A day in Semenyih.

Today, it was a busy day in Semenyih. On a normal day, you would see 5 ton lorries going in and out of town but today it was 2-wheels 26'ers, 27.5's and 29'ers on mountain bikes. It's the 2 years once, PCC ride 'no race, just fitness' ride and fitness it was. 

Moving thru the unforgiving hills with some beautiful down hill tracks, today's 50 km ride was a rewarding  and a unforgiving one. Here are a list of winners and losers for the event. 

WINNERS 

1. The cardiovascular and respiratory team. 

If you don't train, don't even think of joining this event. It will torture you. As you roll uphill, it will take you to a corner and in your mind, you are hoping it's gonna flat but suddenly the terrain gets more steep and it brings your morale down. 

2. The 'Bitch'

Route 2 has it's name "The Bitch". I think the reason why they give it that name is because she screws your brain, and without a doubt she was very successful in doing that. 

3. The riders who consistently trains. 

Let me tell you, if you don't train consistently, you will not finish this ride. Despite training, many riders chickened out, (even myself). Therefore, if you don't train and if you can complete it, you have a blessed muscular system. 

LOSERS

1. Riders with big tummy.

I don't think it's aerodynamic to cycle with a big tummy. So, for those with one, its time to trim it down. Cycle more, take fat burner or go for calorie restriction. Whatever it is, do something. 

2. Smokers. 

I maybe wrong with this however this is what I observed. When you have 2 riders of the same fitness levels, the smoker is pressured more, especially during a climb. Well, if you ask the surgeon general, he will probably tell you the same and back it up with a published report. 

3. Those who consume lot's of protein bar. 

I observed a group of cyclist of about 5 riders, who slowly but surely was slowing down, getting tired and eventually went flat at the 10km point. I think each of them would have consumed 2 protein bars by that time, hoping to get some energy. What they didn't realize is that the protein bar wasn't the best choice. They should have focused more on rehydrating themselves or having a power gel instead. The focus should be to replenish water, glucose and sodium and not protein. 

Well, whatever it is, it was a ride that will get some to come again while some to not go for it again, while for me it all depends on my schedule on that time.  

Sazali(middle-the guy who got me into this sport) and gang and myself preparing ourselves to go to the starting point. 

Kips(the other guy who got me into this sport) getting his bike ready for the event. 

7.45am sharp all riders flag off. 

Other road uses had to wait in line for the cyclist to pass. There was very little involvement from the traffic police  

Poor head trail due to long wait. 

Others bored waiting in line while joking "Mari Tolak Basikal" 

Dedicated to my buddies who runs.  

Cyclist were enjoying their power stick due to massive bottle necks.  

A beautiful view overlooking Broga Hill. 

Mari Tolak Basikal. 

A clear blue sky to assist the riders view.

"The Bitch" 

A rider who literally got out from his seat after seeing the hill above.  

A beautiful view as I was on my way to Check Point 2. 

How we see things is the way we see things.

We were conducting a S&M tower with a group of employees from a full service airlines. During this module, participants were told to build a tower with limited resources given. 

During this time, the best team was a group that consists of engineers, pilots and managers. It was interesting to see how they work together to complete the task. Apparently, their job made them view things in a certain way. 

For the engineers, 'tower' was the center of the activity. The tower tensile strength must be able to withstand all the forces. It shouldn't to be too long or too short however just nice was also something equally challenging. For the pilots, 'time' was the center of the activity. You can have all the ideas or have all the resources you need but if you don't complete it in time, you get nothing. Timing is so crucial that whenever we have pilots in the house, they will keep reminding their teams on the balance time. 'Guys... 10 more minutes'... 'Guys... 5 more minutes' and it went. For the managers, getting the engineers and pilots together was their main task. The managers were living up to their role, literally, managing so that they can come to an agreement and a successful tower can be built. By the way, the end results was fantastic. They joined the ranks of those in the hall of fame by coming up with a tall, freestanding strong tower. 

Looking back, how we see things is really made up largely from what we have been doing and that determines what we have been seeing. So, in this day in age, in developing a high performance working culture, we would probably need many ways of seeing things. Many ways of seeing things help us in providing information to manage the uncertainty we face. However, no matter how much information you can have, the time taken to complete a task is equally important, for time is really an essence. 

Additional 3 questions.

In a recent workshop that we had with an organization that managers and administers the medical claims of corporate clients’, I discovered that organization face many challenges in facilitating the changes that they want to see. 

Here are 3 questions organization should add into the list of questions they ask when they manage changes. 

Do all parties have a clear understanding on what exactly is expected of them?

Most of the time, the ones at the top can see where to take the organization and sell their idea to the rest of the team. Many see the big picture but fail to translate into actionable efforts. 

Are the leaders/managers facing the brutal facts or are they trying to ostrich their heads into the ground and hoping the problem will just pass?

In facilitating these challenges, there will be moments of complete uncertainty. Being honest and admitting ones weakness is better than trying to be brutal or by giving motivation talks. 

How to get the team to see the big picture while going thru the operation struggles? To begin with, it's better if the leader makes his decision with the intellect rather than being rash because along the way his men will be tired and demotivated and will look for him as a source for direction and encouragement. 

When facilitating change, organization need to ask the right questions in order to get to the right answers. Once they are confident with the answers, they shouldn't stop there but to keep asking questions to have a clearer answer.