Leadership in a disrupted world: ICE Breakfast with the bunch
What does leadership in a disrupted world look like? Refuelled after our ride with good food and coffee, I enjoyed hearing the insights of Sarah Lloyd (Qantas), Jason Tuendemann (Amazon Web Services) and Anthony Seibold (England Rugby) at my first Breakfast with the Bunch hosted by the International Cycling Executives (ICE) Sydney branch.
As a sports dietitian specialising in performance nutrition for cyclists ranging amateur to elite, a key interest of mine is the role nutrition plays upon performance both on and off the bike.
However, beyond nutrition I love to learn and share strategies that improve performance, leadership, mindset and enhance the personal growth and development of myself and clients.
I am an avid note taker during meetings and these are some of the key thoughts the panel had to share at the August ICE Breakfast with the bunch event.
Sarah Lloyd (QANTAS)
One of the greatest challenges over the last few years working remotely has been the need to manage ambiguity, problem solve, adapt and pivot. It can be challenging to read a virtual room on Zoom so learning to make decisions with minimal information (or providing your team with confidence to do so) and being able to manage the isolation working from home is critical.
Sarah’s best personal development recommendation was to build a culture of regular two-way feedback between yourself as a leader and those who report to you. Don’t just leave it to the annual review, it needs to be a daily and weekly culture that is invited. We need a mirror to know what is or isn’t working - especially when working remotely.
While reliance in the corporate world can be used as an excuse to push and ask for more, it is important to be able to see a way through a challenge. Identify any win or any positive thing that we can learn through challenges by focusing on what we can and can’t control. There has to be a way forward and when things are really tough, just show up, be present and take it from there as we will always find a way through.
Jason Tuendemann (Amazon Web Services)
Moving from in person to all virtual meetings, Jason’s advice was to ensure that you prepare for virtual meetings the same way you would an in-person one. Don’t book zoom calls back to back all day as this will mentally drain you, but create gaps between meetings so you can be mentally and physically present.
When working from home, you lose those corridor conversations which can mean you lose connection with what is going on within your company or team. As a leader it is our responsibility to be visible for the team, keep them in the loop, be honest and let them know about tough decisions and keep them involved.
Jason’s best personal development was from identifying the things that he didn’t want to do and then forcing himself to do that. Challenging yourself in this way is uncomfortable, but it grows you the most!
Just like the best athletes in the world have coaches, as a leader it is essential to have coaches and mentors around you to provide continual feedback and trusted advice. By coaching others around us, we can also grow and learn in this manner.
Anthony Seibold (England Rugby)
As a leader, Anthony stressed multiple times how self care is key. When life is chaotic, the pressure is on and we are tired or stressed, it is tempting to drop the basics of self care - be that sleep, good nutrition, exercise. However during these intense periods, self care is critical. Because if we are tired and not fully present - those we work with or lead will notice and our performance as a leader will suffer.
“As a leader we need to prioritise self care routines in tough times.”
Anthony shared that his best personal development has come by being creative and learning from other sports, coaches and disciplines about how to build a positive environment, stimulate and support growth of the athletes within the team.
There is a lot to be learned from other sports and I loved how while Anthony coaches Rugby players, they use a cycling theme and the Tour de France to demonstrate the importance of all players within the team - not just the one who kicks the goal or crosses the line first.
Many people don’t necessarily think of cycling as a team sport - but if you consider the domestique rider at Tour de France, that athlete is the one doing the selfless acts that don’t always get recognised for the benefit of the greater team. Without him or her putting in so much effort to protect their leader, the athlete aiming to end up in the yellow jersey may end up fatigued and have their performance compromised. While they eyes may be on the person crossing the line first - it is important to spend time with those behind the scenes to ensure they know how valued they are within the team.
So many nuggets of wisdom to absorb and share, I look forward to what’s in store at the next ICE Breakfast in the bunch.
Gemma
Fuel your cycling with confidence
Do you want to know how best to fuel your training sessions? Are you keen to lose weight and optimise your performance?