tour-de-france
As I write this the fabled Tour de France is underway – the Tour this year (2009) consists of 21 stages with a total distance of 3,500km (2,174mi). Ever watched the race? It was first staged on July 1, 1903 and is an amazing event combining the absolute ultimate expression of BOTH individual performance and teamwork. Sounds like the Body of Christ (Romans 12, I Corinthians, etc.) doesn’t it? Each stage has a winner and, of course, there is an overall champion – at the end of those grueling 3,500 kilometers! The length and challenge of the race sounds a lot like reaching an unreached people group.
But in watching the race you soon see that the heart of the Tour de France is the peloton.
Here’s what Wikipedia says about the peloton:
The peloton (from French, literally meaning little ball or platoon and also related to the English word pellet), field, bunch or pack is the large main group in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting or slipstreaming) near (particularly behind) other riders. The reduction in drag is dramatic; in the middle of a well-developed group it can be as much as 40% (my emphasis).
Ernst Shakleton’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1914-1917 has become a classic case study in leadership. Trapped in the ice and facing certain annihilation, Shakleton focused on keeping his men together – often with what seemed to be almost unreasonable discipline. Focused on the common good, the group survived. Not a single man was lost in the face of humanly impossible odds! And, in spite of the impossible, Shakleton has become a symbol of the remarkable capacity of people when they work together.
Seems to me it sounds a lot like the partnership paradigm. The fact is that we were designed by God to live and work in community. Thatis, until Adam and Eve made their fateful decisions.
Imagine a 40% increase in effectiveness in what you do – in the outcomes you see. If the peloton in the Tour de France can achieve that, can’t we at least aspire to that dream? And what might be the impact on our unreached people strategies?
What do you think?
Related content: Vertical Horizons
great post, thanks for sharing