Actually, the only way to thrive in any culture, good or bad, is to immerse yourself in it. Thriving and succeeding are not one and the same. Thriving means getting what one wants and that can be accomplished even by using means that are not always right.
For the longest time, Lance Armstrong got away with doping because the UCI, cycling’s governing authority, chose to turn a blind eye to his escapades. He was a money spinner and cycling’s biggest stars who bought in crowds and sponsors.
The sport of cycling has never been free from the scourge of doping. Marco Pantani, an Italian rider, won the Tour in 1998. His career was beset by doping allegations and he finally died of a cocaine overdose in 2004. After Armstrong’s first retirement in 2005, his countryman Floyd Landis won the Tour in 2006. He tested positive for a banned substance and the title was handed to Oscar Pereiro. So the people who won the tour before and after Armstrong didn’t compete clean either.
When the house of cards finally came crumbling down for Lance Armstrong in 2013 and the punishment was harsh. He was stripped of all his titles, all his sponsors, including Nike which stuck with him till his allegations were proven, deserted him.
There is another interesting fact that not many people might be aware of — after stripping Armstrong of his titles, the cycling body didn’t declare anyone the winner. If a winner is stripped of their medal, the logical step is to declare the person who came second as the winner. But no such winner was declared.
According to the website outsideonline.com, the reason this happened was that they didn’t know who had actually ridden clean. Sample this snippet:
“Twenty of the 21 podium finishers in the Tour de France from 1999 through 2005 have been directly tied to likely doping through admissions, sanctions, public investigations. Of the 45 podium finishes during the time period between 1996 and 2010, 36 were by riders similarly tainted by doping.”
The writing on the wall couldn’t be clearer — if you were a professional cyclist during that period, you were probably doping. Those who didn’t dope were in a minority but were guilty by association.
If asked, most of the cyclists would have said they were compelled to dope, even if they weren’t comfortable doing it.
Cheats and criminals exist in all walks of life but it’s quite strange to see 6 years of the world’s most high profile cycling race have no winner. It’s as if the race didn’t happen for 6 years.
In a toxic culture of any kind, the only way you can thrive is to be a part of the bandwagon. Opt out and you will either be shafted or declared guilty by association.
Actually, the only way to thrive in any culture, good or bad, is to immerse yourself in it. Thriving and succeeding are not one and the same. Thriving means getting what one wants and that can be accomplished even by using means that are not always right. Even a doctor who performs illegal abortions can have a thriving practice, but he wouldn’t qualify as a success. Before being engulfed by doping allegations, Armstrong was seen as someone who was thriving and a spectacular success.
If an organization has a culture where arrogance and boorishness aren’t tolerated, a person used to getting their way using those means will find it hard to thrive and success will always elude them. On the other hand, if a place has a culture where arrogance and boorishness are rights of passage for someone to fit in, a person who isn’t comfortable changing into something they’re not will struggle.
If you want to thrive and succeed on your terms, better to choose a culture that allows you to do that rather than struggling to thrive and succeed in a culture where you’re not comfortable and will force you to make decisions you will come to regret later.
