Getting in “The Swing”

In “The Amateurs” – David Halberstam tells about the moment of swing in rowing:

When most oarsmen talked about their perfect moment in a boat, they referred not so much to wining the race, as to the feel of the boat, all eight oars in the water together, the synchronization almost perfect.  In moments like these, the boat seemed to lift right out of the water.  Oarsmen called that the moment of swing.

Olympic contender John Biglow loved that moment too, but “what he liked most about it, he said, was that it allowed you to trust the other men in the boat.  A boat did not have swing unless everyone was putting out in exact measure, and because of that, and only because of it, there was the possibility of true trust among oarsmen.”

BNI members who attended the Leadership Team training conducted across New Zealand over the last few weeks will have heard the BNI trainers talking about the importance of ‘acting and thinking’ as a team.  As the new leadership teams take up the challenge of running their chapters for the next six months during the course of this week – I thought it might be timely to post some thoughts on just what can be achieved when people start to work together as a team.

In “The Amateurs” – David Halberstam tells about the moment of swing in rowing:

 When most oarsmen talked about their perfect moment in a boat, they referred not so much to winning the race, as to the feel of the boat, all eight oars in the water together, the synchronization almost perfect.  In moments like these, the boat seemed to lift right out of the water.  Oarsmen called that the moment of swing.

 Olympic contender John Biglow loved that moment too, but “what he liked most about it, he said, was that it allowed you to trust the other men in the boat.  A boat did not have swing unless everyone was putting out in exact measure, and because of that, and only because of it, there was the possibility of true trust among oarsmen.”

 Go well and enjoy your time on the team!