What I learned about 'Continuous Improvement' from catching the biggest fish in the lake...

So about three years ago I went to my local fishing lake and caught a big carp. It was over 20 lbs in weight and it was, I must admit, a bit of a fluke.

I then wanted to catch a big one by design... So after about 30 trips I finally caught the biggest in the lake! It didn't feel like a fluke this time. I felt I had loaded the dice in my favour and with persistence, and a bit of luck on the day, I caught the big one.

But how did I load the dice? I talked with a lot of people, I gained as much information as possible, I experimented a bit and learnt as I went along (a bit like a continual improvement project at work!).

I set out to enjoy the process of learning about the lake, I became part of a small community of like minded people. Success wasn't about the capture - rather it was about feeling that I was increasing my chances with each trip.

If I'm honest I'm not sure what I want to do with fishing at the lake - but I will reflect on the enjoyment of the process, and the capture, till I work out what to do next...