“If you can’t feel the wind, it’s behind you.” – Part 2 of 3

Note:  This is the second of a three part series.  To read the initial blog, click here.

The first installment in this series dealt with the implications of a headwind – i.e., what happens when you’re riding directly into a strong wind and the implications of sustained exposure to such a force. 

You may have noted that I stated that a strong wind is bad in 3 out of 4 directions.  A subtle and perhaps less-obvious implication of riding in wind is the effect of a crosswind.  In the referenced ride with a 30mph wind out of the south, the east/west segments of my ride were also difficult, but in a very different way than riding directly into the headwind.

If you’ve ever watched a broadcast of a pro cycling race like a stage of the Tour de France, you will hear the commentators call out if there are crosswinds on the route and the effect that can have on the riders.  The few riders that may be out in a breakaway must deal with them but perhaps more challenging is the impact crosswinds can have on the main group of riders called the peloton.  Strong crosswinds can split up the peloton into two or more smaller groups.  This is significant because teams can get split, or competitors for the overall lead can get split, putting riders that fall behind at a significant disadvantage.  Crosswinds can also cause a simple wheel tap that results in a pileup of riders causing injury, equipment damage and in some cases, causing a rider to abandon the race altogether.  In a crosswind, every rider is on edge.

For most of us weekend warriors, it simply goes back to a different form of exertion and energy drain as you’re constantly having to work harder to control the bike and drive power.  In short, you spend more energy to go slower than if there were no wind at all. 

One special hazard of a crosswind in particular is strong gusts.  A rider can be clipping along at a pretty good rate and a gust can hit a rider causing bike control and an incremental energy hit.  In extreme cases, it can create a safety issue.  A close friend of mine was actually knocked over on a ride while training for an Ironman by a wind gust.  Fortunately, her injuries were relatively minor.

Riding in a headwind is mostly about the grind – head down, get in the right gear and do what you can.  Crosswinds however require even more attention to your own bike control, but also to what’s happening around you – both with your teammates and your competitors.  Crosswinds induce complexity and variability into a ride.

Last week during a webinar, I was introduced to a derivative acronym, VUCAD, where D was for Disruption, added to its more familiar cousins: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. 

In applying this into our workplaces and our leadership context, a crosswind can be any force that creates a VUCAD set of circumstance, where our riding requires a different level of attentiveness and energy.  The impact isn’t just on our physical power but also in our cognitive and emotional energy.  We simply pay a different toll. 

Here are some questions for reflection,

·      Are we able to discern the difference between a headwind and crosswind in our organizations, and adjust our riding accordingly?

·      Perhaps more importantly, how is the rest of our organization handling the crosswind?  Are we able to stick together or are we getting split apart?  Are we protecting ourselves and our teammates?  Where could danger become real and cause loss?

·      Finally, what are the impacts of the crosswind to the macro-economy?  To our competitors?  Partners?  Suppliers?  Customers? 

How we are able to answer these questions will have a lot to do with our ride and our position in the race.