"If you're always busy rowing the boat, you'll never have time to stand up and rock it."

I recently hard this line during a commencement speech, and it stuck with me.

Like many leaders, I spent years head-down, rowing. Rowing through challenges. Rowing through change. Rowing to meet goals, fix problems, and keep the team afloat.

But this metaphor struck me - because sometimes, we're so focused on movement and productivity that we forget to ask where we're going...or why.

Here's what I've learned:

Rowing the boat is necessary, especially early in your leadership journey. You roll up your sleeves, do the work, and model resilience. That earns trust.

But if you're always in the trenches, you risk missing the big picture. You don't see that the water is changing. Or that the boat is leaking. Or worse....that you're headed in the wrong direction.

Standing up may feel risky. It might rock the boat. But that's where change happens. Leaders aren't just responsible for forward motion. They're responsible for direction and vision.

And that takes courage.

Because rocking the boat might ruffle feathers. It might expose flaws. It might make people uncomfortable...including you.

But that's also where growth happens. That's where systems evolve, people stretch, and organizations move from good to great.

You don't inspire change by keeping things smooth. You inspire it by having the guts to shake things up, ask bold questions, and challenge the status quo.

3 Questions to Consider:

1. Am I too busy rowing to notice misalignment, burnout, or broken systems?

2. When was the last time I stood up and questioned where we're headed?

3. Who else on my team is ready to row - if I step up and lead?

   
   

You can't steer the ship if you're always at the oars. Leadership means knowing when to row, and when to rise, reassess, and maybe even rock the boat.

I'd love to hear from other leaders: Have you ever found yourself rowing too hard to see the bigger picture? What helped you make the shift?