Thank you Mark, it's great to have a fellow Coloradan stopping though.

I love Cave Creek's line about helping people find the culture and people that fit them personally as well as professionally. I believe so strongly that that is far more a key to our success than the skills we possess. Keep beating that drum - we'll get there one of these days.

It is a great shot. Interesting on many levels. Well done. Thanks for stopping through and glad you enjoyed the post.

Thanks Skippy. I really like the idea of consciously injecting play into your work. One of the other things it does is help to level the playing field. When our actions aren't bound by our typical work constructs our baggage and hierarchies tend to disappear (or at least become diminished). This is not only a release valve for stresses, but provides people a safer environment in which to make suggestions that may otherwise be considered risky or 'off-the-wall.'

Good luck Ingrid! Congrats on getting back to that level and for the newfound appreciation for the sport.

And, most importantly (to me at least), thank you for introducing me to cycling and all the coaching you've given along the way. It's not hyperbole to say that it changed my life - physically and mentally. It's been a fun year and a half. Looking forward to riding again after the championships.

Go get 'em!

I'm with you. I don't ever like these things getting aired publicly, especially 5 minutes after crossing the finish line. But I took it as Lance (and Levi too) having completely hit their limit with Alberto. I'm sure Alberto's cowboy act has grown old and that things are actually far worse than any of us realize. He was probably also steaming after seeing a dutiful teammate in Kloden get treated the way he did.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear in tomorrow's announcement that most of the Astana team goes with Lance on the new American squad. Alberto may be great, but he can't do it alone and I wouldn't be shocked if all these veterans just don't want to ride for him.

Funny, I got to thinking I should've concluded with my own prediction. I think you're right about Contador attacking again, but I'd really like to see his team let him go and pull Lance right back into the mix where he takes control. Ultimately Lance takes Contador in the GC because Astana worked for him instead.

But I agree, Contador is riding elsewhere next year and his failure to grasp team and tactics will be brutally apparent.

Thanks for stopping by. I too like #4. It's amazing what people will reveal. Lacking the self-awareness to realize that you're always being 'interviewed' is a big indicator that they find it hard to look beyond their own needs. Thanks again for commenting. Great to hear what resonates!

Thank you for swinging by and contributing Alex. I appreciate it.

I certainly agree and think you nailed the key point. Trust is indeed delicate and I'd argue that it's even more important in a work environment than in a sporting event. On the football field it is difficult to actually compete against your teammates while we actively encourage that behavior in our corporate environment. It creates a situation where managers are looking over their shoulders and see the strongest members of their teams as threats. It devolves into fighting for individual credit rather than team credit. And it's far easier to make others look bad than it is to make oneself look good. Trust is difficult to give when the rewards are thrust upon the individual rather than the team.

Hey Hans, thanks for dropping by! The contented cows blog is a great one. I could easily get lost in there. Tons of good thoughts/content. Hope you're doing well.

Jay, thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. You are definitely making sense. We're all motivated by different things and you clearly have a great sense of adventure.

I had two reasons for writing this post.

1. As you point out, a lot of people don't actually think about what they want out of a job, but following some bad experiences they often know what they don't want. The more we think about this the more likely many of us will be to find jobs where we have our needs met by the work itself. For example, if you're motivated by new experiences you could even job hop within the company to try on new hats.

2. The workplace is changing. After years of just saying 'people are our most important asset' it's starting to come true in some places (see what Zappos is doing). I wanted to get some starting points on 'paper' to help managers take those first steps to creating a work place that utilizes what everyone has to offer.