09.18.20
Entrepreneurial Lessons from The Tour de France
Larry Rottmeyer, Ph.D - Director of Innovation Education at The NIIC
The Tour de France is one of the great cycling tours that annually attracts elite cyclists from around the world. The Tour is now underway after a delay of two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic precautions.
The 2020 edition features 22 teams and started with 178 riders, 8 riders per team. There are 21 racing days, or stages, that cover towns and countryside, flat lands and mountains, and sunny and rainy days.
Watching the Tour de France offers some lessons for today’s entrepreneurs:
- Riders are experienced and well-prepared for the Tour.
- Riders have good equipment and are surrounded by a support team.
- Each rider has considerable talent to be eligible for the Tour.
- Tour roads and routes change daily and require rider adjustments.
- Riders expend considerable effort every day during the Tour.
- Riders have to rest and even have planned rest days during the Tour.
- Each stage is long and requires riders to refuel during the race.
- Riders are branded with team equipment, colors and numbers.
- The Tour attracts the best competitors.
- Riders know their competitors and where they are at each stage.
- Riders must expect the unexpected, particularly mistakes and accidents.
- Few riders are considered contenders to win the overall Tour.
- There are many small wins during each stage of the Tour.
- Most riders have true specialties and focus on their strengths.
- Key Tour metrics include time and speed.
- The Tour attracts lots of spectators – people are watching.
We often get ideas from looking at things differently, such as The Tour de France. A common creative technique is to build ideas from the characteristics found in another object, item or event. The Tour de France offers several lessons for the business builder. What might the Tour de Entrepreneur look like?
Similar to The Tour de France, the business builder’s adventure is filled with many challenging stages and uncertain events. We are here to join in the ride and support you.
We invite you to include our NIIC Navigator(r) Online Learning Management System in your business builder adventure. NIIC Navigator offers online instructional courses and an global academy.
Learn more by visiting our website or contact us at info@niic.net.
