3 Things Elite Rowers Do That Will Inspire You To Take Smarter Risks In Your Career
May 24, 2015 - Natalie Dell O'Brien - Manager, Marketing Strategy + 2012 Olympian (Rowing)
As a 2012 Olympic medalist in rowing, I frequently teach organizations what they can learn from athletes who train at the elite level in the most team-intensive sport in the world. My most recent partnership was with a Santa Clara-based Fortune 500 technology company. Like many legacy tech companies, this one is broadening its scope from old school in-house enterprise and PC technologies to the rapidly growing markets of mobile computing and the Internet of Things.
These tectonic shifts in strategy require a lion’s share of calculated risk-taking. Although competitive rowing and massive tech corporations operate in different universes, there are a number of parallels between the two - especially when it comes to adaptability and risk-taking.
Adaptability is absolutely essential - not just for legacy technology companies, but also as it pertains to our own individual career pursuits. Likewise, adaptability is a crucial element to thriving at the elite level in rowing. Like innovative tech companies and the people who run them, rowers must be adapters at heart.
A typical rowing race consists of 250 - 300 strokes. A practice is anywhere from 2,000 -3,000 strokes. And no stroke is the same.
Rowers constantly adapt on a stroke-by-stroke basis to the movements of their teammates, the wind, the current, the chop in the water and the competition. Usually when boats derail in competition, it’s not because they don’t have a plan or a strategy. Rather, it’s because they aren’t able to adapt to the environment around them and make critical race decisions in real time.
This is why rowing involves a high degree of risk-taking. Rowers need to think on their feet. With every stroke during a race, they weigh a pre-planned race strategy with what’s happening in the moment. Athletes who succeed in rowing are those who flourish while taking risks in unstable race environments. It’s true for high school rowers, Olympic oarsmen/oarswomen and every athlete in between – which is why rowing is so challenging (and awesome).
But thriving at the elite level in rowing isn’t just about taking risks. It’s about taking smart, educated risks. During my most recent talk, I explored the educational piece with the audience by sharing the three most important lessons I learned during my time as a Team USA athlete that allowed me to take smarter risks as an international competitor in rowing.
Know thyself
In a sport that requires both strategy and adaptability, the rowers who thrive in race environments are those who are the most self-aware. Similarly, when it comes to making big bets and big moves in your career, self-awareness should be one of your most powerful weapons.
Self-awareness reduces our blind spots. It gives us the ability to walk the tightrope of projecting conviction in our decisions while remaining open to new or better ideas. Studying our weaknesses and honing our strengths frees us of internal bias – which empowers us to take smarter risks.
If you want to think like an Olympic rower as you attack problems or take risks in your own career, I challenge you to start first by knowing thyself. Wring every last bit of self-knowledge out of each experience as possible to inform your next move.
Sweat the small stuff
Rowing in team boats is a highly technical, weight-bearing endurance sport. It’s performed as fast and efficient as possible while in sync with three or seven other people... going backwards. This is why rowing involves a ton of technical work.
Specifically, training at the elite level requires a daily investment in technical drills. Therefore, success in the sport is defined by the sum of small efforts that become very powerful when repeated day in and day out. Simply put, rowers must learn dream big while also sweating the small stuff.
It’s not too different from our career trajectories. Great things that define our career paths have small beginnings. Similarly, movements that reshape industries and remake companies aren’t possible without an army of people sweating the small stuff.
Here’s the takeaway: the way you approach the basics of your job, the small things, sends big signals about what you care about and what you stand for. As you become hell bent on a achieving a goal, whatever it is, you’ll naturally focus on the largest response possible. But, if you want to think like an Olympian, you’ll also carve out time to get the small stuff right too.
Be a teacher and a student
Although rowing is a team-intensive sport, the dynamic between you and your teammates is a paradox - especially at the elite level. Rowers on the USA National Team train together every day, year round. We become friends, confidants and roommates. Conversely, we’re also each other’s competition for seats on the World’s and Olympic teams.
When training in a highly competitive team environment, it’s tempting to adopt a myopic mindset. It’s tempting to believe that you have to be selfish in order to survive.
Interestingly, the athletes who thrive at the elite level in rowing are the ones who adopt a different mindset. They understand that making an impact on the speed of the crew involves sharing their knowledge – as well as absorbing the knowledge of others. Case in point: some of my biggest advances in speed at the National Team level were not taught to me by coaches. They came from teammates.
Drawing from the strengths and lessons of others results in bigger, smarter ideas – which, in turn, will only benefit the entire organization. While it’s not rocket science, being both teacher and a student in a fiercely competitive environment requires humility and discipline. Most importantly, it demands long-term commitment to a goal that’s bigger than your individual performance.
If you work for a company where annual evaluations are based on meritocracy, this should sound familiar. In these situations, the best people and the best ideas win (theoretically). In many ways, every day is a competition against your coworkers.
However, if you want to think like an elite rower, you’ll understand that we’re all made far better and can develop bigger ideas if we draw from the strengths and lessons of others. And you’ll be generous with your own knowledge. After all, the more we know, the smarter risks we can take.
If you wish to thrive and take smarter risks in competitive work environments, I challenge you to align yourself and your team with the right goal in mind - and then become both a teacher and a student to take the right risks to achieve that goal. If you want to think like an Olympian, commit to making yourself and the team as strong as possible, at the same time.
Whether you work in tech or not, these lessons can apply to any life or career pursuit. If you’re a former competitive athlete, what lessons have translated to your own career? Tweet them to me at@NatalieDellOB!
As a 2012 Olympic medalist in rowing, I frequently teach organizations what they can learn from athletes who train at the elite level in the most team-intensive sport in the world. My most recent partnership was with a Santa Clara-based Fortune 500 technology company. Like many legacy tech companies, this one is broadening its scope from old school in-house enterprise and PC technologies to the rapidly growing markets of mobile computing and the Internet of Things.
These tectonic shifts in strategy require a lion’s share of calculated risk-taking. Although competitive rowing and massive tech corporations operate in different universes, there are a number of parallels between the two - especially when it comes to adaptability and risk-taking.
Adaptability is absolutely essential - not just for legacy technology companies, but also as it pertains to our own individual career pursuits. Likewise, adaptability is a crucial element to thriving at the elite level in rowing. Like innovative tech companies and the people who run them, rowers must be adapters at heart.
A typical rowing race consists of 250 - 300 strokes. A practice is anywhere from 2,000 -3,000 strokes. And no stroke is the same.
Rowers constantly adapt on a stroke-by-stroke basis to the movements of their teammates, the wind, the current, the chop in the water and the competition. Usually when boats derail in competition, it’s not because they don’t have a plan or a strategy. Rather, it’s because they aren’t able to adapt to the environment around them and make critical race decisions in real time.
This is why rowing involves a high degree of risk-taking. Rowers need to think on their feet. With every stroke during a race, they weigh a pre-planned race strategy with what’s happening in the moment. Athletes who succeed in rowing are those who flourish while taking risks in unstable race environments. It’s true for high school rowers, Olympic oarsmen/oarswomen and every athlete in between – which is why rowing is so challenging (and awesome).
But thriving at the elite level in rowing isn’t just about taking risks. It’s about taking smart, educated risks. During my most recent talk, I explored the educational piece with the audience by sharing the three most important lessons I learned during my time as a Team USA athlete that allowed me to take smarter risks as an international competitor in rowing.
Know thyself
In a sport that requires both strategy and adaptability, the rowers who thrive in race environments are those who are the most self-aware. Similarly, when it comes to making big bets and big moves in your career, self-awareness should be one of your most powerful weapons.
Self-awareness reduces our blind spots. It gives us the ability to walk the tightrope of projecting conviction in our decisions while remaining open to new or better ideas. Studying our weaknesses and honing our strengths frees us of internal bias – which empowers us to take smarter risks.
If you want to think like an Olympic rower as you attack problems or take risks in your own career, I challenge you to start first by knowing thyself. Wring every last bit of self-knowledge out of each experience as possible to inform your next move.
Sweat the small stuff
Rowing in team boats is a highly technical, weight-bearing endurance sport. It’s performed as fast and efficient as possible while in sync with three or seven other people... going backwards. This is why rowing involves a ton of technical work.
Specifically, training at the elite level requires a daily investment in technical drills. Therefore, success in the sport is defined by the sum of small efforts that become very powerful when repeated day in and day out. Simply put, rowers must learn dream big while also sweating the small stuff.
It’s not too different from our career trajectories. Great things that define our career paths have small beginnings. Similarly, movements that reshape industries and remake companies aren’t possible without an army of people sweating the small stuff.
Here’s the takeaway: the way you approach the basics of your job, the small things, sends big signals about what you care about and what you stand for. As you become hell bent on a achieving a goal, whatever it is, you’ll naturally focus on the largest response possible. But, if you want to think like an Olympian, you’ll also carve out time to get the small stuff right too.
Be a teacher and a student
Although rowing is a team-intensive sport, the dynamic between you and your teammates is a paradox - especially at the elite level. Rowers on the USA National Team train together every day, year round. We become friends, confidants and roommates. Conversely, we’re also each other’s competition for seats on the World’s and Olympic teams.
When training in a highly competitive team environment, it’s tempting to adopt a myopic mindset. It’s tempting to believe that you have to be selfish in order to survive.
Interestingly, the athletes who thrive at the elite level in rowing are the ones who adopt a different mindset. They understand that making an impact on the speed of the crew involves sharing their knowledge – as well as absorbing the knowledge of others. Case in point: some of my biggest advances in speed at the National Team level were not taught to me by coaches. They came from teammates.
Drawing from the strengths and lessons of others results in bigger, smarter ideas – which, in turn, will only benefit the entire organization. While it’s not rocket science, being both teacher and a student in a fiercely competitive environment requires humility and discipline. Most importantly, it demands long-term commitment to a goal that’s bigger than your individual performance.
If you work for a company where annual evaluations are based on meritocracy, this should sound familiar. In these situations, the best people and the best ideas win (theoretically). In many ways, every day is a competition against your coworkers.
However, if you want to think like an elite rower, you’ll understand that we’re all made far better and can develop bigger ideas if we draw from the strengths and lessons of others. And you’ll be generous with your own knowledge. After all, the more we know, the smarter risks we can take.
If you wish to thrive and take smarter risks in competitive work environments, I challenge you to align yourself and your team with the right goal in mind - and then become both a teacher and a student to take the right risks to achieve that goal. If you want to think like an Olympian, commit to making yourself and the team as strong as possible, at the same time.
Whether you work in tech or not, these lessons can apply to any life or career pursuit. If you’re a former competitive athlete, what lessons have translated to your own career? Tweet them to me at@NatalieDellOB!