The summer Olympics run from August 5 through August 21, so this week we will start a series inspired by different Olympic events.  Let’s start with rowing and lessons in alignment.  We often throw around the cliché that we want to all make sure we are rowing in the same direction.  This is our way of saying that we all want to be aligned.  I’d like to dive deeper into this common saying.

In case you aren’t an expert at rowing, the set-up is like the picture on the right.  You have 8 people rowing and then you have the cox.  The cox sits at the stern of the boat steering and coordinates the rhythm and power of the rowing.  In the 2004 Olympics the US Men’s rowing team won their first gold medal in 40 years.  Take a second and watch part of the race.  Click HERE. 

If you watch the video you’ll notice a few things.  You’ll notice that the rowers have their back to the goal.  They can’t see where they are going.  You’ll also see how the rowers are all in, doing their individual job to propel the boat forward.  You’ll see how synchronized everything is.  The team members all put their oars in the water at the same time, row at the same time, remove the oars from the water at the same time, hold the oars the same height over the water, and repeat this process.  If you look at the cox you’ll notice that he is always making adjustments to steer the boat and is consistently calling out direction and giving guidance. 

How does this connect with work?  You could throw me and 7 other rowers in a boat and we could probably figure out how to row in the same direction (it would be ugly though).  We could generally be aligned, but this wouldn’t get us anywhere.  In order to get somewhere we would have to add power to our alignment.  We’d have to find a way for the entire team to be functioning at their best.  One slow rower could mess up the entire thing.  Are we pushing ourselves, making ourselves stronger, so we can always be playing our role to the best of our ability to drive the larger ship?

Now, let’s connect with the cox.  As I mentioned he is continually making minor adjustments and consistently calling out direction, because the rowers have their back to the goal.  The rowers can’t see what he sees.  How often does a leader share a vision at some meeting and then never revisits it?  The leader shares a vision one time with people who can’t see what they see and then expects it to happen.  Think about that.  The cox would never do something like that in rowing.  Leaders need to articulate that vision, over and over and over again.  Leaders need to communicate that vision with everything they say and everything they do.   

The challenge: As a rower, are you all in, moving with efficiency and strength?  As a leader, what is your vision and message?  Are you consistently communicating the vision of where we are going?

Have a jolly good day and go team USA!

Andrew Embry