Our management team just finished reading the new book by Daniel James Brown called “The Boys in the Boat”. This is the saga of the University of Washington’s rowing team and their bid to win the 1936 Olympics.
We had been reading a lot of business and lean books and Nick thought it might be a good time to dive into something different. We did our usual process of reading a couple of chapters each week then typing up our distinctions and sharing them together each Monday.
The fascinating thing about this book is the focus on “team”. Rowing as a team requires that each person in the boat row at the same pace and power as everyone else in the boat. If one person tries to row faster, it throws everything off. It requires trust. Trust that everyone else in the boat is doing exactly what you are doing and that you are all working toward the common goal.
There were so many similarities between the book and our Senior Management Team. First, there are 9 men in the boat and there are 9 men on our team. It won’t help if we have a team of individuals all trying to accomplish their own goals. We need 9 people who have a single vision, who trust each other, who will have each other’s back if things get tough, who will find a way to work together to achieve our common goals.
The book was a great read and our whole team was really into it. The distinctions were deep and thought provoking. I think we all really have a much better understanding of how hard it is to find that perfect team and that it takes a ton of work to get there.
We are traveling up to Seattle next week to visit the boat house where the team practiced and where the boat they used is on display. We will use this as our mid-year off-site to really dig deeper into how we can better work as a team and how we can help support the company and its goals.
We are blessed to find ourselves with so much opportunity. We have an amazing owner, a great leader, and a great leadership team. We have a strong market with lots of great projects. We know we have the ability to really leave a legacy in this company and our industry, but we can’t do it on our own. It will take all the boys in the boat to really achieve the goals we have set for ourselves.
Should be a great week!
