9 Business Parallels to Fly Fishing

I am a ‘never have I ever’ fly fisher person.? Every couple of years I try something new that calls to me. I am not a dabbler in the sense where I just go try it on my own….I commit with professional instruction.? If it’s something I know nothing about I like to start smart and do it the right way out the gate instead of making mistakes or creating habits that are hard to break later.? I like to get an expert and have them show me the shortest path to success and build on that.

In this case I had a half day private immersive experience where I could experience a variety of water, and have enough depth and repetition of proper casting to build some muscle memory to go out and practice on my own later.

As I was reflecting on how I felt about the day and if this potential hobby was going to be worth further investment of my time and resources I noticed some profound stand out lessons.

1. S.L.O.W. it down. My cast instructor gently and? often guided me to slow down my cast. Take my time. There were two steps not one.? There is no hurry. There is no rush. I noticed that I just wanted to get to the end result.? In doing so I was losing efficiency and playing harder not smarter.

Put your hand up if that ever happened to you in your business. Being very destination focused and just wanting to get ‘there’ not stopping to consider that sometimes we have to slow down to speed up….or sufficiently pull back the arrow (or the rod) before we can let it fly.

1. ?PATIENCE. You have to go with the current. It goes as fast (or as slow) as it goes….no less no more.

Admittedly, I have always thought if patience was a virtue, hurry the $%*# up ought to be one too.? Time is real here in ‘The Matrix’.? Just like in business, you take the action and then allow the result.? It isn’t always instant gratification.? Sometimes you have to let it develop.

1. BE PRESENT. There are a lot of things to pay attention to: where your indicator is going, if it dips and you have a bite, whether or not you need to ‘make a mend’ in your line, how much line you have out, and when its gone far enough and it’s time to recast, where the current is going, where the wind is..and on and on.

You have to be in the moment, thinking about what is in front of you and considering with intention each thing independently and how it collectively affects the whole.

1. BE ALERT..watch for changing conditions.? The wind, the water, the current, the sky, (a hook coming your way).? Everything affects your cast, the nature of the flow, where the fish are and if and what they will bite.

We have to be mindful of the nature of our business, our competition, the current culture and climate.? Everything has an influence over our sometimes rapidly changing landscape.? We have to be mindful of all that is going on so we can be proactive vs reactive.

1. THE POWER OF NATURE.? I marvel at how water can flow around and through so many obstacles and how it can carve a path through what looks like the hardest of stone.? It always finds a way.? You can tell a fish that spends its time in a river by how strong it is from swimming in current vs one in a lake or pond.?

Standing in rushing water was a powerful experience. Somehow literally standing IN nature, crisp water washing your heaviness downstream, the beautiful blue sky, sun warming all that it touches, a flock of birds, frisky fish.? It’s good for the soul.? It's therapy all on its own. It also demonstrates our own resilience and how we grow through friction.? We get strong through adversity.? Stillness and no current do not produce strength.

1. SURRENDER..and take a knee. Crossing a spot in the river where the current was strong and the water was rushing, I lost my balance.? In a hairs breadth I found myself consciously deciding to try to fight for stability or just take a dunk and take a knee.? I got wet…real wet, but I found the ground and was solid. From that place I could recover quicker than I would have in the struggle. My guide turned around and was like, ‘Oh crap’. I considered feeling embarrassed and just simply decided not to bother.? As a newbie it was bound to happen.? We laughed.

In business sometimes we hit choppy water.? Sometimes we resist and try to push against it…or deny it’s really happening.? Acknowledge it, pause and take a knee, get grounded…and see the next lesson…

1. ASK FOR HELP. When I was down in the water on my knees, I waited (patiently) for my guide to notice I wasn’t right behind him and offer me a hand so I didn’t end up in worse shape…or waders full of water (that would have been a special twist on the rest of the day).

Asking for help is hard.? We often think that our peers, our clients/customers might think less of us…or that we are a fraud or an imposter.? Maybe instead they will simply think we are human too?? You can recover so much faster without compounding the problem by getting support.

1. FINESSE VS FORCE.? As I got a rhythm for the casting, I really wanted to get more distance. I was trying to assert sheer braun on the cast.? My guide quickly? helped me see that finesse, not brute force, was the way.? He encouraged me to work on my technique and form.? The right form goes much further than force any day.?

Sometimes in business it is about taking a step back and? sharpening the skill and strateg, not just piling on more action or effort. Work smarter and with the elements.

1. BE FLEXIBLE.? The day brought changing weather and water conditions, people already in places where we wanted to go, me wet in the river, broken lines, fish who ate the hook…anything can happen. We went with the flow, adjusted, pivoted, and changed direction.

Being rigid leads to limits. You lose flexibility and restrict your options….and sometimes just causes unnecessary pain or frustration.

Do you need a private immersive experience with an expert who can navigate the elements in your business?

Need a guide to refine strategy and help light the way?

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