Why the Picture of a Rower?
I’ve never competed in rowing, but owning a rowing-based fitness studio with my wife gave me a front-row seat to the sport. Watching rowers train, I came to admire the beauty of their movement and the discipline required to move as one. It’s a dynamic that mirrors many of the challenges of cross-border integration, and it’s what inspired the image of a rowing shell on the homepage.
An eight-person rowing shell moves forward only when everyone pulls in unison. The strength of any individual rower matters, but it’s secondary to timing, rhythm, and coordination. A single mistimed stroke is enough to disrupt the balance of the boat.
From the outside, rowing can look like a test of strength and endurance. In practice, it’s a team sport defined by alignment. Every rower faces backward, trusting the coxswain’s call and the movement of the boat beneath them. Progress depends less on force and more on shared cadence, discipline, and trust.
I’ve always been drawn to that dynamic. It’s a reminder that performance emerges not from individual excellence alone, but from the ability to work as one—especially when conditions are uncertain and visibility is limited.
Cross-border integration works in much the same way.
When organizations expand across borders or integrate newly acquired businesses, they often focus on structure, processes, and strategy. These elements matter. But what ultimately determines success is whether people across different geographies, cultures, and functions are pulling in the same direction—and doing so at the same rhythm.
Teams may be operating in different markets, speaking different languages, or responding to different local pressures. Like rowers in a shell, they don’t always see the full picture. Alignment comes from shared purpose, clear signals, and a willingness to adjust pace for the good of the whole.
In my experience, integration challenges rarely stem from lack of effort. More often, they arise from misalignment—well-intended teams rowing hard, but not together. The result is lost momentum, frustration, and progress that feels harder than it should.
The image of the rowing shell on this site is intentional. It represents the kind of coordination required for cross-border integration to work in practice: trust across distance, respect for difference, and commitment to a shared rhythm.
This blog is a space to explore those dynamics—what helps multinational teams find alignment, what disrupts it, and what ultimately allows organizations to move forward together.
Note: for some additional inspiration, I highly recommend that you read the book “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown. It’s a true story about hardship, team-work and glory. A movie with the same name also came out a few years ago, directed by George Clooney.