What Michael Dell and Lance Armstrong can teach us about change

We marvel at the accomplishments of the finest ‘doers’ of our time. How about Lance Armstrong’s miraculous recovery from cancer to win perhaps the world’s most grueling event – the Tour De France (7 times)? Remember the start of Michael Dell’s brilliant, revolutionary direct to consumer business model for selling computers?

For both of these examples, there certainly was a level of comprehension or understanding that Lance and Michael endured on the way towards their unparallel success. Did Lance settle on just understanding what it would take to be a Tour De France champion – the timing, the nutrition, and the perseverance? Did Michael Dell just ‘relax’ when he drew out the plan to remove the middleman from the computer sales process? No and No.

Both individuals understood, comprehended, and then ACTED. Action is of paramount importance here. If Lance and Michael just thought about their dreams and goals and never acted, think of the dissatisfaction that they would feel.

Think about what you want. Map out a plan to get there and ACT on it.

Next time: Step 3: People Need Follow-up to Get Better