EP06 | Culture, Purpose & Legacy

Results may be visible. Culture is what people feel.

In this episode, Dorien Leyers talks to Bruce Fecheyr-Lippens, Chief People Officer at SD Worx, and Erwin Janssen, Team Director at Team SD Worx-Protime, about what it takes to build a culture that lasts. They explore how values become visible in everyday behaviour, how purpose stays real under pressure, and what leaders do to protect culture when performance demands are high.

Moving between business and cycling, this conversation looks at rituals, leadership behaviour, trust, honest feedback and the kind of team DNA people want to belong to. Because legacy is not built through one big statement. It is built day by day, in the choices people make when it matters most.

People & Peloton

What can business learn from the peloton, and what can elite sport learn from the workplace?  In People & Peloton, we bring those two worlds together.

Hosted by Dorien Leyers, this SD Worx podcast pairs conversations from the boardroom with insights from the road. In each episode, leaders from SD Worx and Team SD Worx-Protime explore a topic that shapes performance today, from teamwork and resilience to leadership, growth, wellbeing and culture.  

Expect practical ideas, honest reflections and stories from high-pressure environments where decisions matter, trust matters, and people make the difference. Because whether you lead a company or ride in a team, success rarely comes down to talent alone. 

It comes down to how you work together when it counts.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Welcome to People and Peloton, the SD Works podcast where cycling and business come together. In every episode, we put two conversations next to each other: one from the boardroom and one from the Peloton. Together we'll discover their similarities and what both can learn from each other. How do you build a culture that actually inspires and connects people? It's a million-dollar question, highly relevant in both business and sports. And today we'll explore what makes culture sustainable, how purpose becomes behavior, how values survive pressure, and how you build something people want to belong to. My name is Zorin Leyers, and joining me today are Bruce Fescher-Lippens, Chief HR officer at SD Works, and Erwin Jansen, team director at Team Asie Works Pro Time.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

The values of Team As D Works are ProTime. I think you can say that we are a typical sports company with a family-owned company DNA, with an open culture, with short lines, a good atmosphere, and we go with each other like family and friends. So we are always there for each other, and I think that brings us a lot. With that, we are also one of the top teams in women's cycling who are only working with women.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

Hello, gentlemen. Hello, let's start about culture, purpose, and legacy. Let's start about a very personal thing. Your personal purpose, if I may ask, Bruce.

SPEAKER_03 1:53

Yes. For me, it's trying to have people and help people to be at their best potential. Whether it is my colleagues that they feel at their best, that they can be at their best, whether it is at home with the three kids, wife, friends, uh that they can be at their best potential, and where I can help, sometimes listening, sometimes giving advice. Um and that in a way life is also about team, team at work, uh, team at home, and that we can just be at our best. Uh, that's for me what makes me wake up every morn morning, makes me tick every morning, um gives me energy.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Almost sounds too good to be true. Yeah. If that is, then you are the perfect husband. I'm not somebody who asks it himself on a daily basis, what can I do to make my wife's life better? That would be amazing. No, but that's uh even if it's not possible every day, exactly. But that is the thing. If that's your purpose, then that goes a long way. That's the whole point. Edwin, do you have a personal purpose? Because you're in a you're a team player.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

You yeah, of course I have personal ones.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Do you want to answer for the team?

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Yeah, I have personal ones, but I rather uh want to to talk about the purpose of the team. Um, and that's um if you look back, we are now 10 years the number one in the world. I think we are also aware pretty um trend setting in women's cycling. Uh we we really absolutely set new borders, and that's also uh the purpose for the next 10 years. So staying the number one in the world, uh staying the best team, uh setting new borders, but also I think also for for me personally, is also important that we stay also the nicest team in the world in women's cycling.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

Okay. Well, that is something that I want to talk about because when you look at that, you you look at the DNA of a team and you say what's important for us besides the obvious, which is winning and and being top athletes. So, what defines the DNA of a cycling team beyond those results?

SPEAKER_00 4:01

Yeah, but in top sports results are really important, so they are they are of course uh really important in our DNA. So, yeah, we're winning team that's that's really important, and we race uh we race every race to win that race. That's that's a mindset, uh what is uh typical in our DNA. Uh but also um we I think if you look to us and how we work together, it's like a friends of family uh DNA company, uh, with uh short lines, with uh an open atmosphere, with a safe environment, and um I think these are the yeah, the most important ones and doing it together.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Now, SD works is on the shirt. I can imagine if you work together and the values wouldn't resonate, that would be a no-long-term relationship. So so Bruce, obviously, I'm assuming that the DNA resonates with each other.

SPEAKER_03 5:05

There are plenty of similarities. Yeah, and and we use it. Give me a couple ones. Yeah, we we use it constantly internally, and one of our values is commitment drives us forward. How committed are your ladies? Yes, all for one, one for all. If you saw all the races that Lotte and Lorena won together, the Musketeers. It's amazing to see. Yeah, the road is open, it's one of our other values.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

I think no, you're just stealing quotes directly from the cycling business.

SPEAKER_03 5:32

So, no, we have those values already. We have those values, and we wrote those values before we went into sponsoring the team because we also wanted to make sure that we were sponsoring something that we were 100% behind, and we found that match with uh with this with the women's cycling team as the works ProTime.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Absolutely. I think it's also nice if you look uh always before the start of the season, and then Cobra, the CEO or and and Jill, they come and they they tell also their values, the really company values from SD Works and ProTime to our girls and staff.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Uh so that works really well, and you see always the girls always try that with them.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Now, from your perspective in the business world, Bruce, often, if I may say so, the values are quite similar, and they should be, because it's a cliche for a reason: connection, care, commit, those kinds of how do you take them off that wall, literally, and and incorporate them?

SPEAKER_03 6:33

The one thing is behaviors. Uh the leader makes 770% of the culture. Uh, if you take the leadership team and others, it's even more. It's behaviors, it's what you do, what you don't do, what you tolerate, what you don't tolerate. If you have, for us, a salesperson who is selling a lot, but who is killing the team in a way for years in a row, then you have to act. You have to be a critical friend, give the feedback. And if the feedback is not taken, you have to let the person go because you decide for the team and for the values above an individual. It's in those daily moments, in those daily behaviors, in those small little moments, meeting after meeting, that culture is built. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

It's something that has to grow organically. I don't think a culture works when it's just a top-down.

SPEAKER_03 7:25

It doesn't, it doesn't work. And culture, that's culture is there, DNA is there. Um, you people also say you cannot copy culture, you can copy products faster. So culture is there, it's there. You can't just change it. Uh, it takes so much time to change something. I'll give you one concrete example. Uh, I started this job about four years ago and we're joking about it. We have a culture of that. Sometimes you know, we talk a bit in the back of the people at the coffee table. We said we want a culture of being real, critical friends, open and transparent with each other. We have made steps. Are we fully there yet? No. But it's an everyday effort. It's like you have a campfire, but if you don't put woods or a bit of oil on the fire, it will stop. And that's a daily, daily, daily, daily thing.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

How do you build that culture in a team where they are both competition at some point, maybe in a split second, and of course a team?

SPEAKER_00 8:23

Yeah. Yeah, that's what Bruce said. Uh it's a the culture uh that grows. I think if you look to team SD Works Pro Time, the strong culture that's really our foundation. And what we do is that we uh we try to find we are a small team, we are working with around 18 riders and 18 uh staff members. So that's that's comparing to, for example, SD Works, a really small company. Um but what we try is to uh to find also new riders and staff who are really fitting in that culture, right? And then even your culture will be stronger and stronger. Uh and and I think that is what we did the last 10 years, and that is also, I think, one of the big successes from our team.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

Now, a very hard question because Bruce mentioned the best sales manager ever would still be getting uh fired if it was clear that he was not uh fitting our culture. Would you let go the best rider ever if it's clear that this is the biggest individualist, no team player, and and doesn't get along with any of the other girls, but it's the best rider you've ever had, Erwin?

SPEAKER_00 9:42

That is a really interesting question. I can I can tell you first of all, we never should start with such a ride. Yeah, because before we know, of course, the plus and minuses from the several riders, and we had in the past really world-class top riders who everybody thought from they will join the team as the works pro time, but Danny and me, we really thought and knew that this character does not fit in our culture, so we did not do it.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Is that a gut feeling sometimes, Bruce? That you have with certain people? Did you ever get did you ever in hindsight think, damn, I should have followed my gut instinct because I knew.

SPEAKER_03 10:23

I think it's always a combination. I think you have a gut feeling that you then need to back up with facts uh first because a gut feeling can be wrong, and sometimes you have facts and then you need to check in with a gut feeling. So I think it's both together. That's interesting because those are not easy conversations, we uh not easy decisions that we can be blindsided, some people already saw it, some others not. So those are not the easy decisions. We have taken a few of those in the last years at SD Works. Those are not the easy decisions that you just do overnight. So it's both.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Is there an SD Works moment where culture was tested, maybe a period of high pressure, um, extreme growth, where the team grew so fast that you didn't have these moments to check in, and that you really had the the culture at stake?

SPEAKER_03 11:10

Many moments to be honest. Yeah, uh many moments. Uh I think even a recent moment. Uh I'll give an example. We have every month we have a good conversation, constructive ones with our workers' council, and it's always good interaction. And um we communicated something uh a bit too fast without asking their advice up front. That's a moment where you say, Ah, that's actually not our culture, because our culture is constructive dialogue. We went too fast, and then yes, and then you have to say mea culpa, and um and that also happens, and then culture normally in a good culture, we're there to help each other, we forgive and we move on. But there's yeah, these moments happen, yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

Is that that that balance between individuality and and team player?

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Yeah, I think that it's important that uh they are all individualists, uh, but they are members of a team. And I think because we are pretty straight in that we say we win as a team and we lose as a team. And of course, there can just be one rider wins, uh, and we try to give the most of them who can win a race during the season, we give them the possibility that we go in that race, especially for this rider. To shine, so yeah, to shine, yeah. And I think that's really important to stay all feeling pretty well uh in in the balance between individualist and team.

SPEAKER_03 12:41

Yeah, but what you what what you have or we also try to have is here so you have a culture of being critical friends, meaning giving each other the direct and honest feedback directly. That's how you preserve strong culture and you avoid situations that explode. If the example I gave with the workers' council, if we don't talk with each other, then after a few months it will explode. If you don't with the riders after a race, have a debrief and say, Hey there, we made maybe we made a mistake. We make mistakes every day. If you can talk about these mistakes, then you avoid bigger blow ups to say, and that's how you preserve, I think, culture.

SPEAKER_00 13:21

Absolutely, yeah. Absolutely, and that's in a top sport, uh for sure. In cycling, it's even faster because we have next three days or next week we have another race, so we cannot wait to solve all problems or when you're together in the hotel room, you talk about it exactly in the business world.

SPEAKER_03 13:40

Sometimes I have to go to my kids, it's normal. Uh, so you don't always have the time to directly talk about it, but then you need to take the yeah, the next day moment.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Critical friends. I actually like that expression.

SPEAKER_03 13:52

Yeah, it's uh as I our CEO of myself, I were writing a book, a book for Asie Works, and one of the chap chapters are how do you have a culture of being critical friends? Because we really believe that if you have that, it's the root cause of a healthy culture. It means you are and a friend, you're a colleague, you have empathy, you have care, but you are critical. The bar is high, and it's just friendship, it will plummet. The bar is not high enough. Just uh putting the bar high, it means very harsh culture. You will always run away, but you really need boats being a critical friend.

unknown 14:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Do you think the sea level is also critical friends? Are they leading by example? Is it harder? No, but the but the higher up you are, do you think it's harder? Because you you got to a certain place and and then it's expected that you do everything perfectly. Is it do you find it harder to be a critical friend to your colleagues at this level in a leadership role?

SPEAKER_03 14:56

That I don't find. I think it's not harder. No. Uh what is sometimes harder is that because you are in a certain role, I always ask myself, are the people in a way in other positions below, I hate that word because I am not a hierarchical person. Are they still honest with me? Uh do they dare to be critical friends? So I think there as well, I try at least to ask every day. Voila, if you say something, please be critical friends, give me feedback, then the door is open. Uh, because that's mostly the hardest way to give.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Um do you sometimes have the bottom-up feedback, uh, Edwin? Do they dare to talk to the team director about his personality?

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Yeah, I think uh in in the past, it's a stop top spot world, is most of the days pretty hard. So it's more of a yeah, you need to perform, and otherwise, maybe we have no space anymore next year, and that's that's the heart of the topspore. Different, I think, than in the usual business. But um what we try, and we started there a few years ago, for example, with a writer's council. Um so then I sit together three times a year with three writers, and um they talk about, and we have uh things on the on the agenda, uh, and they talk from all the things what are going on in the team. So uh yeah, from from the bottom up uh yeah to the highest management and and and and the way around. So and then we have a trust person also uh in the in the team. So if something's going on, they can always go to the trust person, uh etc. etc. So we try to stimulate it, um, yeah, that it's not only yeah, you need to perform.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

And are the girls critical friends towards each other? Or as you said, it's it's it's a family. Are they critical family members towards each other?

SPEAKER_00 16:54

No, no, they are you you see that the other thing is. Is that hard for them to do that? No, no, no. They are also pretty pretty clear to each other. Yeah, they are yeah yeah, yeah. They because I don't want to be. No filter. No, no, no. And of course, some do it a little bit more uh nice and other are merely direct, uh, but in general, they really say uh what they think. So they're pretty critical to each other.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

So if if I would ask both of you the top three values in your company, in your team, would they be the same ones? We could we could give it a shot if you think of three top values, Bruce.

SPEAKER_03 17:29

All for one, one for all. Yeah, the same for us. Commitment drives us forwards, being fully committed to wanting to win, being a result as a team.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Yeah, f fully commitment is for us usual, otherwise they don't come to the heavy done. Yeah, it is a top sport. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:48

Now you can go first for the third one.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

Edwin, what's the biggest value of the thing? Trust us. Yeah.

unknown 17:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:55

Trust.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

That goes both ways, I think, Bruce. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:59

Trust for sure. And there I can the critical friend plays into trust, being transparent with each other plays into trust. Yeah.

unknown 18:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Gentlemen, when we talk about legacy, to round this up, it's it's what remains when we're not there anymore, literally, or when somebody leaves the company, the legacy. What do you want people to say about Edwin, the team SD Works Pro Time in 10 years? Is the biggest thing that you want them to say? They want this race and this race and this race.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Yeah, I hope that people look back to uh Team SD Works ProTime as the number one team for a really long period in women's cycling. Really trend setting. So we really we really make new borders. Um it was a team uh really uh in a family critical friends way that they always worked with Okay Bruce, the legacy it's as he works, it's how you make somebody feel.

SPEAKER_03 19:09

When I have colleagues and they talk about previous managers, CEOs, whoever, every example is always in that moment, that person was there for me, made me feel part of the family was there, cared for me, helped me. That's what people really remember. I think it's a bit of a human connection in the world of AI. It's the human connection, it's how you make somebody feel, and they will not remember in that year we made five million more profit. So I think it's important how we make somebody feel, and again, if we do that, results always come too. Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Okay, well, thank you very much, gentlemen. And I think we still have the last part of your story, Edwin, for us. Okay, let's have a listen.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

If you look then due to a lot of uh typically specially um team efforts that we had, then I can of course uh mention a lot of them, but one of them I think was also a really, really uh famous uh uh race that was when we became years ago uh the number one in the team time trial in um in Qatar. Yeah, what is really typical and important in the team time trial is the trust in each other because you go really fast, uh you must think around 50k an hour and then 45 Ks, and then you take every time you need to take over, but everybody knows how long will take over uh the next rider, and then the next rider and the next rider, and then with this with this speed, yeah, it's so important that you look to each other and do that you don't need to talk, but you can trust each other and know what the strengths are.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

All right, well, gentlemen, you know the drill, rapid questions. One thing you'd steal from cycling into business, Bruce.

SPEAKER_03 21:13

Going from critical friend to critical family. Um, yeah, I think you and your team, you're doing the critical friend every time, so at the highest bar, and I think we can go to that bar which is the critical family.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Nice.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

All right. Erwin, same question. Something from the business world that you think I'd steal this one.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Yeah, I think the example from Bruce, and I think in business that's more uh common, uh to look more also from bottom up. Uh, because in top sport it's it's still also a lot of top down right, the coach and the coaching. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Uh and I think we make some good steps, uh, but we are still not there. So some more bottom up Um experiences will be good.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

So to coach to coach sometimes. Yeah. Be open for that at least. Gentlemen, one habit that keeps values alive in the team under pressure.

SPEAKER_03 22:16

Accountability in every moment, being critical friend in every moment, holding each other accountable in every moment as team members. Don't let the moments slip away. That's culture. And again, it's also what do you tolerate and what do you not tolerate? So if something happens that is not toler not toler tolerable, do you take it and discuss it? Or do you let it slip away? If you let it slip away, then uh then the culture will slip away.

SPEAKER_01 22:43

And that's what makes the legacy.

SPEAKER_03 22:45

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

Otherwise, it's not gonna be a very memorable legacy, Edwin. Is there one habit for you personally that keeps the values alive?

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Yeah, for us it's important to be always open, be honest to each other and uh talk if there are things. And we can solve it. Pretty easy, but it's pretty effective.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Well, thank you so much, gentlemen.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_03 23:12

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

And what I remember is that performance is seen, but culture is felt. Today we heard that values only matter if they survive pressure, and that purpose only works if it shows up in behavior day after day. Leadership shapes most of the culture, and it's built daily in small moments. That's exactly why it's so hard to change quickly. And once you have a culture, you protect it with direct feedback. Because if you don't talk about what's off, it doesn't disappear. It builds pressure until it explodes. That's why critical friends matter. People who care enough to tell you the truth. That honesty, when it's anchored in trust, is what keeps a team healthy and what builds that true legacy. Thank you so much for listening and watching. Discover the other people and Peloton episodes about cycling and business at SDWorks.com or on your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, bye bye.