I chose Lance Armstrong as my leader because my sister-in-law passed away from brain cancer, my wife’s best friend passed away due to a rare form of bladder cancer. Both were 29 when they passed. I watched them struggle in their unsuccessful fight against cancer. Two years later I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had to deal with various treatments and the anxiety that accompanies the diagnosis. I personally appreciate how difficult Lance’s rebound must have been.
Lance Armstrong began his professional cycling career in 1992 after great success as an amateur cyclist and tri-athlete. In 1996, Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer that spread into his lungs, abdomen, and brain; immediate surgery and chemotherapy were required to save his life and begin his recovery. According to Lance Armstrong's official website (2011), Doctors gave Lance less than 50% chance of survival, yet Lance chose an alternative treatment that would be less toxic to his system, specifically his lungs.
After his recovery, Lance began his return into his professional cycling career in 1998. Although his first year back in cycling was not very successful, he continued to work and returned to the Tour de France in 1999 where he won four stages and the overall Tour championship. Lance continued to win the Tour de France over the next six years. Not only did Lance return from cancer and have unprecedented success in the sport of cycling, he also started his cancer foundation and raised millions of dollars for cancer research (LanceArmstrong.com, 2011). His leadership is seen through is constant drive through incredible adversity, while having the consideration to utilized his success for philanthropic endeavors.
References:
References:
Lance’s Bio. (Feb 2011). Retrieved from http://www.lancearmstrong.com/
Lance's Story (Feb 2011) Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.org/Who-We-Are/Our-History/Lance-s-Story
Lance's Story (Feb 2011) Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.org/Who-We-Are/Our-History/Lance-s-Story
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ReplyDeleteLeader Comparison: Lance Armstrong vs. Mark Zuckerberg
ReplyDeleteChuck,
Although Lance and Mark differ in many ways, I have come across a few commonalities. The first is the most obvious, in that that both individuals are highly successful entrepreneurs and leaders, and often grace the front page of various newspapers and have appeared in Time magazine.
We have all heard of or seen the movie about Facebook, "The Social Network,” but I am now hearing of talk of a movie about Lance Armstrong, which would not at all be surprising. I am also compelled to mention that both Lance and Mark have guest starred on The Simpsons on various occasions.
On the more serious side, I consider both individuals to be highly inspirational people and worldwide phenomenons, each in their own ways, and both have turned to the Web to further each of their own causes.
In contrast, the personality of Lance Armstrong is known to be more complex and multi-faceted, than that of Mark’s, or many people, for that matter.
Overall, I think there is a lot we can learn from the positive and negative experiences of both individuals, as we aspire to be great leaders, ourselves.
Hi Chuck,
ReplyDeleteMy step father passed away after a courageous ten year battle with four different cancers. I did not get the depth of his struggle until I read the book, "It's Not About the Bike". His description of his thought processes and his struggles really helped me understand what my step father was going through in a very minimal way.
His drive and vision for his future and the hard work he does with the Livestrong Foundation is why I see him as an incredible leadership and model for leadership in terms of endurance, drive, and passion. Thanks for sharing your story and how it connects with Lance and our quest to be good leaders.
Thanks,
Dave