All in the Same Boat

Gary Burnison is CEO of Korn Ferry and the author of Take Control: The Career You Want, Where You Want.

“You’ve never rowed before, have you.”

“Not a day in my life.”

I was meeting with colleagues in The Netherlands recently—among them Sjoerd Hamburger, a world-class rower who competed as a single sculler in the Olympic Games at Beijing in 2008 and as a member of the Dutch men’s eight in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Honestly, it’s not a sport I’m familiar with as our conversation revealed—and as I flailed my arms around trying to mirror the motion. Clockwise…counterclockwise… I had no idea.

Sjoerd, who is on our firm’s consulting team in Amsterdam, immediately described a race day for a championship crew. Eyes locked on the teammate in front of them. Every stroke synchronized. Everyone executing according to plan. “You want to aim to be the worst rower in the boat and gather the best teammates—not strive to be the star yourself.”

His comment was so counterintuitive, it has stayed with me. As Sjoerd explained: “You have to think about the team around you—how they make you shine. And you think about how you make others shine. And when everyone performs—like cylinders in a well-oiled machine—it brings out the potential of the team and every person on it. That’s what keeps the boat moving forward, even though the rowers are facing backwards.”

Potential—it’s all about tomorrow. Opportunity is all about today. They come together in the essence of life and leadership.

That’s what should put us all in the same boat.

The fact is everyone—from the Olympics to the workplace—has potential. Discovering and developing that potential takes an abundance of opportunity. And it’s up to leaders to create that opportunity.

Today, Mark Richardson is a senior member of our consulting team in London, specializing in top team performance. But he still remembers distinctly the day when, at age 13, he confided to his coach his dream of running in the Olympics. His coach’s response made all the difference, as Mark recalled: “He didn’t say, ‘Let’s calibrate those expectations.’ Instead, he told me, ‘Let’s make that happen together.’”

Flash forward about a decade. It was the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where Mark was running for Great Britain in the 4x400 meter relay.

“My heart was beating out of my chest—so loud, I could hardly hear the crowd,” he recalled. As Mark moved out of the bowels of the building and into position, a teammate leaned toward him and said the words no runner ever wants to hear before the biggest event of their life: “I can’t feel my legs!”

Blood pumping, adrenaline surging, Mark had to flip a switch and focus solely on the incoming runner—matching his speed and getting the baton from him. When the relay race was over, Mark and his teammates had won the silver medal.

Of course, most of us are not Olympians. And yet, we should all embrace and celebrate our own podium moments—when potential meets opportunity.

Our firm’s research bears this out. Organizations that put a premium on the potential of all people have the strongest growth and the highest returns—with better engagement, improved team performance, and increased revenues, margins, and profits.

So how do we crack the code on potential and opportunity? It begins by looking within:

            Do we know the purpose and are we communicating it clearly?

            Do we set the example by living the mission and vision of the organization?

            Are we connecting teams and enabling everyone to shine?

            Do we give people the space to thrive?

            Are we motivating everyone to give their best?

The more potential comes to light, the greater the chain reaction as people unleash their discretionary energy. This is the force multiplier that keeps us all in the race.

After all, leadership is never about the what and the how—it’s about creating opportunities for others.

P.S. From the Olympians and Paralympians who will soon compete in Paris, to everyone who strives to make belief a reality in their life, community, and organizations—we recognize, honor, and celebrate the pursuit of your potential. And to our Korn Ferry family—working with Olympic organizations around the globe—we know that opportunity abounds. We also express appreciation for our partnership with the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee and chair, Casey Wasserman—with their new CEO, Reynold Hoover—as they prepare for the world coming to Los Angeles.

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