Episode 749 - Moving as One

Inspired by the 1936 Olympic rowing team from The Boys in the Boat, Phil explores the shift from individual talent to collective unity. He argues that business success isn't about rewarding eight separate performers, but about achieving a shared rhythm that eliminates organizational "drag." By establishing a shared mindset, absolute role clarity, and disciplined rules of engagement, leaders can move beyond a collection of specialists to become a single, synchronized force. Ultimately, Phil reminds us that when we prioritize alignment and trust over individual ego, we stop operating as eight and start winning as one.

Resources:

Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Please send First Friday Feedback Submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

The Boys in the Boat

Transcript

Top performers in every field surround themselves with those who inspire them, who seek to build them up, and who push them to reach beyond their current limits. I'm Phil Buchanan, Executive Chairman of Cannon Financial Institute. I designed Monday Morning Mojo to provide you with a weekly spark, a push, and motivational insight to live your best life. Thanks for joining. 

Good Monday morning, Cannon Nation. Phil here with episode 749 of Monday Morning Mojo. Years ago, I was watching ESPN sportscaster Paul Finebaum doing an interview, and he asked the coach he was interviewing what he was currently reading. The coach did not hesitate and said, "Paul, I'm really enjoying The Boys in the Boat."

He described the theme and story of the boys from the University of Washington and their path to the gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany. Hearing this, I immediately went to Amazon and purchased the book. I read it that weekend. A few years later, a movie was made based on the book. Now, while movies are rarely as good as the book, this movie did capture the essence and brought it home with one line spoken by the protagonist, Joe Rantz, in response to his grandson's question as to whether he liked rowing eight-man crew.

His answer to that question has stayed with me since I first read it. He said, "We were never eight. We were one." Eight young men, eight individual stories, eight sets of hands on the oars, but the magic, the thing that set that crew apart, was never their individual talent. In fact, it was the moment they stopped rowing as eight and began moving as one.

That idea lands somewhat differently when you think about business because in most organizations, we hire eight, we reward eight, we promote eight, and then we wonder why the boat doesn't move smoothly through the water. The boys in that boat, the University of Washington boat, were all talented, strong, competitive, capable, but talent alone doesn't win races.

In fact, talent without alignment can absolutely destroy the entire team. That's true in business as well. I constantly see this, high-performing individuals operating in parallel Instead of in partnership. Smart people, right intentions, but pulling slightly out of rhythm. Different messages to clients, different assumptions about roles, different definitions of success.

The result isn't usually forward momentum, rather it's drag. What changed in the boys in the boat wasn't effort, it was actually teaming. Within our organization at Cannon, we talk about this shift intentionally. Real teams don't just sit together. They, one, share a common mindset. Two, understand who does what and why it matters.

Three, they operate with a clear rules of engagement. And four, they present themselves to the world as one team, not a collection of specialists. The last two years I've done a lot of work on analyzing financial institutions and the way that they partner to serve business owners. And in doing this, I have found that there are three things that must specifically occur if that boat of professionals is to float and sail as one.

Number one, the teams must have a shared mindset. They must agree on who they serve and why they exist. Number two, there has to be absolute role clarity, not just in titles, but in responsibilities. Who is accountable for what? Who leads when? Then number three, they definitely have to have rules of engagement.

This is how decisions get made, how opportunities are handed off, how accountabilities work. The boys in the boat didn't win because everyone tried harder. They won because everyone rowed to the same rhythm. One of the most overlooked elements of effective teaming is recognition. I constantly am reminding leaders, recognize the behavior, not just the outcome.

I've said it before, and I believe deeply that people need to know that doing the right thing matters even when the outcome isn't a win. Teams fracture when effort is punished, but results are worshiped. That rowing team from the University of Washington learned to trust that their contribution mattered even when they couldn't see the finish line yet.

Trust doesn't come from success alone. It comes from consistency, communication, and respect. You know, clients don't experience organizations the way org charts are written. They don't care how many departments you have. They want to know, one, do you understand me? Two, are you aligned? And three, and most importantly, can I trust that you are rowing in the same direction for my benefit?

That's why we consistently emphasize presenting as one team a unified message, clear credentialing, and coordinated service delivery. When teams introduce one another well, when they define roles clearly, when they operate within discipline, confidence flows naturally. Just like that boat. No confusion about who pulled harder, only clarity about moving forward together.

So here's the question I'll leave you with today: Is your organization operating as eight or is it operating as one? Are you rewarding individual effort while tolerating collective misalignment? Or are you building a team where shared purpose, role clarity, and mutual accountability creates real momentum?

The truth from that boat in the mid-1930s still holds. We were never eight. We were one. So whether you're racing on water or building a business, being as one, well, that's where the magic happens. Monday Morning Mojo is a production of Cannon Financial Institute. Executive producer of Monday Morning Mojo is Sarah Jones.

Editing and mixing is done by Danny Brunner. Until next time, I'm Phil Buchanan reminding you to be a force for good. Have a great week, and thanks for being part of the Mojo community.