Did you celebrate March 21? Not only was it the second day of spring, it was the first day that North Carolina proclaimed as North Carolina Rowing Day. Good on Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue for recognizing the sport’s important contributions to the state’s overall health and well-being. This is also a great discussion point on how rowing can make you a better business professional.
The proclamation recognizes rowing’s forty year history at the college level, including its speedy inclusion of women to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It’s a lovely, poetic document; it refers to the school’s “humble beginnings of two hulls whose only shelter was the longleaf pines on the shores of University Lake.”
Governor Perdue also points to the sport’s state-wide growth. Over the past forty years of rowing in North Carolina, the sport has extended to high school, college and club-level rowing, with more people experiencing team work and friendly competition.
This is where the proclamation doesn’t go far enough, in my view. But, I’m biased. Rowing doesn’t just build team work amongst crews. It builds valuable communication skills. These skills are crucial for life on and off the water, in business and interpersonal relationships.
If you know me well, you know that I returned to rowing as a masters athlete after a near 20-year hiatus. I’ve gotten so much more from the sport today – emotionally, physically, and intellectually – than I ever did as a shy, intimidated youth rower.
Back in high school rowing, a bad row meant everyone in the boat became angrier and angrier with every stupid, awful stroke. No one would talk about what wasn’t working. Rather, we’d take out our frustrations with angry, choppy blade work. We’d ask ourselves: “Where is the coach?” And, “why isn’t he/she fixing the problem?” This continued until finally someone would scream at everyone else to row better. The boat would move, but, not very well.
There was no discussion about how things could be better. Now, I admit that I’m not dialled-in to today’s junior rowing programs. Hopefully, high school rowers aren’t going through the same wretched rowing experiences that I remember so vividly.
Since coming back to the sport, I haven’t encountered any such high school rowing drama. I really haven’t. There’s an active discourse between athletes in the boat at the end of each stretch of rowing. What worked for everyone? Where could it be improved? We’re down on port side, what needs to happen to fix that? How did the second 500 metres feel? This dialogue between the athletes, separate from the coach’s involvement, gives every team member an active ownership over how the boat is performing. This dialogue always led to a better row with the boat moving better through the water.
Well, the same issues in professional team work environments pop up often, don’t they? At work we find ourselves in team situations that feel choppy, angry, stupid and awful. We ask ourselves where is our manager or team leader? Why isn’t the problem being solved by him/her? Frustration builds, communication stalls, little or nothing is accomplished and someone usually has an emotionally-charged teen-like outburst in front of the rest of the team. We can all admit to witnessing – or actively participating in – such professional group situations.
This is never productive. But, take the lessons of communication from good rowing practise and that can change.
I know it.
Jessica Weirmier, M.A., is an educator and professional communications specialist. Jessica is an Adjunct Faculty member with the Community College of Denver who has lived, worked and studied extensively overseas. She recently graduated with an MA in Professional Communication with a Specialization in Intercultural and International Communication from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. You can visit her website: JW Communications Consulting or e-mail: Jessica@jwcommunicationsconsulting.com
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