It’s not a what, but a who. Most management issues appear to be all about “What do we do about this or that.” But the resolution is seldom a what, it’s almost always a who.

The players (who) on your team will dictate the team’s success. You can build teamwork, define best practices, provide the finest resources, but if you don’t have the right who(s), your team will under perform.

So, that is the question this year at the Tour. Lance has retired. Who will take his place? Indeed, all the speculation is about who?

As the prologue is set for Saturday, with the first full stage on Sunday, here are some of the who(s) to watch. These are the names that will become familiar over the next few weeks.

Ivan Basso, riding for Team CSC (DEN). Ivan placed third in 2004 and second in 2005. He is riding with a tight team coached by former tour winner Bjarne Riis.

Jan Ullrich, riding for Team T-Mobile (GER). Jan won the Tour in 1997, prior to the Armstrong reign. He stood on the podium in 2005, in third place behind Basso.

George Hincapie riding for Team Discovery (USA). Former domestique (nine Tours) for Armstrong, George pulled a stage win in the mountains last year. He is not the heir apparent, but one of several who could be anointed new leader of Team Discovery.

The Tour, this year, is wide open. Many contenders could break away, scoring precious points. The tactics will be completely different without Armstrong and his protection.

Let the race begin.

Management Skills Blog will take short holiday coinciding with the extended US 4th of July holiday. We will see you back here on Wednesday, July 5. -TF