Serendipity in dragon boating

With the strong urging of my strategic management professor, Dina Bernardo, I decided to try dragon boating one Sunday morning and brought my wife along with me. Quite frankly, I was just expecting a good workout, something I have not consistently had ever since I joined the corporate world 13 years ago. I got in touch with Manila Dragons, my professor’s club. I figured that if this club had helped produce a SEA games gold- medalist, then I should be in good hands.

On the day of the activity itself, we were immediately thrown into land training, which lasted for a good hour. This was followed by the much anticipated water training. As newbies, we did far less paddling than our boat mates. Instead, our coach patiently taught us basic commands such as “oars up,” “light row,” “longs,” “power longs,” and “easy.” We were also taught the correct form and technique of paddling. The coach initially asked us to sit back and observe how our 16 boat mates paddled as instructions were shouted out. The synchronized strokes of my boat mates were something to marvel at.

When my wife and I were finally allowed to join in, I realized how difficult paddling can be; after about 20 strokes, I found myself running out of gas. Having played a lot of sports, I had been confident that dragon boating would be a walk in the park. Well, was I wrong.

Throughout the whole activity, I struggled to catch my breath after every 10 strokes. The intensity of the training caught me off guard. Looking back, I realized I should have asked for more information about what to expect so that I could have prepared myself physically and mentally.

Upon reflecting on my experience, I realized that dragon boating and strategic management in an organization have a lot in common. The success of a dragon boat team or an organization depends on the same factors.

First, you have to have a good leader.

The leader in our dragon boating was the coach. He strategized how to achieve the goal, which was to win a race. The coach gave the final nod on who made up the roster that would compete as well as where each member was to be seated on the boat. He also taught and reminded the members of the

The success of a dragon boat team or an organization depends on the same factors.