I’ve just finished re-reading [”Every Second Counts“], by Lance Armstrong, seven-times winner of the Tour de France.

This is an inspirational and intiguing book.

Inspirational not just because Lance Armstrong survived a really bad case of cancer and came back to win the tour de France seven times in a row - but also because it’s a fantastic study into the power of refusing to be beaten and the level of dedication it takes to be the absolute best at something.

It’s full of anecdotes that illustrate very nicely how far you have to be prepared to go in order to win that consistently. My favourite story has Lance practice riding one of the ‘Tour’s mountain stages on what, for everybody else, is a rest day. Arriving back at the foot of the mountain, Armstrong is unsatisfied with his knowledge of the stage - so he rides the whole thing again, right up the mountain for a second time in one day!

And it’s an intriguing book because, on the one hand, he seems to know himself very well. Facing cancer gave him some great insights and he really does mean it that “Every Second Counts”. And his understanding of why he’s so driven to win, why he’s prepared to do what that takes is beautiful - and provides very useful lessons for us more slouchy types too!

And yet, as he lays out those cycling lessons in a very accesible way, things like ‘be dedicated’, ‘work really hard’, ‘have a plan’, ‘make team really important’ - he then talks about the personal costs of that dedication to his marraige and children - and says things like [I’m paraphrasing here] “Of course, the lessons from cycling don’t transate to your relationships with loved ones.” What?! Why ever not?!

It seems unfair to be critical like that of somebody so succesful. I really did enjoy this book and maybe I’ve made it seem a little less rounded by picking on that. But see for yourself. It’s a fascinating insight into a driven personality and into how people can know some parts of themselves and their lives so well that it brings huge success - but be completely (and maybe choose to be…) blind in other areas.

Other links:

[http://www.lancearmstrong.com/]

In the local deer park on Sunday we went past a trio of men - two in their thirties who have cerebral palsy and their carer, a slightly older guy holding hands and pointing out things in the park.

And, as has happened to me several times before in similar situations, this choked me up, so that I’m close to sobbing out loud.

The first few times this kind of thing happened, maybe four or five years ago, I couldn’t work out what was going on for me. It wasn’t a feeling of sorrow and certainly not pity. Actually it felt more like a strange kind of ‘release’. Why would I feel so emotionally effected by this?

Eventually I began looking back at previous situations - watching TV programmes, coaching with organisations in the voluntary sector, etc - and gradually I worked out what was going on. That it was seeing masculine guys, naturally, lovingly and hands-on caring for others that was getting to me.

Initially this dawned like one of those “Big Realisations” - flashing lights and drum-roll. Did this mean I’d taken a wrong-turn and should be a male-nurse or a care-assistant or a paramedic or something like that? None of those seemed right; possible yes, but not the best use of who I feel I am, not what I think I’m here to achieve.

By chance, I got interested in a personality profiling system. It turns out that I’m a Type Eight - “The Challenger”. And I can learn and develop most from being more like a Type Two - “The Helper”.

Here’s what it says about that:

“Underneath their drive for self-protection and independence, Type Eights have big hearts and generous impulses. Once they feel secure enough to let down their guards, they discover how much they care about people and how much they want to support others. In short, they want to be a source of good in the world and to express their love—and at Type Two, they do so. Since they remain Eights, their love is expressed in palpable ways that actually help and support people. “

So what I now think is going on for me, why I would feel such a huge, release-like upsurge of emotion on seeing these caring men is that they’re exemplifying that direction of growth for me.

I didn’t become a business consultant, when that would have been a very logical step, but I chose to become a coach, where the changes and improvements that I help to bring about act through the people involved - not outside of or even despite them.

And if you’re interested in that personalty profiling system, here’s a link:

[http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/]

And there’s a weekend taster course on Thursday & Friday 23rd & 24th November in Manchester UK, run by lady I know, Janette Blakemore (0191 422 3088 or email mailto:janette@insightcoaching.co.uk

These last few weeks I’ve been trying to pin down something that I think might be pretty useful.

I’m talking about when you reach that kind of director level (or ‘C level’ exec in the US) where you’re both a member of a team which has a stewardship responsibility for the whole organisation, but you also have a leadership role for your own teams.

Or maybe you’ve experienced this because, like me, you run your own business but also get involved with other projects and sit on a board or two somewhere. Or maybe because you advise or work with or lead teams of people like this in some other way?

It’s a funny thing, to have to be a leader and a team-member and an organisational-steward at the same time.

I’m learning that it takes more then just all of those three things combined. Especially interesting is how do you support colleagues who are also trying to do all three of those things at once? And, how do you direct what happens from there, so that the whole organisation moves in a direction that you feel is right? And, what do you do when your department is doing great - but one part of the organisation is not pulling its weight? I’m sure there are many more questions along those lines - those are just a few that have been coming up for me and my clients these past few weeks.

A word that seems to capture some of what I’m trying to say is “collegiate”, from the latin ‘collegium’ (partership). I’ve been hunting around the dictionary and wikipedia and have cobbled-together my an interpretion of what I mean by collegiate in this sense:

being explicitly united in a common purpose, and respecting and requiring each other’s commitment and ability to work toward that purpose

Can you see some of the things I hope are important here? Like:

• “explicitly united” - not just united, but in a clear, open, unambigious way
• “respecting…” - I notice that other peoples’ commitments and ability sometimes look and feel very different from my own; if I want to succeed in my board role, I have to respect that
• “requiring…” - I need it, I expect it, I instruct it; and I want them to hold me in the same way

I don’t want to pick apart the whole thing (why should I do all the work - you’re on this board as well, right?), but I hope this definition proves helpful if you’re combining those three roles of  leader, team-member and organisational-steward.

I got the latest email newsletter from my friend Tony Barton yesterday and I’ve been trying to find a way to archive it here, but can’t figure out how so I’ll do the next best thing and link you to his website [http://www.redkitecoaching.com]

Tony’s newsletter somehow always seems to hit the spot on so many levels.

I don’t often let myself admire other people and then Tony’s newlsetter pings into my intray and he’s being so open and light and clearly sat down, started writing and made an adventure of what came to him. This is how he lives his whole life - how cool is that!

And I know one of the other big things I can learn from him is something along the lines of whilst I love humanity, Tony really loves people. When I let myself do the same it opens up the deep conectedness that I yearn for.

I got a great email from my friend Jon last week in response to my last few blog entries.
Thought it was worth reproducing here - with my response. 
—– Original Message —–
> From: “Jon Willis”
> To: “Nick Robinson”
> Sent: Friday, October 06, 2006 4:46 AM
> Subject: So there’s nothing worse than someone reading your blog…
> 
> … then emailing what they think - but hell, I’m going to do it anyway
> love the direction you’re going with the blog and I confess, I smell
> something iffy in the ‘whole’ got to be fit, healthy, etc to do all of
> this and be in front of all these people….
>
> Kind of feels like maybe getting in front of people, etc is the route to
> physical health, etc - rather than do all this stuff, then do it.
>
> Byron Katie’s words of ‘Is it true - can you really absolutely know that
> you have to be fitter, healthier, etc to do what you want to do?’
>
> And, assuming that you don’t absolutely know that it is true, what would
> be different?
>
> I speak as someone that for years has thought I should be fitter, etc -
> now I’ve accepted that I am what I am (more or less) I notice I’m
> walking more, running more - just because I want to, no for any other
> reason.
>
> And this may well all be a pile of crap that I’m spouting - it would not
> be the first time.
>
> Whatever, great blogging, vulnerability and authenticity!
>
> With love mate,
>
> Jon x

——– Original Message ——–
> Subject: Re: So there’s nothing worse than someone reading your blog…
> From: “Nick Robinson”
> Date: Fri, October 06, 2006 12:58 am
> To: “Jon Willis”
>Thanks Jon,
>I really feel loved and understood that you would take the risk to say this.
>And I don’t think that what you’ve said is crap either. You and I know that if a client had >been saying what I’ve said in the blog, we’d have been on gremlin alert straight away, >especially with all the possible mis-beliefs around what you have to do first in order to be >who you are and possible issues around body-identity.
>So I did spend quite a bit of time hanging out with that, both before and as I was >writing it.
>You know it’s a difficult thing to discern what the truth is.
>I think it IS true that, because of the derailment my back caused in January, I’m simply >not fit enough to live a healthy life right now, and I really do need to address that.
>And, various bits of the world are demanding that I be visible right now, I’m actually >already doing it. And there is more on the way.
>Maybe I’m making it up or maybe it’s a genuine truth, but my instinct is that being >healthier etc would help me have the impact I want to have. 
>Especially, I could sustain more effort and when I’m aligned with my body it 
>boosts my presence.
>I would love to take you up on your separate offer of talking through
>-  when can we do that?
>with thanks,
>Nick