During college, I was a coxswain for the UC Santa Barbara’s Women 8. The coxswain is the person in charge of steering the boat in a race. But I soon learned that she is much more than that. Without knowing it, I learned some valuable leadership lessons during those years as a coxswain that helped me succeed as a business leader:
⭐️ To go straight, steering required small adjustments, not large ones. As a coxswain, your job is to make sure the boat goes straight. With every stroke, the boat moved slightly right or left. To get it back on track you have to make very tiny adjustments or you will overcorrect. The same is true in business. Every day there is a new problem that takes us off course. It requires us to notice when we are veering off track and then consistently make small adjustments when that happens. Don’t overcorrect.
⭐️ People get motivated for different reasons. I am one of those people who just likes to win the race. But not everyone is motivated by winning. Some enjoy the thrill of the competition. Some like to win not for themselves but for their team. Some simply like reaching that perfect moment when the boat rows in unison. Knowing each team member’s motivations was critical to success. I would speak to them individually at different points in a race knowing exactly what words would inspire them to excellence. Nobody is the same. Look for that unique thing that inspires each team member and don’t assume they all think the same.
⭐️ Rowing together makes a difference. There is a magic moment in rowing when all the blades hit the water at exactly the same time. The boat suddenly feels airborne and you move at warp speed. If the blades hit at even slightly different times the boat leans from side to side. It’s choppy and inefficient. To win as a team, you need to row together. Not against each other. Not at different times or different speeds. As a leader, your job is to know how to figure out how to bring individuals together to row in unison.
⭐️ Put the right person, in the right seat. On our boat, we each had different strengths. Some were stronger. Some were better followers. Some had better techniques. Where you put them on the boat – the placement – mattered for the flow of the boat. For example, you put the person with the best technique upfront, so that the others could follow. Identify each person’s strengths and what role they should play on your team. Not everyone has the same strengths. Figure out each person’s strength and find out what seat they belong in.
Original Posting: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7100139118201827329/