Team, Task, Individual and what is possible when they are all in sync.

Following the success of the British Cycling team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, British Cycling set about the formation of a pro cycling team. This was to be the Sky Team launched in 2010 with the ambitious goal of winning The Tour of France in 5 years. 

They won it in 2 by being distinctly differently to the pro cycling teams of the day.

So much of this can be transferred to business and change management.

➡️ Learn to win – In the early days they understood that they needed to learn how to win. So rather than fearing “failure” they experimented with different races and combinations to see what worked then learnt and improved.

➡️ Lead by Data – The approach of British Cycling that separated them out at the Beijing and London Olympics was to use science and data to create focus on areas that needed change. Interestingly this was blended with a “does it feel right” attitude so expert judgement was also used. This led to the "marginal gains" philosophy of continuous improvement.

➡️ The Team Win – Pro Cycling had been dominated by strong team leaders who demanded the team sacrifice and work for them. Sky made a win for the team more important than the individual.

➡️ Everyone had a defined role – When racing there was a detailed plan of how to ride that day, who did what at what time to support the team goal of winning. Nothing was left to chance and the plan was executed on the road with precision. This was totally different to most pro teams of the day.

➡️ Recruit Well – Elite level sport is unforgiving and draws people with enormous drive both in the back room and on the bike. The team management recruited well and dealt with any conflict or tensions in private. On the road the riders were generally lined up behind the team goal.

➡️ Individuals understood – In the off season the individual riders were treated as individuals with individual training plans and detail de-briefs on their goals, ambitions and how they fit the overall team strategy.

The result was that the Sky team won 12 grand tours across France, Italy and Spain over the 2010’s and changed the way pro cycling teams are organised today. 

The simple mantra of Team, Task, Individual can sum this all up and all need attention for projects to hum and “just work”.