navigate the unknown. Rather than sticking to disciplines they've mastered like cycling and marathon running, they chose to tackle an event pushing their perceived physical and mental limits in new territories. Their willingness to embrace the unknown is a powerful reminder of how important it is to continually challenge ourselves—regardless of age or experience. The commitment to shock our comfort zone is what keeps us sharp, focused, and healthier for the long run. A true lesson in growth and longevity. 🚀 Inspired ? 👉 Here are challenges that will surely test your limits : https://lnkd.in/eS_uJw9Y #longevity #inspiration  #keeponchallenging 

Creating a strong team spirit is no easy task. Some say it’s all about recognition, others highlight diversity, and the opportunity to engage in friendly competition—like the NSW Corporate Games—also works wonders in bringing teams together. At these Games, Transdev Light Rail teams in Sydney proudly displayed our team spirit—and let me tell you, we showed up strong across the board! We performed well in every event and even took home the Medallist Award for winning the most medals overall. Why? Because: -We showed up—and on time, naturally! (Punctuality is in our DNA) -We backed each other—team spirit isn’t just about winning; it’s about supporting one another, no matter the outcome. True team spirit grows when you feel supported, and yes, it comes from the occasional loss too. (Preaching? Maybe. But it’s the truth!) -Whether we won, lost, or laughed our way through the competition, everyone involved spoke of how much fun they had and how good it felt to be part of the team. In summary, we’ve got game—and plenty of it, as our results below prove: Golf: Gold and Silver - Women’s Single Basketball: Bronze – Men’s, and Sport Award Games Quiz: Silver and Bronze, and Sport Award Bowling: Silver and Bronze Badminton: Bronze - Women’s Single Table Tennis: Silver – Mixed Doubles Netball: Gold – Mixed, and Sport Award A big shoutout to all our participants who turned up, looked great, and played well. What a bunch of champions! #TransdevLightRail #NSWCorporateGames #StrongerTogether

When Your Experience Doesn’t Match the Hype I ran the Berlin Marathon in 2022 and had an absolute blast before the race even began. The starting corral was buzzing with fun music, people dancing, and the highlight—an epic Viking Clap. I’d never experienced a Viking Clap before, so in the moment, I wondered if it was some kind of Hunger Games tribute. But it was incredible. The energy and unity it created among thousands of runners was something special. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I found myself at the starting line of the Berlin Marathon again. For weeks leading up to it, I kept thinking about how fun that Viking Clap was, and how it set the tone for the race. I even joked the night before the race with my friend Karen Katigbak-Bernardo (who had ran with me in '22 and was running again this year) that I was only doing this marathon for the Viking Clap! The next morning, as we made our way to the start corrals, every time the music changed, we’d look at each other with anticipation. “Is this it?” we’d wonder. But the Viking Clap never came. Instead, there was a different warm-up routine—arms in the air, move side to side—but it lacked the joy and spirit of the experience I had been looking forward to. I felt a little deflated, and it made me wonder: If I hadn’t experienced the Viking Clap in 2022, would I have been content with this year’s pre-race routine? It reminded me of something similar I’ve seen in the workplace: a new hire joins, and seasoned employees rave about fun traditions the company used to do—like legendary holiday parties or spontaneous team outings. But when those new employees don’t get to experience those same traditions, it can create a sense of missing out, or worse, feeling like they’ve joined at the wrong time. The reality is, when our expectations are set by others’ experiences, it can lead to disappointment if they’re not met—whether it’s in running, the workplace, or beyond. What’s the takeaway? Expectations matter. As leaders or team members, we need to be mindful of how we talk about past experiences. Instead of setting expectations around what used to happen, we can create excitement for what’s ahead. Enjoy this video of the famed Viking Clap 😀

As we hardly talk about #setbacks on Linked-in, I would like to share my personal f**up story of this last weekend, where I participated together with 3 other great female sailors, outstanding personalities, at the First Austrian Female Sailing League.   We had never sailed together, and none of us had sailed with the boat before, and so - surprise, surprise – we finished #last. Still, we were very disappointed also because we had started well in the first race and our expectation had been raising. It was definitely presumptuous to think that we could have hold up well against the #experienced crews without #training and precise #knowledge of how to trim and handle this specific boat.   Will we do it again? Of course we will – as Einstein said: If you have never #failed, you have never tried anything #new.   #SAILING is a wonderful sport because you detach completely from your daily routine but you must be #focused all the time. When sailing in a competition you need to focus on many things at the same time: ⛵ Be in a good position when starting ⛵ Focus on the boats speed and trim ⛵ Focus on the wind / lifts ⛵ Focus on your ideal course ⛵ Focus on your competitors   If you want to be #successful as a #team it is quite similar to #business. You must 🤝 Have a plan and agree on it. 🤝 Communicate the plan in an understandable way to the whole crew. 🤝 Try to stick to the plan while being agile and adaptive when opportunities arise. 🤝 Have a clear split of roles among your team. 🤝 Concentrate on your tasks not the task of the others. 🤝 Not start analyzing your faults while still being in the middle of the regatta. 🤝 Focus on the next steps and be perfectly coordinated. 🤝 Stay positive even when things go wrong.   It sounds easy but it is very hard. It is even harder when you fail.   But a #setback is not a #defeat; it's a #set-up for a #comeback. And comeback we will – cu and hopefully also see our Nobel price winner Mr Zeilinger in #Gmunden next year! PS: the lady next to Mr Zeilinger did better than us, so congrats to Yvonne Adler and her team and to all the other teams who sailed better, you rock girls!

😎 Inspiration and passion 🚵♂️ MVDP has won a second "Roubaix", with a sharp attack leaving the whole peloton stuck on the cobbles (and after a huge work from his teammates, especially Gianni) One week before, the Ronde van Vlanderen 🇧🇪 was for him as well. Earlier in the month, he was helping his buddy Japser winning La Primavera Milan-San Remo, by a decisive aspiration given to him. Everything done wearing his 🌈 jersey gained in Glasgow after an epic race. And before the other 🌈 jersey in Tabor for cyclo-cross, after a season in the mud of the Belgian tracks, the snow of Val di Sole. MVDP is amazing and amazingly inspiring, he : ➡ Shows how a leader embarks a whole team into a long-lasting project : more than 10 years in a row ! ➡ Legitimacy comes from the field and mutual respect : be fair, smart and honest ➡ Leads by example : attacks sharply when needed, helps, brings bidons to the teammates, gets awards and rewards his teammates ➡This sport is individual, but you are nothing without your teammates : winning is a team-affair ➡ Remains a human-being and could not fight for the victory in his homeland for the Amstel Gold Race : failure is not a problem... ➡ Makes his passion his daily routine, his job, his pleasure, his life : live your passion ➡ Confirms that loyalty, trust, recognition and empathy are the best soft skills ever for a great leader : have them part of your behavior and grow them As an amateur rider as I am, MVDP is a great source of inspiration. I will never ever get the tenth of his power and strength on a bike, but he makes me climb more and more and push harder on the pedals at each occasion. Business wise, the bullet points over here are acumens to have by ourselves... We have the same passion, his Christic celebration is forgiven 😁 Let's move forward together ! 🚵♂️ 🚵♂️ 🚵♂️ ⤵ What about you, what is your passion ? How does it drive you ?

From amateur runner to solo challenger: My personal SOLA Challenge 2024 🏃♂️💪 I have to admit, I'm not actually a keen runner. However, running is the best way for me to efficiently integrate sport into my everyday life, especially in stressful times. Nevertheless, I am fascinated by the idea of the annual team/relay race in Zurich (called SOLA Staffette). 14 runners make in total 114km. All stages are different if it comes to height and length. There are many reasons for my fascination: - Strengthening team spirit: Create shared experience - Utilising individual strengths: Everyone can participate according to their abilities and training status - Physical training: Stay fit and have fun - The Reward after hard work: celebrate success together afterwards - Achieving major milestones: What is possible as a team in one day ... Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take part in SOLA this year - like last year. But instead of putting up with it, I came up with an exciting idea: why not start my own challenge out of it? 🎯 I am nobody giving up quickly... So - I will try to run all 14 SOLA routes once in the next six months. I'm not just taking part somehow, but I can also find out what a team can achieve in just one day, which I'm sure will take me a few months on my own. 💥 The plan has another advantage: Afterwards, I know every route for next year and can step in flexibly whenever a team needs support. Being an alrounder! A real backup plan! 🔄 I am sharing this this because I see many similarities with my professional life: Working together as a team to achieve great things that we can't do alone, suffering together, celebrating together and travelling the path together.  Being part of a group, using own skills and contributing to success as a small cog in the wheel I'm looking forward to taking on this challenge and I hope that others will also realise their own ideas, even if they are unusual, and not give up at the first setback. For me, having my own challenges also means making myself independent of external judgement. I know what I can trust myself to do, what I can achieve and I can also accept setbacks With this in mind, let's go for the first starting shot. Sola stage 1 ! 🏅 #SOLAChallenge #TeamSpirit #PersonalChallenge #FitnessJourney #RunningMotivation #BackupPlan #independence #growth #challange

Are you looking for ways to improve team performance? 🤔 Who isn't right?!? One strategy that many successful organizations implement is marginal gains. 📈 The theory shows that small yet significant improvements can lead to monumental results. It is otherwise known as the 1% Factor and was credited to the British Cycling team's dominance over recent years.🥇 Want to understand how you can use the same methodology used in high-performance sports to review your current team and culture and impact team development when you recruit...drop me a message! #teamwork #marginalgains #performanceimprovement

How to watch the 2024 Boston Marathon online for free

❓ “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”?