Unlocking talent beyond sport: Lessons from rowing for business and life

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It highlights the fact that the merits of participation in sport stretch way beyond the sports arena, or river in this case, as it equips athletes with a powerful array of business and life skills.

At RMB, we recognized this invaluable asset of sport when we embarked on our comprehensive sponsorship of rowing in South Africa 10 years ago, elevating the sport in the country to a national and international level, and making it accessible to everybody.

We understand and appreciate that a sport like rowing, more than any other, requires precision, flexibility and trust; traits that are directly applicable to leadership in business, too.

Rowing is often described as “the ultimate team sport”. And whereas icons like Messi, Kolisi or Kallis can single-handedly steer a team to triumph in codes like soccer, rugby and cricket, success in boat racing is rarely a consequence of individual brilliance.

The same goes for business.

Business, like a high-performance rowing crew, relies on leadership, strategy, teamwork and durability under pressure to be optimally successful.

In the RMB Universities Boat Race, eight individuals must sweep in perfect tandem – but if one rower is even slightly out of sync, the boat slows down. At RMB, collaboration is equally vital. Our success depends on how seamlessly our people work together across divisions, geographies and disciplines.

Leadership, of course, is key in both rowing and business. Every rower faces backwards, relying on the coxswain for direction. They cannot see the finish line; they simply trust the vision. In business, our leaders provide the strategy and direction, while the teams execute with conviction.

Through our holistic investment in rowing locally, driving inclusivity and transformation, we’re proud of the role we play in not only shaping top-level athletes to represent South Africa on the world stage, but also helping empower the leaders of tomorrow.

It is more than a sponsorship; it’s a vote of confidence in the future of South Africa. Nearly 400 of these next-gen decision-makers will be on display in the RMB Universities Boat Race over the next couple of days.

Rowing, like business, is a test of discipline, resilience and unity of purpose. At RMB, we believe that when we row together, with precision and trust, there is no current too strong to hold us back.