Rowing Intervals to Rapid Iterations: 3 components of high performing teams

Rowing Intervals to Rapid Iterations: 3 components of high performing teams

At first glance, four lycra-clad women racing full gas towards the finish line seems a world away from four faces deep in discussion on a Teams call. Yet as the common denominator in these seemingly opposite situations, I can tell you that many of the scenarios we so strongly associate with sport do have parallels to a consultancy team. 

As I reflect on my first month at Elixirr, I've compared how effective team dynamics within both high-performance environments are in some ways rather similar.  


Changing room chat to the virtual coffee

“The best teams are based on the best connections”

One of the things I enjoyed most about my sporting career was working alongside a fantastic team, and this was one of the reasons that Elixirr stood out to me. Teams of motivated, self-starting people pulling together to achieve a shared goal is central to the culture, and this mirrors my experience in professional sport. 

By taking the time to really understand my rowing team mates – what made them tick, how they liked to race, what got them up in the morning (exclusive; not every rower likes those early starts!) – I found I could form relationships that held up under the most pressurised situations. When you are deep into a race and your legs are screaming, knowing why those around you are also giving their all creates a powerful collective force. I found many connections were built in snippets of informal conversations; in the locker room, on long journeys to competition, or on that rare afternoon off on a savage training camp. Taking the opportunity to get to know my teammates and value them as people beyond the boat led to successful performances together, and many lifelong friends. 

Joining Elixirr mid pandemic from my spare bedroom in true 2020 style, I was a little apprehensive about how the new remote world could elicit these same kinds of connections. However, it is testament to the culture of the firm that after just a month I already feel connected and valued. On my first day a colleague in the US reached out to share a mutual love of rowing (a fortunate coincidence, other sports and interests are available!), and although planned rather than spontaneous, virtual coffees have been a great way to build those relationships. You move at pace from day one at Elixirr, so running together from the off is key. When the challenges are complex, it’s an amazing team around you that keeps you motivated and pushing through. 


Synchronised strokes to shared slide decks

“Playing to individual strengths pieces together the jigsaw puzzle of performance”

Rowing performance is made up of many facets; technical skill, tactical nous, physical force to name a few. There is no doubt a minimum standard required of each, yet some of the best crews I’ve been part of were able to capitalise on individual team member’s so-called ‘super strengths’. I had the privilege of rowing with a crewmate in 2015 who was an absolute cannonball come racing, roaring out race calls with a ferocity that is hard to believe given her quiet character off the water. I had a natural skill in setting a rhythm, so placing me in what is known as the stroke seat brought the best of me to the crew. In harnessing these talents of the ‘I’s, we combined to create a magical ‘we’; that crew went on to win silver at the World Championships.  

Day one at Elixirr and a similar ethos was evident. Following a client call, my manager led a ‘divide and conquer’ approach to pressing task. Everyone took responsibility for their specific role, and individual effort was coordinated to collectively produce a top quality output. It is, of course, always important to develop rounded skill sets, but playing to the strengths of your team when you need to deliver quickly is both powerful and effective. 

Shared ownership and absence of ego is key to achieving this in both environments; there’s no distinction between my stroke and your stroke, or my work and your work, simply joint pride in the eventual outcome. 


Post-race ‘hot debriefs’ to the end of week retrospective 

“Consistently high performing teams are built on a foundation of feedback”

Both environments start with recruiting impressive individuals; fast athletes backed up by consistent results, and smart individuals with a track record of academic, business and/or entrepreneurial success. But a crucial ingredient for sustainable team success is a culture of feedback. 

Coaching and feedback are so central to your performance as an athlete that they become sewn into the fabric of your everyday life. At the top of elite sport even the most marginal of gains count towards the result; I’ve experienced both sides of a split second difference! Before, after – and frequently during – every session and race I would engage in open and honest communication with teammates, enabling feedback to be shared constructively, whatever its flavour. This is perhaps best illustrated by what was known as the ‘hot debrief’. Immediately post-race when the adrenaline is still surging and race still fresh in your mind, we would debrief as a crew to immediately capture our analysis of the performance. Some of the rawest and most difficult conversations, these were often the most useful in unlocking further improvements. 

At Elixirr I have been impressed at how strongly the culture of feedback runs through the organisation. Weekly calls that identify both strengths and areas of improvement are conducted through honest and productive conversation, highlighting how strong relationships enable feedback to be given and received with respect. On a wider level, it is refreshing to see that feedback is not only encouraged but expected. A colleague described Elixirr’s way as ‘radically candid’ and this is a real asset to its high performance culture. 

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In summary, whether out on the water or inside on a project team, the fundamentals of strong connections, harnessing individual strengths for collective results, and open, honest feedback are ubiquitous to high performing teams. I may not be racing down a 2000m course anymore, but at Elixirr, I’ve found a new team that’s also striving to be the best. 


About the author: Eleanor is a former World Champion rower and multiple internationalist medallist, twice winning the Boat Race for Oxford. After 11 years representing GB, in November she hung up her oars to pursue her next career in consulting, joining Elixirr as an Analyst Intern. 


Anthony Kearns

Chief Client Experience Officer and Consultant to General Counsel

3y

Love this Eleanor “strong relationships enable feedback to be given and received with respect.” Effective dialogue is the foundation of high performing human systems. Too many of the senior lawyers I work with are after the perfect script for an annual performance conversation so they can focus on their work. If you want a high performing culture rather than just a menagerie of high performing people you need to foster performance relationships through continuous dialogue.

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Great writing, Ellie. Best of luck!

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Nina Campden

Applications Consultant | Capgemini | First Class Degree

3y

Thank you for this post! Eleanor Piggott I’m an aspiring rower at university and I can’t wait to get stuck into the business world post university, what an amazing inspiration.

Erin Kennedy MBE

Paralympic, 3 x World and 3 x European Champion | Thriving after Breast Cancer | Raising Awareness of Breast Cancer in Young People

3y

This is great Ellie!

Luke Jennings BSc (hons), MSc

Club Development Officer at University of Nottingham

3y

Great read Eleanor and great to see you thriving outside of sport.

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