Loyalty & teamwork: Brownlees Yorkshire grit

HR180 Ltd, work with clients in Leeds, around Yorkshire, throughout the UK and internationally. With services from Outsourced HR to HR Consultancy – and everything people related in between – the amazing example of tri-athletes the Brownlee brothers (especially in terms of loyalty and teamwork) provides a lesson we can help bring to your workplace to help your business become world class.

A Tweeted photo of Jonny Brownlee in his hospital bed said it all, “Not how I wanted to end the season, but gave it everything. Thanks @AliBrownleetri, your loyalty is incredible.”

And the mention was of course for Jonny’s brother Alistair.

This extraordinary pair hail from Leeds, attended my old school, Bradford Grammar, and trained with past colleagues of mine, so I have had a vicarious joy in following their exploits. It goes beyond definition when, in a bid to win at all costs, the brothers literally go “as close to death as you can be in sport “– to quote Alistair.

Alistair collapsed in Hyde Park in 2010 and now Jonny has done exactly the same in Mexico just hours ago. Jonny was leading but collapsed at the side of the road. Brother Alistair, who was a comfortable third, virtually carried him along the final few hundred metres and finally, though the dazed Jonny was denied a second world title, Alistair pushed him across the line so he could finish unaided in a dramatic end to the World Triathlon Series.

So in your workplace, could you imagine you or your team going to such extremes to win? Or in fact, is there fantastic loyalty between workmates to the extent that they’d be willing to risk sacrificing their own position to help others ahead of themselves?

However, Alistair wasn’t all sympathy, “I wish the flipping idiot had just paced it right and won the race. He could have jogged the last 2km.”

I think I can safely say there is true Yorkshire grit woven in the very fabric of the Brownlees. Through close bonds and shared goals they have become world leading athletes – something we can all learn from. Take a look for yourself:

https://youtu.be/W6Ogmaer89s

If you would like your people to be the best they possibly can be, we can help. Our services include an in-depth look at your entire HR Strategy, working with you to add strength where it is needed most, and we can help with projects right through to becoming part of your business via our HR Heroes who become your outsourced HR department. Call us on 0845 458 5881 or 0113 287 8150 today.