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"Your willingness to rock the boat must be commensurate with your willingness to row the boat."
Early in my journey, I loved the idea of rocking the boat.
I was drawn to the thrill of the zag when everyone else was zigging. The idea of breaking the mold, of asking the uncomfortable questions, of challenging conventional wisdom. I wasn’t just okay with disruption; I championed it.
I looked at companies like Netflix and how they toppled the titan Blockbuster. I quoted Steve Jobs’ rally cry for “the crazy ones” like it was gospel:
"They push the human race forward."
I still believe that. We need boat-rockers. We need men and women with the courage to challenge the status quo, to stare down stale systems and say, “We can do better.”
But here’s what I’ve come to learn:
Rocking the boat is the easy part. Rowing it is where the real work begins.
Disruption without discipline doesn’t last.
Creativity without contribution becomes noise.
And movement without muscle leads to nowhere.
Too often, we romanticize the disruptors. We celebrate the successful iconoclasts, the visionaries, and the rule-breakers without recognizing what sustained their success: a relentless willingness to row.
To do the work. To show up. To carry the weight.
To endure the meetings, the setbacks, the revisions, the late nights, and the unglamorous grind that follows every brave idea.
Netflix didn’t just kill Blockbuster because they had a good idea. Additionally they executed obsessively, evolved constantly, and rowed relentlessly.
The same is true for every disruptor who made a real dent in the world.
So yes: rock the boat. Stir the waters. Refuse to settle.
But don’t stop there.
Grab an oar.
Because changing the world isn't just about pointing out where the boat should go, it's about helping get it there.
I’ve been encouraged lately to be the kind of leader who dares to shake things up and also digs in for the hard work ahead. The world needs dreamers who are also doers.
