Anthony Johnson
Head Of Group Customer Analytics and Group
Consumer Financial Services, OCBC
MANY executives would consider Anthony Johnson's championing of cycling as 'the new corporate golf' to be verging on the blasphemous. However, the 42-year-old banking executive who has been 'addicted' to his bike for four years just might be on to something.
'Cycling has unquestionably made me a better executive,' says the head of group customer analytics and group consumer financial services at OCBC. 'I have the ability to concentrate much more at work and I can maintain a higher intensity at work for longer periods of time. Here I am now in my 40s, and I look back at my 30s when I was overweight, under-exercised and overworked. My stamina levels weren't there, my concentration would drop off, whereas now, with constant exercise and that release of endorphins, you are on focus, and maintain that concentration level.'
Mr Johnson, who cycles regularly in amateur marathons and with local social clubs, clearly possesses exceptional levels of energy and enthusiasm - at an interview at the end of a long working day, he is not merely attentive, but constantly vigilant. One could argue that any high-intensity sport could produce these positive effects, but not so, he would reply, offering one of the many analogies he makes between cycling and the corporate world.
'If you are in a race, you have to know who the competition is. The pace is fast; the corporate world moves fast and you must understand your competitors,' he says. 'If you think about achievement, it comes from setting goals. If you don't have any goals in cycling you don't get any better.'
He gets even more descriptive when he speaks of what he considers to be the 'ultimate' analogy between cycling and the corporate world.
'You have never experienced teamwork like in group cycling. You gain an advantage by 'drafting' another rider; in other words, your energy exertion level can drop by 30 per cent if you sit in the draft of the rider in front of you,' he says, his voice quickening with enthusiasm as he begins a highly vivid description recalling the adrenaline rush that accompanies cycling.
'So you are a few inches away from the wheel of the rider in front of you, going 40 to 50 km per hour, and there is no time to brake. There's complete trust in the capability of the person in front of you. If you don't have this, do not sit three to four inches from his wheel, nor will five riders behind also sit three to four inches from the wheel that is presenting in front. And so, the person in front takes a leadership role; they have to call out the obstacles when something comes in their path, they can't break suddenly without calling out, they have to find a way to move the group around. There are so many analogies to corporate life, but you can't beat this example of teamwork and trust.'
Besides making him a better executive, Mr Johnson also believes that cycling has allowed him to avoid genetic potholes.
'There is a history of heart disease in my family,' he states, his usually jovial tone taking on a more sombre note. 'I have parents, some uncles and other family members who have had heart disease. Some have lived through it and some haven't. I decided that there are two options when it comes to living life: I either sit passively in a sedentary executive lifestyle and grow bigger by the year, or I get off my proverbial backside and go out and do something about it. We can't control our gene pool but environmentally, we can go out and do something about our health and be proactive.'
Mr Johnson's arguments for cycling also extend past personal benefits. He points out that it is one of the most environmentally sound sports to practise, stating that 'you aren't burning any natural resources while you are doing it and you are also using existing infrastructure'.
Mr Johnson's impassioned statements may not singularly be indicative of a burgeoning trend among professionals in Singapore. However, with innovative cycle-oriented places like the Bike Boutique - where executives are able to store their bikes and prepare themselves for the workday in the locker rooms - as well as government initiatives for more bike tracks on the island and the integration of increased cycling sport programmes in school, the possibility of cycling becoming the 'new corporate golf' becomes more viable every day.
