Blog 12: What Does Pro Cycling Have to Do With Leadership? Everything.
Pro Cycling and Leadership: Grit, Growth Mindset, and EQ in Action
Discover how pro cyclist Kristin Faulkner’s journey reflects emotional intelligence, grit, and growth mindset—and why leadership is all about the long game.
What Does Pro Cycling Have to Do With Leadership? Everything.
As an avid cyclist and longtime fan of professional cycling, I’ve followed Kristin Faulkner’s journey closely.
Her story of late starts, hard pivots, and podium finishes is more than athletic inspiration—it’s a masterclass in grit, emotional intelligence, and growth mindset. And it’s not just for the peloton. It’s for the boardroom, too.
I still remember a time early in my career when I was passed over for a promotion into project management—told I lacked the emotional maturity and political instinct to lead. I was reassigned, humbled, and dropped into an engineering role I hadn’t sought.
That stretch taught me more about presence, resilience, and emotional intelligence than any leadership course ever could. After mastering that role, I didn’t go back to project management. I moved forward into something more strategic.
Leadership growth isn’t linear. It’s forged in the moments that test humility, adaptability, and the willingness to grow.
EQ Isn’t a Trait. It’s a Practice.
Emotional intelligence isn’t something you have. It’s something you practice.
It’s not a trait—it’s intentional behavior, built over time through feedback, reflection, and repetition.
The best leaders I’ve seen weren’t the ones with flawless strategies. They were the ones who grew in real time. They stayed curious. Adapted with humility. Built trust while building resilience.
Carol Dweck called it growth mindset.
Hamel and Prahalad framed it as continuous improvement.
Angela Duckworth named it grit.
Priya Parker reminds us that leadership is also about how we gather and create meaning together.
Different words. Same truth: resilience isn’t just bouncing back. It’s showing up again and again—with presence, intention, and courage.
Kristin Faulkner: Growth Mindset on Wheels
Kristin Faulkner didn’t grow up cycling. She didn’t take the typical path to professional sport.
She worked in venture capital. Studied computer science at Harvard. Then, in her mid-20s, she made a bold pivot.
She trained. She failed. She kept going. She approached cycling with a data-driven, growth-focused mindset.
Today? She’s a multi-stage winner at the Giro Donne and La Vuelta Feminina. A two-time National Road Race Champion. A double Olympic gold medalist.
Her journey is leadership on wheels:
Grit under pressure.
Growth mindset in motion.
Emotional intelligence lived out in community.
As she once said:
“For me, I love learning and I love new challenges, and I feel like cycling over the past several years has always been a constant… learning.”
That’s not just cycling wisdom. That’s leadership wisdom.
Practicing Leadership Like Training
Faulkner’s approach—data-driven, growth-focused, and community-building—mirrors what we see in the best organizational leaders.
At SemitaCor, we help leaders practice EQ the same way elite athletes train:
With feedback, not fluff
With self-awareness, not self-judgment
With micro-adjustments that build momentum
We use Working Genius assessments, values-based reflection frameworks, and AI-powered nudges to help leaders grow on purpose—one practice, one moment, one insight at a time.
Because leadership today isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence, especially when it’s hard.
Reflection Prompt
What’s one emotional intelligence behavior you’ve had to practice—not because it came naturally, but because it mattered?
SemitaCor helps leaders turn that practice into progress. Want to explore how? Let’s talk.
