Letter on the Third — July 2021
Dear Datamax Family,
As our Arkansas team concludes its annual River Cities Dragon Boat Festival, we’re reminded that every position in the boat matters.
This event is one of my favorites each year. The Festival welcomes employees from 30+ Arkansas businesses, who race across the lake in 46-foot-long dragon boats. It’s a weekend full of competition, team building, and camaraderie, all to support Children’s Protection Center. Not only is it a great team-building exercise for the employees who row, but we also have many of our own bring their families to cheer their teammates on, and to support a wonderful cause. The RCDBF event is directly in line with our philosophy here of giving back to the community.
When every oar is in the water, and we’re rowing together in a synchronized way, great things inevitably happen out on that lake. I could say the same for all of us here. So how do we row at Datamax? Here are four fundamental principles I’d like to share.
1. The Value of Pulling in the Same Direction.
When you hop into the boat, your designated dragon boat coach will tell you: “It’s not strength, it’s synchronicity.” Every team member, every department, and every office must be pulling in the same direction, and certainly in the same rhythm, to achieve our goals.
2. The Need for All Hands on Deck.
Rowers must perform as a crew, with each adapting to the strengths and shortcomings of the
other. The long-armed member must adjust to the stronger back of another member. When you’re in the boat (or the office), there’s no time for “That’s not my job.”
3. The Belief in Trusting Our Course.
Imagine this. Your oar’s in the water, you're rowing with all your might in a paper-thin rowing shell… and you're looking backward. While unnerving, rowers quickly learn to trust the coach’s ability to maneuver the six-inch rudder along the course, and the drummer keeping a steady beat inside the boat. Our course is well set, if we trust the vision, and the process.
4. The Enthusiasm in Winning as a Team.
After winning a race, it's a rowing tradition to throw the coach into the water. Every victory should be marked and memorable. Every win is worth celebrating - whether it’s President’s Club, Ambassador’s Club, the ring of the sales bell, or a simple “Great job.” Every position in the boat matters, and every extra effort should be celebrated.
How We Roll as an organization can be found inside The Little Blue Book, starting on Page 19. I encourage you to revisit it. In that same spirit, How do we row? We row for the win. We row together, for one another. We row for a shared mission that is bigger than any one person at Datamax.
The Best is Yet to Be.
