Jonathan Opp

I love the metaphor. On the surface Tour de France is a race that has its individual superstars, but is very much a team effort. Team members are absolutely dependent on each other, and each member has a role that plays to their individual strengths. The goal is to have the fastest rider winning individual stages, and their strongest, most consistent rider winning at the end. Everyone has to be bought in to the strategy.

Last year Mark Cavendish became a superstar when he won six stages in the tour and was hailed as the fastest man on two wheels. But what sometimes gets less attention is the lead-out before the finish where Cavendish gets launched by some of the best supporting riders in the world. They take him as far and as fast as they can go, then move aside as Cavendish uses his speed at just the right moment to win the race.

So you can break away from the peloton, but you need good timing and positive attitudes to get there. In post-race interviews, winning riders are usually very careful to thank their team and share credit. This is no accident. Riders are often called to put aside their own individual performance for the chance to help a team member win.

Tony makes an interesting point here about technology and openness--the boundaries of what we're sharing and how often have certainly changed, as anyone who spends time on Facebook knows very well. Individuals now have the means to broadcast information in ways we couldn't have imagined a generation ago. With the more recent rise of mobile computing, we're always connected, always sharing, everywhere, all the time. The technology has created a truly disruptive environment.

So not only has technology helped move the boundaries of what we're sharing, it has also given more people a means to spread information and encourage transparency.

Which raises a question, the trend toward openness and transparency--is technology making it inevitable?

Thoughts? Keep them coming!