Lincoln Equities Group CEO Lance Bergstein: ‘Keep Your Eyes Up’

When you’re a young athlete, all you want is to be part of a team. That was true for Lance Bergstein, an up-and-coming tennis player who longed to share the thrill of victory with his peers. But despite his talent, he was sidelined—not for lack of skill, but because coaches viewed his Type 1 diabetes as a risk they didn’t want to manage.

Today, he’s proven every one of those doubters wrong.

Through a combination of technological advancements made by the healthcare company Dexcom and a commitment to preparation, Bergstein is not limited by his diagnosis. Instead, he is leading a growing real estate development firm and even competing in grueling 24-hour endurance car races. 

To do that, he uses both his windshield and his rearview mirror.

Success, Bergstein said on a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor Podcast, comes from leaning on past experiences to navigate present challenges. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by something, just think back. Sometimes the challenge at hand is similar to one you’ve already overcome. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Simply go back to that moment, take the lesson you learned and apply it to the current moment.

“When you start to position it like that mentally,” said Bergstein, whose firm has worked closely with companies like UPS, Amazon and Home Depot, “it allows it to be a little bit more familiar. The more familiar you make it to something you have already experienced, the easier it is to kind of make a decision.”

For the CEO, who picked up car racing at 21 years old after letting go of tennis (a sport he earned a national ranking in), the idea is akin to studying racetracks. Confidence is born where muscle memory kicks in. “Even going to a new racetrack, I can go, ‘Oh, turn seven at Monza is similar to this right-hand corner at Sea Brine in the United States,'” he said.

Bergstein shared insightful tips on the podcast, including:

• Show, don’t tell. The speedster knows there is power in praise. But leaders, he said, should go beyond the everyday, “Good job!” or “Way to go.” It’s important to show employees that they are seen and valued. “Empowering employees is extraordinarily important,” he said. Go above and beyond. 

• Keep your eyes up. In racing, just like business, you’re trying to control something that’s inherently out of your control. The only way to succeed in either world is to keep your eyes up. But it’s not about looking directly in front of you. It’s about looking as far up the track as you can. “The further ahead that you can look,” he said, “that’s going to be where you end up.”

• Find momentum. Moving forward doesn’t just happen by covering familiar territory. While it’s key to keep past experiences close at hand, it’s also important to stay one step ahead. Bergstein encourages leaders to jump on new opportunities—that’s what maintains momentum.

At the end of the day, when it comes to giving yourself the best chance at winning in business, Bergstein believes that studying history is fundamental. If you neglect to lean on the past, you may lose time and opportunities in the present.

“There are always historical precedents to pull from,” he explained. “Similar situations where you start to identify, ‘Oh, this deal is kind of like the last one that we did.'”