Big Fish
Flipping the switch and hearing only a hum meant something was wrong.
An allen wrench and several online tutorials later the truth was revealed; a garbage disposal that had disposed its last.
When Kester and Jake arrived to install the replacement my first thought was, “Yea! I can use the dishwasher again.”
But as we chatted the bigger reason for rejoicing appeared.
Turns out… Kester and his wife have a two-week old son, their first, and he and his dad just finished building their house before the baby came.
Clearly a multi-talented man.
I then turned my questions to Jake (Kester’s cousin).
Me: So, Jake, what would be your dream job?
Jake: I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that much. Well… I guess it would be to be paid to fish.
Me: People do that?
Jake: Oh yes, if you have a sponsor, they’ll provide the boat, equipment, everything and you’re pretty much set.
Me: How do you get a sponsor?
Jake: You have to know how to catch the really big fish.
And that triggered a memory.
Where I grew up in southwest Missouri, there was a fishing show on television. Their jingle (and yes, I can still sing it) was, “Gone fishin’ instead of just a wishin’.”
Since fishing was close to the bottom on my “favorite things to do” list, I never watched the show; just turned it on because what I wanted to watch came on next.
But I remembered the jingle.
And Jake’s comments cast a line into the waters of my thinking for my catch of the day.
It didn’t take long.
Until he mentioned it, I had never given ANY thought to someone making a living as a professional fisherman.
A quick google search exposed my ignorance… there are many.
(For an incredibly inspiring example check out Clay Dyer, a young man without legs and arms who is a competitive fisherman.)
This multi-billion-dollar industry focuses on… catching the big fish.
Apparently, the more big fish you catch the more likely you are to reel in a sponsor who then supplies you with all the things you need to continue doing what you love to do; fish.
And as I thought about that I realized…. that describes what everyone wants; the big fish that once caught kind of takes care of everything else.
So, how do we define our “big fish?”
· Money (If I have enough THEN….)
· Power (The one who has the most wins.)
· Position (When I’m at the top, I’ve arrived.)
· Happiness (A worthy wish, right?)
· Peace (In the world and our hearts.)
I’m sure you could add to that short list.
But, I’d like to humbly suggest the “biggest of the big” from my perspective.
Character.
Why that?
Because we’re inundated daily with its short supply….and the subsequent fallout.
Imagine the results if everyone took a laser-focused look at their own.
“Ninety-nine percent of leadership failures are failures of character.” ~ Norman Schwarzkopf
While that statistic alone should give us cause for pause… I’m not sure it does.
Because holding up that mirror of self-evaluation takes time, energy and intention.
And it’s a whole lot easier to rattle off our long “to do” list that proves how busy we are than to slow down long enough to reign in the frenzy and confront our reality.
“We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider what kind of person they should be.” ~ Ruth Haley Barton
And since we are ALL leaders because we’re all influencing others… Barton’s quote casts the net wide enough for everyone.
So, how do we do that?
“Character is built on the inside before it shows up on the outside. I don’t give heed to the outer voice, which encourages image. I try to listen to the inner voice, which encourages integrity.” ~ John C Maxwell
Kester and Jake not only installed my disposer, they repaired an unrelated leak… not because they had to but as Kester put it, “If I’ve worked on something I couldn’t leave someone with a leak.”
Seems to me it’s more than just “a wishin’” with those two men…. they’ve already caught the big fish.
Here’s to being anglers of the same!
( If you're interested in an easy first step for opening a character conversation with your team. Contact me!)