The year was 2004… I stood on the banks of Ganga in Rishikesh along with 8 other students from IIT Kanpur, having decided to do a beginner’s course in river rafting. How hard can it be, I’d thought to myself. Little had I known this weekend was going to teach me a valuable lesson on the importance of alignment and collaboration.
Filled with enthusiasm, we carried our raft to the bank, spent what seemed like an eternity pumping air into it, hauled it in the river and finally jumped in. Our instructor showed us the right way to hold the T grip and told us to start paddling. And paddle we did. Fueled with excitement, all of us started rowing furiously – but the raft didn’t move.
Out of sync and moving in all possible directions, we were like a school of fish caught in a net. After about two minutes of going nowhere, the instructor said, “You can stop that now. Unless you’re aligned, you’re not getting anywhere.” He then showed us the correct technique and rhythm to paddle in, and off our little raft set. We were able to maneuver and ride through some of the toughest rapids like “Three Blind Mice” & “The Wall” without tipping over.
On that day, I didn’t think much of it. But thinking back, I remember it as an experiential lesson – about why communication and alignment are essential in any collaboration. Had we just decided how to row, we would’ve probably moved down the river instead of struggling fruitlessly & once we eventually got our act together, we were able to tide over the most challenging situations with ease…
Only when you are aligned, communicating proactively, agreeing on a path, and putting in efforts to move in that direction together, will you see progress. This philosophy guides how we collaborate with Phreesia and contributes heavily to our shared success in the partnership.
After all, unless you’re rowing together, it ain’t gonna flow!