https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/leadership-management/column-leading-with-character-wait-for-it
Maine is truly God’s Country. Those of you who have visited or live here know what I mean. My husband, Bob, and I are here in the lake and mountain region enjoying our summer vacation. We’re staying in a rustic cabin on a small lake where we swim, kayak, and best of all…paddle out each evening in our fishing canoe. Bob fishes while I position the canoe, paddle, and if we’re lucky, I net the fish.
Patience is a Virtue
On our first venture out onto the lake, we reveled in the solitude that comes with evening. The night hawks flew high above foraging for their evening meal of insects. Later the bats joined them. Then the loons started calling, which triggered a barred owl to chime in with a rusty hoot. Yes, the lake can be an exciting place, even if we don’t catch any fish. But on this night, fortune was on our side, and Bob hooked a nice fish.
Now, landing a big bass can be tricky. They pull, twist, and leap high into the air, especially the smallmouth which are quite athletic. Bob has trained me to be patient; to wait for him to steer the fish into the net, which I’m to hold in the water at the ready as he reels in the fish. I must admit, in the past I’ve gotten overzealous and reached out with the net to try and chase the fish as it gets closer to the canoe. Anyone who has been in a canoe knows how risky it can be to reach too far and too fast—the canoe can tip! Bob reminds me every time, “Don’t reach! Wait for me to steer the fish into the net.”
It’s quite hard to wait patiently as the fish gets closer. The fish has a mind of its own and never stays on course for the net. Rather, it pulls sideways, down, or under in a desperate effort to escape. You never know which way the fish will turn or what it will do. So, reaching does no good; it’s better to be patient and wait.
Worth the Wait
On that evening, as Bob reeled the fish in ever closer, I was tempted to reach. You never know how big the fish is while reeling it in, especially at night. Just as I was getting anxious and thinking I should reach, a huge smallmouth bass propelled itself into the air right next to the canoe, spraying me with water and scaring the bejabbers out of me before splashing down, incredibly, into my net! It was sheer luck, not skill. Had I reached, I would have missed the fish, and it may well have broken the line and escaped.
That surprising grand finale was an exciting reminder of life outside the canoe, back in the world of work. Sometimes we should let the prize come to us instead of chasing it so eagerly that we compromise our values, the safety of others, and ultimately risk losing the prize. We should pull together as a team, in unison, to achieve a common goal or objective.
Sure, it’s important to plan, and jump to take advantage of unexpected opportunities. But there’s a temperance that should be applied so you don’t plan so strictly or reach so quickly that you miss the unexpected. Sometimes waiting, not reaching, is the best strategy. I believe knowing when to wait and when to reach comes with maturity and experience. That’s a lesson I learned on vacation, on a lake, in a canoe and it applies in all aspects of work and life.
Look in the mirror: How can you help your team understand how to balance the impulse to chase a goal that might not yet be within reach with the need to wait for the time to be right?
Please join me again next time for more on Leading with Character.
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