Peter A Derow Discusses Certain Important Lessons Learnt From Rowing

The most valuable lessons in life can come from unexpected places, like the sport one engages in. Rowing is especially a sport through which one can learn a number of valuable skills, including leadership. As Peter A Derow mentions, in every rowing crew there has to be someone to take the lead, and everyone else follows that lead. This leader need not be the person who’s been there the longest, but has to be the one with appropriate capabilities. The leader helps make sure that the crew is synchronized in the water. Harmonious rowing determines the speed, and speed determines the winner of the race.

Peter A Derow provides insight into certain lessons learnt from rowing

Rowing can be a deceptively simple activity in theory. It requires a delicate balance, a push followed by a pull. In rowing, a stroke comprises of multiple phases. First, there is the “catch,” when the rower submerses their oars, pushes their feet against a fixed plate in front of them, straightens their legs and moves their seat toward the bow along rails inside the hull. This triggers the “drive”, which implies to a movement that propels the boat forward. By the end of this drive, as the oars come out of the water, the rower has to shift into “recovery”. They must move their seat closer to their ankles and the stern, while their knees snap to their chest, to get ready to “catch” again.

Rowers have to gracefully “push” (drive) and “pull” (recover), while being perfectly aligned with their crew. Much like in leadership, in rowing, there is a quest for harmony instead of perfection. The quest for perfection may create a tunnel vision, and cause rowers to focus on their individual performance only instead of prioritizing team progress. But this is not the right approach. Success is only possible in rowing through team cohesion and seamless collaboration with others. The leader of a boat, also called the “stroke” rower, is generally chosen for their ability to set a pace that everyone can follow.

Patience and power both are needed in equal measures in rowing. Even though individual efforts are important in rowing, it is team unity that propels the racing shell. As soon as rowers complete a drive, they transition into recovery. Much like in rowing, pairing power with patience is important for business leadership as well. One has to align multiple stakeholders on a common vision. Good leaders do not seek immediate reward or outcome, rather they row for the long haul. In the case of rowing, speed and technique often do not pay off immediately. Patience is extremely important. One has to set up the drive, cut against the current, as well as recover as one balances the boat by listening to the needs of the team.

As Peter A Derow mentions, during recovery, the boat has to be in complete coordination. The rowers must cleanly recover, without reversing the momentum of the boat. If they slide toward the stern too fast, the boat shall lose its balance and can even tip over. However, the boat shall drag if they slide too slowly. The team, therefore, needs to be attune to each other’s movement, speed, and momentum, in order to maintain balance. In a similar manner, seamless coordination is imperative in many work settings