Weekly business newsletter – Full Speed Ahead

As a weekly business newsletter filled with bite-sized inspirational and practical advice, Vince Poscente’s Full Speed Ahead is an invaluable tool for business leaders in any industry or walk of life.

The following is an excerpt from professional speaker Vince Poscente’s weekly email newsletter, Full Speed Ahead.  You can sign up for the business newsletter, which offers insightful and humorous articles on peak performance that will help you to embrace speed in your business and personal life.  

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Power of Earning
By Vince Poscente
August 15, 2007

Ah, the French. You gotta love ‘em or love ‘em. They host the Tour de France with fierce pride.  Near my home the other day I was enjoying a recreational bike ride with Franck, a close friend from France.  Along our route, we saw a number of other riders wearing yellow jerseys.

As you know, the yellow jersey is the leader’s jersey in the Tour de France. You lead any stage of the race and you get to wear yellow. Yet, here at White Rock Lake in Dallas, you can wear anything you like.

Franck was put off though.

“The yellow jersey is reserved for people who have earned it,” said Franck well into the ride.  He explained that you would never see a cyclist wear a yellow jersey in France.  It would be the ultimate cycling “faux pas.”

Earning your reward has everything to do with how you define integrity. Twenty-four years ago I learned a valuable lesson about my own integrity and earning my just reward.

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I joined the Canadian national wrestling team as a videographer in Brisbane for the 1982 Commonwealth Games.  During this magical two weeks I was frequently treated as an athlete and I didn’t go out of my way to correct anyone.  It was a fantasy of sorts to be considered one of the elite athletes of the world.  I was held in high esteem and it was fun to be in this crowd.

As I was leaving Australia a while later a customs official noticed the special Commonwealth Games visa that adorned my passport.

“Were you in the Commonwealth Games?” asked the tall, beefy Aussie with a great deal of excitement.

“Yes,” I said thinking that the fantasy of being an athlete could have one last ‘hurrah.’

“What sport did you compete in?” he said has he leaned further over the counter.

“Wrestling,” I said with the instant feeling I had trapped myself into more questions.

Sure enough, the border official said, “Did you win?”

“No,” I said, hoping the questions would stop.

“Well how’d you do?” he asked.

I paused, with a great deal of discomfort while I quickly calculated the best possible answer. “Fourth,” I said.

The six foot five, sandy blonde official could tell I didn’t like admitting “fourth place.” He walked around the kiosk and put his massive hands on either side of my shoulders. He got down to eye level and said, “Fourth is OK mate.”

I grunted.

He went on.

“Why? Because I’m proud of you and I don’t even know you.” He continued. “Your country is proud of you.” He didn’t stop there. “And… your parents are proud of you.”

I slinked away eventually. The feeling of ‘not earning it’ never went away.

I think that defining moment was the seeds of the idea to begin my own Olympic quest in Speed Skiing five years later.

Sure, a surprise windfall might be the fastest means to win something. Telling a fib to gain access to a higher position might be the quickest way to succeed… short term.  But in cases like this it becomes tough to reconcile a true win with your own personal integrity.

Until next week it’s full speed ahead,

Vince

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Vince’s short, weekly business newsletters are already enjoyed by thousands as a refreshing weekly reminder to put things in perspective, with tips on improving business efficiency and personal thoughts.

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