Greg Lemond is the only official American winner of the Tour de France (we'll leave out the discussions about a certain Texan).
He won it three times, even more impressive considering wins two and three came after being being shot by his brother in a hunting accident.
He rubbed many up the wrong way because he could not help but be honest and, to some, over earnest.
But whatever you think I think of thst, I love this very honest quote about what it's like to a pro cyclist.
"It doesn't hurt any less, you just go faster"
This gives comfort to an increasingly creaky boned forty something like me.
Knowing that they may go a hell of a lot faster, but they feel the same agony as I do climbing a steep hill.
It means something else though, which is worth bearing in mind if you do strategy work.
Not only can you not avoid putting the work in, if it doesn't make you suffer sometimes, you're not doing it right.
I don't mean the ridiculous presenteeism culture or sweatshop mentality.
Certainly not the bullying.
(like the false belief that doping has been eradicated in cycling, don't believe for a second that the very real dark side of agency life isn't still there because in many places it still is)
I mean the pain of doing the work really well.
Don't believe the case studies, it's not easy. There are few ta dah moments, it's mostly banging your head against a brick wall until something emerges.
The simultaneous fear and love of the blank page.
The knowledge there is a simple idea idea forming but you just can't articulate is yet.
The exhaustion from going over every single piece of information again and again, knowing there is no connection, but it will come.
Strategy directors go through as much pain as juniors, they just hide it better.
Even worse, their instincts and experience are greater.
It becomes seductively to fall in love with your first thought and articulate the shit out of it.
Or recycle a small library of great strategies again and again.
Many agencies you will know of frequently recommend the painfully obvious but dressed up with clever words and amazing storytelling
Like creative ideas that hide behind the Mac, refusing the exposure of the rough scamp.
Too much strategy hides behind data and cultural reference, avoiding the glare of the simple 'get' 'to' buy'.
Or 'issue' 'insight' 'idea'.
Working at Pixar is painful. Their best films emerge from constant improvement at the most detailed level.
One of the most creative companies in the world simply works harder on their movies and leaves nothing.
Just as the best sculptors chip away at a stone block for the work to eventually reveal itself.
Hard work and perseverance may be uncool, but they are the only sure ways to excellence.
It's tempting when you have the option of short-cuts or re-purposing work you did before to just do that.
But it's not like taking EPO or steroids, it doesn't make you better.
Unfortunately for strategy people, there is no equivalent of doping in our job.
It if it isn't painful to some degree, you're not doing the job as well as you could or should.
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