Cut the Line
Jeff Nischwitz (he/his/him)
Consigliere, Performance Coach, People Whisperer, Snow Globe Shaker ... Lover of bold red wine ?? .. Cuban cigars .. Hearty bourbon ?? .. Broadway theater ??
When you are having trouble with your computer, what’s the first thing you do? Reboot! The same solution works with fly fishing. When in doubt, start over and reboot. But do we apply this wisdom to everything else in our life, relationships and leadership?
I was reminded of this when I went fly fishing last month in Colorado. As a beginner, I got my line all tangled up several times. After I struggled with untangling the mess, our host, Jerry, briefly tried to untangle it until he decided to cut the line and retie it. A reboot.
Jerry’s comment was simple – it’s a lot easier and faster to cut the line and start over than to try and attempt to untangle the line.
What are you trying to fix or untangle? Are you being diligent and persistent OR are you hanging on and wasting your time? Sometimes it’s easier and more productive to start over than to try to undo or untangle the mess that you’ve already created. Notice that I’m not suggesting you quit entirely, but I am suggesting that you pause, cut the line and take a new approach. After all, hanging on too long to an approach or solution that’s not working is the definition of insanity and the opposite of leadership.