In rowing, we call it swing.

All four, or eight, members of a crew cut through the water, their oars at the same speed, pulling with the same pressure, at the same time. It’s exacting. And difficult. But, when it happens, magic occurs. The fiberglass shell lifts, almost as if it’s floating on top of the water. And the crew, working smarter, not harder, is operating at its maximum efficiency, reserving energy for the final sprint to the finish.

Achieving swing can happen in the workplace, too. When a team crystallizes around a shared focus and common goal and focuses on working smarter, not harder, an incredible efficiency occurs. Workplace efficiency requires outlined roles, but on the outside, it’d be difficult to identify where the work of one team member stops and another starts. And the team always, always has each other’s backs.

Swing is what we aim for every day at Mission Partners. We work to achieve continuity across each project team we build, ensuring efficiency for our clients and effectiveness. We take the time to define exactly what it is we are working to accomplish, something we refer to as being “fierce in our focus.” Mission Partners takes this seriously from an operational perspective, but—especially for an agency that spends a significant amount of time helping organizations think about the words and messages they use—also from a communications perspective. Think about the confusion that could arise within an organization where team members are inconsistent in how they talk about the work they do or are out of sync in the ways in which they share the message.

Whether approaching swing from an operational or communications perspective, here are three ways you can build it within your workplace:

1. Outline the Assignment

At Mission Partners, we always begin a project by defining the specific assignment and receiving approval on it from our client. No exceptions. If we can’t all express in crystal clear terms what we’re working to achieve, the chances that someone will be out of sync are too great.

In Action: Think about a project that you have on the horizon; it could be work, school, or personal related. What are you working to achieve? Write down, as specifically as possible, what the assignment is. If the project is feeling too large, try breaking it down into two or three smaller projects and write an assignment (and a due date) for each. Remember to always keep it simple.

2. Define Roles

In the boat, every position has a clear title and clear responsibility, with no overlap. This even goes for talking; it is the responsibility of only one person—the coxswain—to give commands, call cadence, and provide spoken motivation. All other crew members are expected to be silent. Similarly, but perhaps not quite so severely, Mission Partners has adopted the Management Center’s MOCHA model to assign responsibility and accountability to every aspect of a given project. This model eliminates any questions of ownership, ensures smooth execution of projects, and serves as a quick reference for internal and external stakeholders.

In Action: Consider a team project at work, school, or in your personal life. Using the below chart, detail each task associated with completing the project. List the team member who will play which role for each task. Remember, the Manager and Approver are often the same person, and not every task will have someone who plays the role of consulted or helper.

Task	MOCHA Model
	Manager	Owner	Consulted	Helper	Approver

For more on the MOCHA model, visit http://www.managementcenter.org/. 

3. Practice

A few years ago, I returned to my high school as an assistant coach for the school’s novice crew team. Over the course of practices that season, I was reminded of two things:

First, that we all are all novices when we begin. That goes for rowing, and it goes for everything else, too. No one is born knowing how to play a violin or ski down a mountain. And—while there’s certainly something to be said for natural talent—no one gets to be an expert at anything without loads of practice.

The second thing I observed is the time it takes to form a team. When the team first started rowing together, this disparate group of women had almost nothing in common and barely knew each other. It took a few weeks of practicing before norms were established and the team was comfortable working together. This happens quickly in rowing; try lifting a 200-lb. boat overhead and not immediately feeling trust and appreciation for the seven other rowers helping you out. But in those first few weeks of practices, swing would’ve never been a remote possibility—regardless of the team’s skill at that time.

In Action: Practice. Practice at your own work and practice at teamwork. Find opportunities to build trust and deepen relationships. At Mission Partners, we end every staff meeting with team appreciation, sharing ways in which our colleagues go above and beyond with each other and with the clients we serve. Reflect on what the 200-lb. boat is within your organization. How can you build trust and deepen relationships on your team to ensure that someone will be there to help you lift it overhead?

Want to learn more about how to find swing within your workplace? Subscribe to the Mission Partners newsletter to find inspiration, resources, and the latest on events and workshops that we’re hosting on this topic. And, if you have a specific question, email it to me at [email protected] and we can explore it together.