Leaderless

“What makes a great leader? It’s someone who makes their employees feel safe, who draws people into a circle of trust.”

I didn’t say that, Simon Sinek, the best selling author of, “Start with Why”, did. If you even think you are a leader, then you must have heard of Sinek’s TED Talk or read his books. Not only that, Sinek continues that leaders create, “trust and safety—especially in an uneven economy—means taking on big responsibility”.

Sinek talked about this four years ago, so instead of an “uneven economy”, change it to, “pandemic” and this is what we clearly are in short supply of the past 4 months- leadership. leadership.

“Leadership is not about titles, positions” according to John Maxwell. It is putting oneself into the shoes of your followers and feeling what they, the people on the streets, feel. It’s also called, empathy. Instead, we have tone-deaf people in positions of power.

To our “leaders”, past and present, ask yourselves: “Do I believe that my people today feel safe? Do I believe that my people will trust me and follow me?” Leaders are called leaders because they lead, they rush head first into the sound of gunfire. They don’t put their people at risk. They make their people feel safe.

I don’t feel that at all. Instead I feel like we are a ship without a rudder. We are Diogenes, looking not only for an honest man but a person who eats last.

Will a true leader step forward? Or are we going to be divided and perish?

Chris Froome commits to a new team for 2021

Froome, a 4x Tour de France announced last week that he will leave his home for the past 11 years to Israel Start-Up Nation (ISUP) next year. This of course created a buzz since this is the first time that a true contender and former champion has announced his transfer next year before the Tour de France. Usually, these things happen during or after the Tour.

The reason he is leaving is because his current team, INEOS, will not renew his contract for 2021. At 35yo and coming off from an almost career-ending injury last year, Froome still wants to win two more Tours. But the problem is that Ineos has two Tour winners the past two years in its roster. While Geraint Thomas (2018 Champion) is not young at 34yo, he still has a contract for next season while defending Tour champion Egan Bernal, is still 23 and is signed until 2024. Froome is yesterday’s champion.

So this begs the question: Why will INEOS go into the Tour with three Alphas? We already knew what happened when two Alphas ride and got for the Yellow Jersey.

Well, INEOS announced that they will field the trio. Dave Brailsford, the INEOS principal, will have a job to do in which he doesn’t have full control of when he fields the three Alphas. If this was basketball, Brailsford can easily substitute an insubordinate player but in cycling, there is no substitution when heaven forbid, Froome goes rogue during a mountain stage. Brailsford is known for his cold decisions, but this time he used his emotions to include Froome in the team. For INEOS, this could be the dumbest decision or a very remarkable victory.