Keep rowing

I’ve been reading a book of late called ‘The oarsome adventures of a fat boy rower’ by Kevin Biggar.  It was leant to me by Leah from OnBrand Partners.  It’s about how he went from being a couch potato (I can empathise) to winning an Atlantic rowing race.  It’s a great tale of commitment, team work and overcoming adversity.

The prospect of being in a rowing boat with no land for a thousand miles and only your own determination and drive to power you is light years from anything I have experienced yet as I read the book my mind has wandered to our own trials and tribulations at work and whether there is anything to learn.

Of course there is.  Every book I have ever read is an opportunity to learn.

I was particularly struck by the conversations he would have with his sports psychologist and there is a great quote at the start of chapter 12:

‘Of course it’s difficult! You WANT it to be difficult!  Because it’s difficult for all the other crews too – SO THEY WON’T DO IT!  Kevin, you HAVE TO BE THE BEST at dealing with your boat under ANY conditions. Then when the race starts PRAY for bad conditions – the worse the better – then you will cope and they will struggle and THAT’S HOW YOU WILL WIN!’

I’m reminded of my time when I was at North Tyneside and I would pass a cyclist every day on the journey in.  It didn’t matter if it was sunny, raining or windy he was there on his bike battling his way in.  I found out later that he worked in the same building.  It took a while for me to recognise him as I’d only ever seen him from behind in his lycra and helmet.

I managed to engage him in conversation by explaining that I saw him every morning as I came into work and that I was amazed that he was there in all weathers.  It turned out that he raced on his bike and saw the morning ride in as a training opportunity. ‘When the weather is bad’ he said ‘I know that my competitors will be getting the car or the bus and while they are off the bike I am still training.  This is how I will win.’  As far as he was concerned the worse the weather the better as long as it wasn’t too icy.

So back to work.  What’s this got to do with a fat boy manager?  We have had a very intense time at work in the last couple of months.  It has been a combination of some major projects, some changes in legislation and a general reduction in the amount of resources that we have at our disposal.  At times it has felt like we have been dealing with ten metre waves in the middle of the Atlantic or cycling into a head wind filled with sleet.

But we’ve survived.  The team has worked better together than ever and we’ve delivered what we had set out to do. 

We have had bad conditions, we have coped while others have struggled and that’s how I know that we will win.

Thinking back I’ve never done anything worthwhile that wasn’t hard.