- Name: Rachel Blair-Winkler
- SaaS Business Leader
- From: Oregon, US
Unexpectedly, the rowing day was more than I thought it would be. It wasn’t just about my cohort learning to row; it was about mindset and personal and professional growth. Otherwise stated, the whole experience was unexpectedly awesome.
It’s easy to equate rowing with leadership. We hear about teamwork, communication, synchronicity, and moving as one. These are the buzzwords, and they are good comparisons to make, but, as with most things, reality is a bit more nuanced.
These traits of a fast boat are byproducts of one thing - mindset. People think rowing is a physical sport (and trust me, it is), but to even begin rowing it starts with the right attitude. You have to be open to trying new things, willing to accept feedback, and ready to step outside your comfort zone.
It's easy to let the pressure of the moment overwhelm your ability to learn. In the boat, things happen fast, and your senses are heightened, but you have to remain level-headed.
I'm Rachel Blair-Winkler from the US, and an Oxford EMBA student from the September 2023 cohort. I’m a tech executive with two decades of experience in various leadership roles in construction, geospatial, and other B2B technology. I also happen to be a former competitive rower, and I’m married to a world-champion rower who built his career in coaching. You could say rowing is in my blood.
When I heard about our Oxford EMBA rowing day as part of our leadership course, I was excited but admittedly skeptical. Over-simplified rowing analogies can be tiresome. However, our day on the Thames was a pleasant surprise, and I took away valuable lessons both personally and professionally.
So, what did I learn from rowing in Oxford?
Firstly, it reinforced that my study group is amazing!
Watching my peers out of their comfort zone only reinforced how amazing my cohort is. Seeing them on the water, they handled a totally new and foreign activity with grace and panache. Not to sound cliché, but they are the type of people you want in your boat.
They have a growth mindset and desert-island credibility. You know that if you were facing a new challenge with them, they would learn the necessary skills, not just to survive, but to thrive. These are the type of people that you want to build a high-performance team with.
And what does ‘moving as one’ really mean? Physically moving as one happens when attitudes are in sync with one goal in mind – to better each other when no one person is above the other. That’s how you create ‘swing’ – that famous intangible that everyone talks about when everyone is moving together. That’s how a team is created, and I could feel that in my group.
It wasn’t just about my cohort learning to row; it was about mindset and personal and professional growth.
Secondly, I learned so much from our coxswain and coach that day.
As someone who has rowed competitively before, I knew to set aside my own experience or expectations for the day. What I didn't expect was to learn so much from the other teachers. Our cox (the amazing Green Templeton Boat Club President) (GTBC) carefully broke down the skills into bite-sized chunks that made an impact on the boat.
The boat has a one-stroke memory. You can always bounce back and have a perfect stroke, even if you just took your worst. Our cox helped us do just that. He carefully articulated when we put good strokes together instead of focusing on the bad ones.
This helped reinforce the changes we needed to make and put us in a positive mindset, reminding us of what we are collectively able to achieve. As we discussed in our group, it’s so easy to give detailed critical feedback, but often harder to do the same with positive feedback. Often, however, it can be equally, if not more, valuable. I will take lessons learned from the GTBC president every time I approach learning and development in high-pressure environments like this one.
Thirdly, it was about my own mindset.
What I didn't expect is that I, as an experienced rower, would also learn so much. The terms in UK rowing vs US rowing are actually quite different and sometimes even opposite. Even though I know how to row, I found myself, at times, confused by the terminology and making mistakes! I had to put myself back into the beginner’s mind – to move on from failures quickly so I could learn new things.
Further, with all the rowing-specific jargon, it’s easy to compare it to business. It helped me appreciate how industry-specific or even company-specific jargon can be incredibly disorienting. After feeling it myself, I wondered how often my team or I made someone new feel left out by the words we used. I am sure this experience will help me choose my language more carefully in equivalent professional scenarios moving forwards, to be more inclusive.
It's easy to let the pressure of the moment overwhelm your ability to learn. In the boat, things happen fast, and your senses are heightened, but you have to remain level-headed.
Lastly, there was an unexpected result of gratitude and appreciation.
Being married to a professional rowing coach, our novice Oxford EMBA rowing day gave me an appreciation for the work my husband does day in and day out. His mindset inspires me. He has the incredible skill of breaking down the complex into simple communication, always staying positive in his delivery. He is also patient, supporting and guiding others in their journey of personal growth. I am so proud to call him husband and father to our son. I want to bring these same skills and mindset to my professional life.
Please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.
