This original content was posted six years ago, but it never gets old to me. I want to honour all the men that I’ve worked with over the years, especially those who weren’t afraid to be honest and vulnerable in the work of conflict resolution.
Dads deserve a lot of recognition. If it weren’t for their drive, you might not even be reading this. LOL. All kidding aside, this quick leadership tip uses fishing as a metaphor for getting into the weeds and problem solving, for your biggest results. I hope you enjoy it for the first time or the second. The video sports my Dad’s Tilley hat, which hangs in my hallway at home.
Anglers know that it’s important to fish close to the bottom of the lake because that’s where the fish are, even though we get snagged on rocks, branches, and logs. That same idea relates to workplace relationships, productivity, profitability, peace, and harmony.
Imagine that fish are a metaphor for the goals you have. Perhaps it’s more sales, productivity, conflict resolution, staff retention, or even greater success in the quality of personal relationships, (more sex) … Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s look at the similarities.
Check out the great video on this topic below. Be sure to share it with all the Fathers you care about on their special day!
My Captain (Dad) encouraged us to let lots of line out so that our bait would sink and move along the bottom of the lake. “That’s where the fish are,” he’d say. The challenge we’d encounter is that there are obstacles along the lakebed, so we’d often get snagged, and then, the boat would have to stop; everyone had to reel in before he’d reverse the boat to release the snag, hopefully without breaking the line and losing the tackle and bait. It seemed like such an inconvenience, and I’d hate causing that trouble for everyone in the boat.
But, this got me thinking about going deeper for the things we want to have.
- Deeper conversations to approach and resolve conflict
- Deeper effort into making more sales, improving systems or safety
- A deeper focus on personal development, retention, and training
- Or even just deeper clarity to understand a problem, challenge or new circumstance
When we find ourselves snagged on something that needs resolution... there are two choices. The inconvenient one … Stop, reverse, get unhooked and move forward with continued chances for the best fishing, or continue forward with the snag and risk losing everything. The inconvenience is just a perception. “That’s where the fish are” my captain taught me.
Like the lakebed, the workplace environment is rich with obstacles to get snagged on but it’s much more lucrative in these zones rather than the easy ones. It just takes more patience, communication, and teamwork to play at that depth.
Snags validate we’re fishing in a committed and courageous place. Position yourself for the greatest chance of achievement. Before you know it, you’ll hear “FISH ON!” and maybe even experience a double or triple header— that’s when many people in the same boat hook some big fish at the same time!
Where do you feel you’ve been snagged but haven’t yet gone back to the source to unhook yourself?
Your greatest leadership day could be fishing, with Penny Tremblay!
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