Beware The Harmless Competitor Who Poses No Threat ... And Then Crushes You!

It happened last Monday.

Lance Armstrong, worldwide king of bicycle racing, was knocked out of the first day of a multi-stage race in Spain, when he unintentionally crashed into a split-second pile-up in front of him, causing him and his bike to flip over the pack …

… landing hard … breaking his collarbone.

Race over for Lance.

The pain, he said, is searing.

After a brief stint in a Spanish hospital, his next stop is the U.S. where surgery will take place.

At 37, and after a 3 ?-year layoff, Armstrong was planning a comeback. This race — and another in Italy in May — were intended to be his tune-ups for the supreme jewel, the granddaddy of them all, the Tour de France in July.

The crash, surgery, and recovery have sidelined the superstar. His plans for a comeback are thwarted.

Or … are they?

Lance Armstrong is no stranger to adversity. He’s been here before.

The last time a health-related issue made him “sit one out” it was much more serious than a fractured clavicle.

It was … cancer.

Few things grab your attention like a life-threatening illness.

But Lance is a fighter. Has been all his life.

So, he fought it. And fought it. And fought it.

And beat it!

And so … all those racing competitors who thought Armstrong was done … that he would never again ruin their finish line celebrations … who assumed his racing career was in the history books … curtain drawn … fade to black …

…just didn’t know Lance.

He came roaring back and did the unthinkable. The unimaginable. The un-doable.

He set a world record by winning seven consecutive Tours de France from 1999 to 2005.

AFTER beating cancer.

As remarkable as that story is, here’s another.

Abraham Lincoln was a loser of losers. Listen to this track record of defeat.

He failed in business in 1831. Was defeated for state legislature in 1832. Tried another business in ‘33 — it failed. Had a nervous breakdown in ‘36. Ran for Congress in ‘43 and was beaten. Tried again in ‘48 — defeated again. Ran for the Senate in ‘55 and lost. Ran for Vice President in ‘56 and lost. In ‘59, he ran for the Senate again and was defeated again.

So you can imagine what was going through the minds of Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge and John Bell — all candidates for president in 1860 — when Lincoln announced he too would run.

What would you have thought?

While Lincoln had had SOME political success, I suspect his presidential opponents didn’t consider him a serious contender. Maybe even laughed at him in their private moments.

Throw in this devastating fact: Lincoln wasn’t even on the ballot in nine southern states.

And yet … he fooled them all … and won!

Further, he went on to become — in the opinion of many political historians — our greatest president ever. That’s debatable, of course, but out of 43 presidents with completed terms, for some to think you were numero uno puts you in high cotton.

Here’s another great comeback story.

Mickey Rourke, in his younger days, was an actor who enjoyed success and critical praise in a variety of theatrical and movie roles.

He also had an 8-year amateur boxing career, compiling a record of 20 wins, 6 losses. Seventeen of his wins were by knockout, 12 in the first round.

Then things went south.

He returned to Hollywood acting and worked in relative obscurity. He had a long history of being a rabble-rouser and troublemaker, was labeled difficult to work with, and was turned down for many roles. He raged at directors and threatened producers.

One director said working with him was a nightmare and he was dangerous on the set.

One A-list actress refused to work with him. Rourke later conceded, “I wouldn’t want to work with me either.”

By his own admission, his rebel ways, eccentric renegade lifestyle, and “up yours” attitude cost him everything. He once said, “I lost the house, the wife, the credibility, the entourage. I lost my soul. I was alone.”

Convinced he was on a path to self destruction, he returned to boxing, having lost all respect for himself as an actor.

After years had passed, he tried acting yet again. It was all uphill. He was a Hollywood outcast.

He turned to his priest and many years of professional therapy. It was long and tumultuous, but the rebound began.

For the masses who were convinced Rourke’s film career was finished — and all those he trampled on who hoped it was — the surprise came this year.

Rourke won the part of Randy “The Ram” in the movie “The Wrestler”.

He hired a trainer from the Israeli army and worked like a madman. Through six brutal months of twice-a-day, high intensity weight training sessions and a high-protein low-carb diet, he went from 195 to 230 pounds.

He worked with professional wrestlers to learn the moves, the throws, the falls, the works. He did his homework.

The result?

Accolades galore.

He did months of guest shots on the TV talk show circuit. He won best actor in the Independent Spirit Awards. He won a Golden Globe as best actor. And was nominated for an Oscar as best actor. He was favored to win by many critics, but lost. Still, just through nomination, he was considered among the five best actors for the year.

Pretty impressive for a guy the film world considered dead and buried.

Here’s one more improbable winner.

Just last week, professional golfer Phil Mickelson entered the World Golf Championship at Doral fighting a virus, cold sweats and the shakes.

As the 4-day tournament wore on, his ailment intensified. He didn’t eat for three days, and in a matter of hours it grew into full-fledged Florida heat exhaustion and dehydration.

He was a trembling, blurry-eyed wreck.

So how’d he do?

Not too bad. Would you believe he led the entire pack wire-to-wire? (They were all healthy, mind you.)

And … he won the tournament! Launching himself to a #2 world ranking.

Well, there you have it. Four stories of winners who all have something in common.

Something no leader should ever overlook.

LESSONS & ACTIONS FOR YOU:

Did you spot what it is?

Best way to answer it is the way Mickelson did.

Plenty sick before the tournament began, he was later asked if he thought about not playing at all, dropping out. He said: “No, because that’s why they say, ‘Beware the ailing golfer.’ I knew going in I was going to play well. I didn’t have time to worry about Nick hitting great shots or the energy to worry about them. I was just worried about my shots.”

Ahhh, therein lies the secret message.

All four of these champions — Lance Armstrong, Abe Lincoln, Mickey Rourke and Phil Mickelson — were essentially counted out by their competitors.

Each for convincing and believable reasons.

They were disregarded as viable threats.

Yet in the end, each one dazzled the critics, mystified the crowd, shocked their competitors … and won. (Okay, Rourke didn’t win the Oscar, but he did win two other best actor awards.)

As a leader, what does all this mean to you?

Two important things…

First, never take your eye off a crippled competitor. He/she/it may be more dangerous than the healthy ones.

Right now … are there any competitors in your field publicly struggling with the recession? Maybe a company that just entered bankruptcy protection?

Them … right there … that company is YOUR Lance Armstrong. I’d buy high-powered binoculars and keep them in my vision 24/7.

They are dangerous.

Why? Because they’re not worried about beating you. Survival mode forces them to laser-focus 100% on fixing what’s broken about themselves. To levels they probably wouldn’t if they were healthy. And once mended … LOOK OUT.

Second, maybe you yourself are facing tough music right now. Or will be in the future.

It could be a business tanking. A product or outer office way behind plan. Finances in shambles. A department underperforming. Your marriage in trouble. Your life in turmoil.

I hope you’ll draw inspiration from Armstrong, Lincoln, Rourke and Mickelson.

And realize that this could be your mightiest moment. Your finest hour. When others are counting you out, NOW is when you can circle the wagons, gather your army, fix what’s broken, load your weapons, train the troops, rebuild your energy, and prepare for a bold new re-launch.

All under the radar. Virtually invisible.

Wildlife experts will tell you: Never corner a wounded animal. You’ll face a fierceness you can’t imagine. And it just may be your undoing.

For the record, I think the naysayers who believe Lance Armstrong’s broken collar bone will keep him from competing in July’s Tour de France are smoking wacky tobaccy. The way I see it, he’s right where he wants to be. Counted out.

But don’t be fooled — his inner pit bull just got unleashed. This guy is like Rocky — the fighter who hits the canvas like it’s a trampoline, always bouncing right back up. And willing to go the distance at all costs.

I can’t guarantee he’ll win the Tour de France. But no way I’d bet against him.

As a leader, “Beware the ailing golfer!” is a mantra to live by that will serve you well in all life’s competitions. Teach it to your team.

by Rick Houcek, President
Soar With Eagles, Inc.

Rick@SoarWithEagles.com
www.SoarWithEagles.com
www.PowerPlanningLLC.com