He did it!
My youngest son was fishing in the pond behind our house and I was watching from the upstairs window when I saw him catch his first fish! He battled it a bit and finally caught it.
I hurried down and snapped a couple pictures then we had to free it. After a little struggle getting the hook out, he grabbed the fish and tossed it back in the pond. Then something strange happened.
We stood and watched as the fish floated on its side. We saw the gill going, but we weren’t sure if we had kept the fish out of the water too long and now it was dead. Using the fishing pole, we pushed it out further . . . not much change. I was starting to worry we had killed the fish (you don’t eat fish you catch from this pond or it may kill you).
My second son was now out with us participating in the drama and he decided to pull the fish in and try to grab it. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally got the fish close enough and my son grabbed the fish, threw it into the deep water, and we didn’t see it again.
After that experience I thought this is how we function in our leadership at times.
WE GET HOOKED
We see something as leaders . . . a proverbial “shiny object” and we take the bait. The bait that hooks us may not align with our purpose and then we are flopping around trying to stay alive until we get thrown back in. Sometimes we have to say no to good things in order to stay aligned with our purpose.
WE PLAY DEAD
Maybe we have a leadership position, but we “put our head down”, do our job, but do not dive into the depths of innovation. We are alive, but barely functioning. We do what we need to do in order to keep leading, but like the fish floating on its side we aren’t exploring new depths because we feel safer minding our own business in order to keep our job, maintain status quo, or keeps the peace at home. Doing only what we need to stay alive will not move us closer to our purpose.
WE NEED A THROW
The problem with playing dead is as long as we are alive it gets comfortable. That fish got a little air and felt safe with little work, but it would never thrive in that shallow water. Sometimes we need to get around people who will throw us out into deeper water where we can thrive. When I facilitate mastermind groups and provide one on one coaching I see people push each other and help raise one another’s leadership lid.
Where are you? Are you off purpose and hooked onto something that is distracting your leadership at work or home? Are you just surviving at work or home and not thriving? Do you need someone in your life to give you that throw into the deep water where it may be scary, but ultimately you can thrive? Do you need a coach or a group to come around you to push you to grow yourself, your leadership, and whatever you lead? Contact me now for a powerful coaching experience to help you think into your results and help you dive into the deeper waters that will grow your leadership. Don’t be a fish playing dead, but a thriving leader exploring the depths. Lead Well.
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