One day, you’ll need to make a choice. Should you do the safe thing, which probably won’t work—but you won’t be criticized for doing? Or, should you risk trying the unknown thing, where you might succeed spectacularly or fall flat on your face? How do you know what choice to make?

During the 23 years I spent as a full-time firefighter, I had an annual evaluation each and every year. But I was never (and I mean never) asked about my Captain and his/her leadership performance.

My teammates and I have learned about building World Class Teams the hard way: by competing in and winning the world’s toughest ultra-endurance Adventure Races.

Right now, leaders are facing a situation similar to those I’ve faced when going into adventure races: they have small teams of employees trying to navigate their way through totally uncharted territory and working towards a challenging end goal amidst extreme time pressures and ever-changing conditions.

If there’s one thing that all of us know right now after the last few years of a global pandemic, the accelerated pace of technology, supply chain challenges, volatile markets, new and unique competitors entering our industries, etc, it’s that change is the only thing that’s going to stay the same in our lives, right? It’s ultimately how we and our teammates respond to times of challenge and change that creates our long-term success. 

Over the past few years, team leaders have had to cope with a lot: whether it’s adapting to remote work practices, keeping their remote team motivated, going through layoffs and furloughs, or more recently, grappling with the transition to hybrid work.

Great leaders and teammates have a keen insight into what makes each of their teammates tick or come alive.

All of us know that no matter how hard we try, no matter how well we plan, no matter how well we prepare, sometimes the journey ends very badly.

During the last few years of a global pandemic, one of the biggest leadership challenges was to find a way to effectively lead teams in a new era of remote work.

Why is teamwork so important? Because the best of the best never have a goal they can accomplish alone. The best of the best realize that they need to build a world-class team around them to get to those crazy, challenging finish lines, especially in times of change.

When most people think of teams, they think of a group of individuals moving together toward a common goal. But a “We Thinking” leader inspires their team to not just walk forward side by side—but to literally and figuratively carry one another when a teammate needs it.

For the past 15 years, my Adventure Racing teammates and I have learned the “hard way” about what it takes to get through any difficult endeavor.

Part 1 & Total Commitment: My teammates and I have been competing in (and winning) the world’s craziest ultra endurance multi sport Adventure Races for the past 20 years.

1 – Trials Don’t Rule Us – We Determine the Path of the Fight

In 2008, I began the transition from doing “well” in adventure races to doing “good” for Survivors. After 20 years of endurance racing, including 10 Ironman Triathlons and 40+ 6-10 day non stop multisport “Adventure Races” like the Eco-Challenge, I discovered that, what I assumed was a pulled hip flexor, was actually stage four osteoarthritis in both of my hips.

Imagine being a lifelong athlete at the top of your game — breaking records, winning world championships and loving every minute of it — and then suddenly being told you’ll never be able to compete again.

Robyn Benincasa, one of the highest rated female athlete speakers, and her adventure racing teams have learned about building world class teams the hard way – by competing in and winning the world’s toughest ultra-endurance adventure races. She shares her lessons on ‘Building World Class Teams’ with Fortune 500 companies to bring out the world class team builder, leader and peak performer in their employees.

When we have the label of “leader”, we often assume that to mean that we need to get out in front and show people the way. That may be true sometimes. But great leaders allow for leadership among team members based on their strengths and not their titles. They “manage” the team, but allow for different leaders to emerge.

How many times in our lives have we put something off because we’re not ready, we need more time, we don’t feel comfortable, etc. etc.

I love the Olympics. I love that Olympic athletes have been toiling away in relative obscurity for much of their lives, training for the ultimate moment. I love seeing them finally get their recognition when their amazing talents are brought into the light for the world to see.