As the Tour de France came to an end in Paris last week, Lance Armstrong’s gritty performance was overshadowed by allegations of doping during his remarkable 7 year run as champion.  The Tour is itself a test of character; a 3100 mile trek across the Alps and Pyrenees, amongst the wind, rain, crashes and dramatic climbs of 3000 feet or more. Allegations aside (the man has never tested positive for use of any substance), his sports achievement is amongst the greatest of our lifetime, rivaling those of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. It is easy to forget that at this point, Lance Armstrong doesn’t ride to win bike races; he rides to win the race against cancer.

Livestrong, the brand conceived by the Lance Armstrong Foundation to fund cancer initiatives and supported by Nike, Amgen and others, raises over $40 Million dollars a year and is growing quickly. Livestrong is the ultimate social enterprise, a business/non-profit created to achieve a higher purpose.  Its powerful imagery connects with us in a way that few brands can. Whether your business is for-profit or non-profit there are lessons to be learned from Livestrong.

Some CEO’s I work with trivialize mission and values as mushy and soft. We must not forget that people need to be connected to something bigger than they are.  Achievement in the fight for a cure for cancer and other diseases is not just a goal; it is an all consuming commitment to excellence, because failure is not an option.

We have a responsibility as business people to serve the greater good. But beyond our social consciousness we must also be responsible for providing vision, in the form of tangible outcomes that people can feel and touch.  That is, if we expect others to give their complete, unbridled commitment, then we must deliver a purpose that resonates with them.  The clearer we are about our ideology, values, and determination to succeed, the better chance we have of delivering product and services that support our mission.

As a sign said in the final stage on Sunday: “Merci Lance; you have been an inspiration”.