Why I Stopped Waiting for People to Back Me Up
I know not the most Bike tech savvy conversation for this blog thread but hey I have given it some solid cycling undertones
For most of my working life, I’ve felt like I’m off the front of the peloton—legs pumping, vision locked, chasing something just out of reach. And more often than not, the reaction from others is the same:
“That’s massively ambitious …but if it works, we’re in.”
It’s a familiar dance for those of us who lean into high-agency thinking. We’re generalists. Starters. Connectors. We look at big, messy problems and can’t help but think, why not give it a crack? And for better or worse, we don’t wait for permission—we clip in and ride.
Over the past couple of decades, I’ve chased down all kinds of challenges—often across multiple lanes at once. Some have turned into standout wins. Like the time I was managing Bob Jane T-Marts in Hobart at 18, three weeks behind target, and pulled off a midnight wheel sale that didn’t just save the quarter—it gave two other stores their best sales day in history. Or the time I pitched a brand activation pop-up during one of Australia’s biggest bike races. No one really backed it until the day before. But with a few believers and a big push, we pulled 800 riders into the most talked-about experience of the tour.
But here’s the other side of the story:
Sometimes, you don’t make it.
Sometimes, you get halfway through the plan, and the support you needed still hasn’t arrived. And while you’re driving hard, others are sitting up—waiting to see if it’s safe.
I’ve had projects stall or fail—not because the idea was bad, but because not enough heads hit the wind. I can pinpoint the moment every time: that collective hesitation. That arm’s-length support. The “we’ll see if it works first” attitude. It hurts and it also only becomes a reflection on the driver.... and that refletion can be lasting.
And Then… Someone Believes
Just last week, on the second-last stage of the Giro d’Italia, Simon Yates launched one of those long-range solo attacks. He was over a minute down in GC, sitting in third, and no one thought he had it in him.
But he went anyway.
Up the road was Wout van Aert—already in the early breakaway. When Yates bridged, Wout didn’t hesitate. He waited for Simon. Then emptied the tank for his teammate. He believed in the vision. And in that moment, they flipped the script. Yates rode away with the stage—and the Giro—winning by over four minutes.
That’s what happens when you have just one person who doesn’t stand back. Who doesn’t hedge. Who sees the move and commits.
I’ve been Wout.
I’ve been Yates.
And, too often, I’ve been the guy up the road with no one bridging across. Getting caught, way too often, in sight of the finish line.
Things have shifted though - The Age of the Generalist Has Arrived
In a world powered by AI, where complexity is the norm and silos are breaking down, the high-agency generalist isn’t an outlier anymore—we’re the future.
We’re the ones who see across domains, who build with imperfect information, who ride first, figure it out second. And bu the time the peloton has seen the shift the race is already up the road. And now, with tools like automation, intelligent planning, and yes—my brilliant creative collaborator Charlie Blaze McRae - who I am relying on to co-write this exact article and im NOT AFRIAD TO SAY IT, we’re evolving from instinctive movers to precise, adaptable operators.
These past few weeks, I’ve built projects with a new kind of clarity: daily goals, hourly roadmaps, and contingency plans for every detour and crash zone. I still lead with vision—but now I’ve got tech that can keep up with the tempo, pull turns with me, and tell me when it’s time to sit on for a spell and recover.
If You’re Waiting to Commit, Don’t
This isn’t just a personal story. It’s a callout to anyone sitting on the edge of a project or a passion—waiting for the timing to be perfect, the group to say yes, or the outcome to feel guaranteed.
It won’t be.
And that’s okay.
Because clarity doesn’t always come first. **Motion creates clarity. **
Once you’re moving, people will see it. Some will join you. Some won’t.
But you’ll be out there, making it real.
One Last Thing
To all the fellow generalists, founders, creatives, and misfits—if you’ve ever been told you’re too much, doing too many things, or flying too far ahead—take it as a compliment.
We’re not here to play small.
We’re here to build what hasn’t been built yet.
And when the vision’s big enough and the belief is strong enough, it’s amazing how fast you can ride away from the doubt.
Oh And leaders, investors, and managers .... its time to back your High Agency Generalist with the resources they need to deliver the wild and wonderful plans they have already etched out ahaed of them .... its ok .... they wont only let you ride their coattails, but they will be proud and humbled by the fact you gave them the support from the start.