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Lance Armstrong speaks out
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Lance Armstrong, Competition and the Workplace
With all the talk about Lance Armstrong and his use of steroids to win in the seven Tour de France championship titles, it made me think about competition and how it plays out in the work place.
I can tell you first hand that at Choptank Transport our sales and logistics teams are fiercely competitive; most are sports fans who wear their favorite jerseys to work on game day. No one’s shy about expressing their enthusiasm for their team
s quarterback or favorite pitcher. In fact, just about everyone in our office of about 120 employees is up for a contest or challenge when given the chance.
This healthy competition is great! It makes every day at work lively and interesting. It provides an upbeat atmosphere in what is often a very intense, busy and hectic office. But what if we had a group of cheaters who had insider information on game day, or who had an unfair advantage when winning one of our employee competitions?
What kind of atmosphere would this promote in the office if these things came to light?
The whole point of competition is to have the best person win, fairly and squarely. If you work hard for something you believe in, like a sport or even your job, it diminishes your goals when others completely disregard the rules of the game.
Just as Lance Armstrong’s legal team tried to deflect the allegations made by the whistleblowers with threats of counter suits, etc., there are those individuals in many workplaces that will play unfairly in business to benefit their own personal agendas.
At Choptank Transport, we are all about competition, but we also believe in respect, honesty and integrity within our company and towards our customers and carriers.
So is Lance Armstrong guilty? How would you feel if you were runner up in one of the Tour de France races that he won? This Thursday night at 9 pm, Oprah will have an exclusive interview with the athlete who may or may not make a public confession. Watch it… and you decide.
I can tell you first hand that at Choptank Transport our sales and logistics teams are fiercely competitive; most are sports fans who wear their favorite jerseys to work on game day. No one’s shy about expressing their enthusiasm for their team
s quarterback or favorite pitcher. In fact, just about everyone in our office of about 120 employees is up for a contest or challenge when given the chance.
This healthy competition is great! It makes every day at work lively and interesting. It provides an upbeat atmosphere in what is often a very intense, busy and hectic office. But what if we had a group of cheaters who had insider information on game day, or who had an unfair advantage when winning one of our employee competitions?
What kind of atmosphere would this promote in the office if these things came to light?
The whole point of competition is to have the best person win, fairly and squarely. If you work hard for something you believe in, like a sport or even your job, it diminishes your goals when others completely disregard the rules of the game.
Just as Lance Armstrong’s legal team tried to deflect the allegations made by the whistleblowers with threats of counter suits, etc., there are those individuals in many workplaces that will play unfairly in business to benefit their own personal agendas.
At Choptank Transport, we are all about competition, but we also believe in respect, honesty and integrity within our company and towards our customers and carriers.
So is Lance Armstrong guilty? How would you feel if you were runner up in one of the Tour de France races that he won? This Thursday night at 9 pm, Oprah will have an exclusive interview with the athlete who may or may not make a public confession. Watch it… and you decide.
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