Leadership Capacities

Lance Armstrong is an example of a leader who exists in a culture of change. He has worked diligently to increase funding for cancer research that can have a positive effect on the lives of millions. Demonstration of his leadership capacities follow:

The demonstration of moral purpose exists in the manifesto of the Lance Armstrong Foundation presented below.

The Manifesto of the Lance Armstrong Foundation
We believe in life.Your life.We believe in living every minute of it with every ounce of your being.And that you must not let cancer take control of it.We believe in energy: channeled and fierce.We believe in focus: getting smart and living strong.Unity is strength. Knowledge is power. Attitude is everything.This is the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
We kick in the moment you’re diagnosed.We help you accept the tears. Acknowledge the rage.We believe in your right to live without pain.We believe in information. Not pity.And in straight, open talk about cancer.With husbands, wives and partners. With kids, friends and neighbors. And the people you live with, work with, cry and laugh with.This is no time to pull punches.You’re in the fight of your life.
We’re about the hard stuff.Like finding the nerve to ask for a second opinion.And a third, or a fourth, if that’s what it takes.We’re about getting smart about clinical trials.And if it comes to it, being in control of how your life ends.It’s your life. You will have it your way.
We’re about the practical stuff.Planning for surviving. Banking your sperm. Preserving your fertility. Organizing your finances. Dealing with hospitals, specialists, insurance companies and employers.It’s knowing your rights.It’s your life.Take no prisoners.
We’re about the fight.We’re your champion on Capitol Hill. Your advocate with the healthcare system. Your sponsor in the research labs.And we know the fight never ends.Cancer may leave your body, but it never leaves your life.This is the Lance Armstrong Foundation.Founded and inspired by one of the toughest cancer survivors on the planet.
LIVESTRONG™

Through this manifesto, Lance and the foundation demonstrate the intention of making a positive difference in the lives of people and society as a whole. To succeed in this endeavor an understanding of the change process is critical. People must understand that change takes time and that battles worth fighting will not be easy. Lance Armstrong demonstrates this in his approach to bike racing and in his approach to the fight against cancer. To be a leader one must understand change and communicate the process to those invested in the organization and/or the community. Through his work and his communication he has accomplished such a necessity.

Effective leaders foster purposeful interaction and problem solving, and are wary of easy consensus. (Fullan, 2001) For the foundation to succeed as it has thus far, the leader of the foundation must be effective as Fullan has stated. Indeed, Armstrong does contain within him these traits. Part of this process involves knowledge building. This is a critical aspect of the manifesto and is demonstrated through his communication on behalf of the foundation. In speaking with international organizations and world leaders, knowledge building is a priority as before action can occur, knowledge must be provided.

Coherence making involves bringing everything together after allowing for ambiguity to stimulate the conversation. This involves prioritizing and focusing and is facilitated when guided by moral purpose. (Fullan, 2001) To succeed on an individual and organizational level this capacity is necessary for Lance Armstrong to succeed. In fighting back cancer and establishing a world wide fight against cancer he has accomplished all that is required to be considered a true leader.

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. Indianapolis: John Wiley & Sons.

Lance Armstrong Foundation (2008). The manifesto of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Retrieved on January 28, 2009 http://www.livestrong.org/site/c.khLXK1PxHmF/b.2661055/k.E8CE/Manifesto.htm

Qualities of Leadership

Reading a number of books and articles regarding Lance Armstrong, as well as watching numerous interviews leads me to believe that he would be best classified as a "controller". Lance acts as a controller based upon his strong will and perseverence. He trains beyond capacity and has a singular focus when he prepares for a bike race. His focus is obtained through his competitive nature and his ambition. The take charge attitude that he brings to the bike race and to the foundation are in strong alignment with controller characteristics. Controllers tend to take initiative with other individuals and with groups. All of the above attributes further link him to the "controller" behavior characteristic.

Lance's secondary behavior characteristic appears to be that of a "promoter". Promoters tend to be persuasive, insightful, and forceful. As the Lance Armstrong Foundation has grown internationally, these traits have been seen in his meetings with world leaders, international organizations, and anyone who is willing to join the fight against cancer.

As someone who wears everyday a yellow "Livestrong" bracelet the simplicity of this symbol is an example of creativity and the lasting memory of caring for someone with cancer. This one dollar bracelet has raised millions of dollars for the foundation and is futher evidence of Lance's ingenuity and steadfast focus. Promoters tend to get actively involved with people and look for inspirational situations in which to become involved.

Growing up as a young boy, Lance Armstrong typically competed with boys that were much older and much stronger. Defeat made him work all the harder to overcome any shortcomings and grow as an individual and as an elite athlete. (Jenkins, 2000) He took the same approach to fighting cancer. Regardless of how heavy the odds were against him he kept strong his body, mind and spirit He became a consumer of medical literature as he would not let cancer defeat him. These experiences and the combination mental and physical learning have demonstrated his strategic quality in terms of dimensions of leadership. Failures and illness have played a large role in his life. Overcoming these and any obstacles have made him the leader that I perceive him to be.


Jenkins, S. (2000). It's not about the bike. Penguin Putnam: New York.

Overview of Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong is a seven time winner of the Tour de France and the founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Tour de France takes place over 25 days in the heat of July. It involves snow caped mountains and time trials that have riders traveling at speeds in excess of 35 miles per hour. Lance was the team leader of team consisting of nine riders each with a specific skill set. As the team leader the other meembers used their skills to help Lance survive and succeed. Although the Tour de France has an individual, it is very much a team sport and great riders have often failed due to the weakness of their team. (Coyle, 2005)

As team leader, Lance led by example and worked as hard and harder than his teammates. This work ethic inspired the riders and built a mutual respect and a sense of loyalty that was critical to success. He was a teacher who through modeling has taught many other riders how to become elite and the best in the world. Lance taught them how to use their minds, their body, and most of all their heart. Today, many of the top riders in the world spent a part of their career learning under Lance and Lance's team manager; Johan Bruynell. This is critical because it is another example of how important it is to work together and understand how difficult it is to succeed alone over the long term.

In 1996 he established the Lance Armstong Foundation, a charity to aid the fight against cancer. Over the past decade it has become synonomous with the term "Livestrong". He has become a role model to millions fighting cancer and an inspiration to people who may only surivive with inspiration and a positive outlook. He was given a ten percent chance of survival with cancer throughout his body. In a miraculous journey that was governed by a strong will to live, a positive outloook, and a refusal to give up or give in, Lance overcame the odds and survived cancer. It si following this episode that he went on to win the Tour De France. As the title of his book indicates his life is about his victory over cancer and "It's not about the bike". (Jenkins, 2000)


Coyle, D. (2005). Lance Armstrong's war. New York: Harper Collins.

Jenkins, S. (2000). It's not about the bike. New York: Penguin Putnam.