Great teams don’t need heroes: Lessons from the Peloton

I don’t want to be the hero. 

I used to. And I’ve had my fair share of the plaque, the podium, and the spotlight of the “award winning designer”.

But chasing that spotlight came with a hidden message: you can’t do this without me.
And that chipped away trust before I even saw it.

I was lucky to have a mentor who called that out in me early — And recently, I discovered cycling has always had a better way.

In a peloton, riders take turns at the front, cutting the wind while everyone else conserves energy. Stay up front too long and you’ll burn out fast. Try to break away solo, and sooner or later, the pack reels you back in. The win doesn’t belong to the loudest rider. It belongs to the group that trusted each other enough to share the grind.

That’s how I see work.
Take your turn in the wind. Fall back when it’s time. Trust others to pull.

Yet too many companies still celebrate that lone wolf. 

The rockstar who “stood out.”.

The hero “who made it happen”. 

Here’s the truth most organizations don’t want to hear: Stop building podiums. Start building pelotons.