Looking backwards to go forwards: what rowing taught me about big tech and what big tech taught me about rowing with Matt Brittin.
Timestamps
01:00 From schoolboy to the Olympics - from a family of ball sport heros.
Matt was inspired by Martin Cross to row to a high level - he was his school teacher. Later he was President of his university club where he led the introduction of professional coaching.
04:00 Rowing teaches skills
Matt was running Google in Africa, Middle East and Europe for the past 10 years - he tells a lot of anecdotes about rowing. Steve Gunn (a harsh coach) taught how to take responsibility for what you are doing. Are you a piece of sh*t on the end of the oar?
When the mindset is right but the self-appraisal was not.
The things Matt learned at rowing were the human things - more useful than Business School, Consultancies and University. I wouldn't be where I am in the business world without the rowing lessons.
08:30 Act like an owner
The unique side of rowing is that when I'm seat racing, I'm against you. When we are in the crew, I'm with you. Act like an owner at Google - take responsibility for what you're doing and win as a team. We collaborate hard - and sometimes a collaborative competitiveness gives a better outcome.
11:00 High Pressure Situations
The start line of a Henley Royal Regatta final is where Matt felt the most intense pressure.
Take confidence from the feeling of nerves and the adrenaline surge - this is a sign you are ready for a big performance. Get the attention off yourself - focus on the process is helpful. Know there is someone there who wants you to succeed.
14:45 Henley Royal Regatta Progress
Matt is a Henley steward - he marks the progress over recent years. Sir Steve Redgrave asked Matt to help the committee to plan a 10 year strategy. It looks unchanging yet it's always evolving. Three new womens quad scull events were announced - near parity in Open events and Womens events. Since 2015 every race has been on YouTube live and on demand. You Win or You Learn.
20:00 Returning to Rowing
It has been a joy and a recalibration too. The gains as you come back are lovely - rediscovering the joy. A lot is about remembering the feelings.
How to balance training and travelling for work. How you manage your time at work is important. Matt blocks his diary to take kids to school twice a week - the most important time of the week.
He does the same for rowing training. The discipline when traveling of visiting the hotel gym.
The more senior you get the more important it is to show up refreshed and feeling great - in good shape. Leaders need to be in the moment and to have time for staff.
Matt is planning to mentor people in business, improve his sculling, rowing strength training this year.
Masters rowing is "running up the down escalator". It doesn't have to be the same each year - unlike younger rowing years. Choose something fun to plan for your future rowing.
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Looking backwards to go forwards: what rowing taught me about big tech and what big tech taught me about rowing with Matt Brittin.
Timestamps
01:00 From schoolboy to the Olympics - from a family of ball sport heros.
Matt was inspired by Martin Cross to row to a high level - he was his school teacher. Later he was President of his university club where he led the introduction of professional coaching.
04:00 Rowing teaches skills
Matt was running Google in Africa, Middle East and Europe for the past 10 years - he tells a lot of anecdotes about rowing. Steve Gunn (a harsh coach) taught how to take responsibility for what you are doing. Are you a piece of sh*t on the end of the oar?
When the mindset is right but the self-appraisal was not.
The things Matt learned at rowing were the human things - more useful than Business School, Consultancies and University. I wouldn't be where I am in the business world without the rowing lessons.
08:30 Act like an owner
The unique side of rowing is that when I'm seat racing, I'm against you. When we are in the crew, I'm with you. Act like an owner at Google - take responsibility for what you're doing and win as a team. We collaborate hard - and sometimes a collaborative competitiveness gives a better outcome.
11:00 High Pressure Situations
The start line of a Henley Royal Regatta final is where Matt felt the most intense pressure.
Take confidence from the feeling of nerves and the adrenaline surge - this is a sign you are ready for a big performance. Get the attention off yourself - focus on the process is helpful. Know there is someone there who wants you to succeed.
14:45 Henley Royal Regatta Progress
Matt is a Henley steward - he marks the progress over recent years. Sir Steve Redgrave asked Matt to help the committee to plan a 10 year strategy. It looks unchanging yet it's always evolving. Three new womens quad scull events were announced - near parity in Open events and Womens events. Since 2015 every race has been on YouTube live and on demand. You Win or You Learn.
20:00 Returning to Rowing
It has been a joy and a recalibration too. The gains as you come back are lovely - rediscovering the joy. A lot is about remembering the feelings.
How to balance training and travelling for work. How you manage your time at work is important. Matt blocks his diary to take kids to school twice a week - the most important time of the week.
He does the same for rowing training. The discipline when traveling of visiting the hotel gym.
The more senior you get the more important it is to show up refreshed and feeling great - in good shape. Leaders need to be in the moment and to have time for staff.
Matt is planning to mentor people in business, improve his sculling, rowing strength training this year.
Masters rowing is "running up the down escalator". It doesn't have to be the same each year - unlike younger rowing years. Choose something fun to plan for your future rowing.
Defensive protectors for oars and sculls to prevent the paint wearing off and the spoon degrading.
Things you can do to preserve the spoons and handles.
Timestamps
00:45 Oars get wear and tear
You paint the spoons in the club colours and the paint wears in the middle of the back of the oar and the tips of the blades get worn off at the corners (so you no longer have a sharp corner).
Defensive protectors for oars
Our dock is wood and the surface gets greasy and is a slip hazard. We put non-slip matting onto the dock - water drains through the holes. The brand is Ako Matting and is recommended for ice, snow and water uses. The downside is the surface is abrasive on oars because of the non-slip elements.
03:00 Rules for oars
We have a rule that when you land and leave the dock we always put our oars tip side down on the dock. This helps to preserve the paint and stop the wear patterns on the back of the oars.
Tips down meant we got wear on the tip of the blade.
Croker Oars have tip protectors - little triangles which fit over the corners and you superglue in place.
https://www.crokeroars.com/product-page/row-tip-protectors-pair-4-tips
The plastic takes the wear rather than the carbon oar.
Concept2 oar users can use the vortex edge - it's a strip which goes along the length of the oar tip.
https://www.concept2.com/oars/sculls/blades#vortexedge
The wear on the tip of the oars reduces the surface area of the spoon. And the wear is always in the same direction - my sculls ended up thinner than 3mm. This is the legal minimum for World Rowing rules - I had to sand down the tips of the blade to restore the minimum 3mm.
05:30 Protective decals
A scuff pack kit made to protect the back of the oar from rubbing when your oars are on the bank.
Defensive protectors for oars https://crayfishrowing.com/shop/ols/products/scuffpatch-kit-for-two-oars and the Croker oar corners
Lastly - blade wraps - vinyl that is pre-printed with your club colours and they are cut to the oar spoon shape. Use a heat gun to apply them and it also gives some protection to the oar spoon.
https://regattaprint.com/blade-wraps-team-sweep-oars/
How to wrap oars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxcaeTeOz_g&t=10s
Take care of your oars to make them last longer.
If you paint your oars the old fashioned way is to sand them and use marine-grade gloss paint with undercoat and topcoat paint layers. Others have used spray can car paint too.
We had stickers (decals) of the club logo made to put on the shaft of the oars so that they can be identified - helpful if you don't paint your oars and they look the same as every other club. Easy for them to get lost at a regatta.
Want easy live streams like this? Instant broadcasts to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn. Faster Masters uses StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5694205242376192
RowingChat
Looking backwards to go forwards: what rowing taught me about big tech and what big tech taught me about rowing with Matt Brittin.
Timestamps
01:00 From schoolboy to the Olympics - from a family of ball sport heros.
Matt was inspired by Martin Cross to row to a high level - he was his school teacher. Later he was President of his university club where he led the introduction of professional coaching.
04:00 Rowing teaches skills
Matt was running Google in Africa, Middle East and Europe for the past 10 years - he tells a lot of anecdotes about rowing. Steve Gunn (a harsh coach) taught how to take responsibility for what you are doing. Are you a piece of sh*t on the end of the oar?
When the mindset is right but the self-appraisal was not.
The things Matt learned at rowing were the human things - more useful than Business School, Consultancies and University. I wouldn't be where I am in the business world without the rowing lessons.
08:30 Act like an owner
The unique side of rowing is that when I'm seat racing, I'm against you. When we are in the crew, I'm with you. Act like an owner at Google - take responsibility for what you're doing and win as a team. We collaborate hard - and sometimes a collaborative competitiveness gives a better outcome.
11:00 High Pressure Situations
The start line of a Henley Royal Regatta final is where Matt felt the most intense pressure.
Take confidence from the feeling of nerves and the adrenaline surge - this is a sign you are ready for a big performance. Get the attention off yourself - focus on the process is helpful. Know there is someone there who wants you to succeed.
14:45 Henley Royal Regatta Progress
Matt is a Henley steward - he marks the progress over recent years. Sir Steve Redgrave asked Matt to help the committee to plan a 10 year strategy. It looks unchanging yet it's always evolving. Three new womens quad scull events were announced - near parity in Open events and Womens events. Since 2015 every race has been on YouTube live and on demand. You Win or You Learn.
20:00 Returning to Rowing
It has been a joy and a recalibration too. The gains as you come back are lovely - rediscovering the joy. A lot is about remembering the feelings.
How to balance training and travelling for work. How you manage your time at work is important. Matt blocks his diary to take kids to school twice a week - the most important time of the week.
He does the same for rowing training. The discipline when traveling of visiting the hotel gym.
The more senior you get the more important it is to show up refreshed and feeling great - in good shape. Leaders need to be in the moment and to have time for staff.
Matt is planning to mentor people in business, improve his sculling, rowing strength training this year.
Masters rowing is "running up the down escalator". It doesn't have to be the same each year - unlike younger rowing years. Choose something fun to plan for your future rowing.
