Who Helps You Curl?

The Olympics always bring to us, and I think to Americans in particular, a variety of sports that we never consider but once every four years. One of those is curling.

Next to hockey, curling is probably the most Canadian of sports. Pitch a “stone,” weighing who knows what, down a flat patch of ice and try to get it into a small circle — all the while either knocking someone else out or hoping that someone won’t knock you aside. As the stone trundles along its path, two colleagues try to manipulate the direction and speed of the stone by vigorously scrubbing the ice. Think of shuffleboard with heavy coats on.

There are lots of career lessons to be learned from curling. First is that, like “development,” who would guess the nature of the activity by its name? (What exactly is it that “curls?”) But more important is the idea that the person who sends the stone along its icy path can set up the situation but can’t be ultimately successful without the help of the two dedicated colleagues who guide the stone in its journey. These two — the ones with the brushes — regulate the energy of the situation. They make sure that the stone doesn’t miss the mark and that it gets in a position that won’t be knocked out by others. The three of them — the one who starts the stone down the alley and the two with the brushes — truly are a team.

Who is on your team? Who are the people that brush in front of the stone that you pitch so you hit the mark? These are important people to your career. Without them would you watch your career “curl?”