I was thinking back on my childhood this week...
Specifically how some of my experiences and subsequent reactions have shaped what I am and how I believe today...
One of my early passions was fishing...
There are an abundance of lakes, streams and rivers where I grew up...
We could fish from trout to carp...and everything in between!
We fished year round...spring "runs"...summer doldrums...on the ice...and fall feeding frenzies!
Few weeks would pass us by without us wetting a line!
You get the picture...we fished a lot!
During my "tween-age" season...we were in to fishing real obscure places...
These were locations that could only be reached via canoes or long hikes...after literally hours of paddling or walking...
It was a lot of work for mostly meager catches...but the spots were pristine!
We would plan our excursions for weeks and when we had a long weekend, convince our parents that we would be safe...pack up our stuff...load our canoes...and paddle off....
Our trips would take us either up or down a stream to our appointed spot...and we would hurriedly set up a tent and then we would fish...
More often than not the fishing was no better than a spot that we could walk to in minutes...but we loved the experience...
One trip in particular took us from our regular fishing lake...downstream...to the next lake. This required a portage over a dam...and about 4 hours of canoeing through brush and spiders and poison ivy vines...
We arrived at our "secret" spot which we called "The Point" because of a long penninsula that jutted out into this part of the lake.
In actuality the fishing spot was less than 3 miles from our homes...and could have been biked to in about 1/2 hour! But it was the journey that was important!
This trip was a bit different. I added another person to the closed/regular band of explorers and by inviting a new kid to join us...
To this day...I do not know why I did!
He was not adept at fishing...
He couldn't paddle worth a darn...AND I had him in the front of my canoe!
He had never camped and was deathly afraid of the dark...
He wasn't smart...or adaptive...
He talked too much...
We had to set up the tent for him...
His fishing rod didn't have any line...(I gave him half of mine)...
He immediately turn my gift of fishing line into a "Rat's nest"...
He couldn't tie a fishing knot...so we tied every one for him after he threw a half-dozen of our baits away!
Did I mention that he didn't have any bait or tackle?
He couldn't swim...
My list could go on!
Yet he was with me!
While we paddled...for a brief moment I saw reality...but ignored it!
We arrived at "The Point" and set up our camp...and his!
We climbed into our respective canoes and paddled out to fish...
He immediately tangled his line...
I fixed that...
Then he dropped his pole in the water...
I luckily retrieved it for him...
Then he dropped his paddle in the water...
He reached to get it and fell out of the canoe!
I was lucky that I saw that coming...counter balanced the canoe and kept it from swamping!
I retrieved the kid and went back to fishing...
Things quieted down a bit while he untangled his equipment AGAIN...
and I solo paddled the canoe to a promising spot...
I cast a bait and the water exploded!
I caught one of the biggest fish in my experience to date!
A HUGE Pike!
The cool thing was that it wasn't that single fish...
My weekend was filled with catch after catch...
The rest of the party caught the normal fish...
I was on a roll! I was amazed and exhilerated
After each catch...I would take stock of what I did...so that I could (hopefully) repeat the experience!
What I noticed was that one thing in common with every catch (actually all but 3) was that "the kid" was with me...
I attributed my success to "the kid" he became my "good luck" charm...
I also noticed that when he wasn't in the canoe...my fishing performance was back to normal...
As a result of this experience...through the next summer...I invited him on every fishing excursion that we went on...
and put up with him...and the pain he brought...
I actually had to remove deeply embedded hooks from my leg and from my shoulder...because he didn't look as he cast!
I paid a high price to have my "good luck" charm at the head of my canoe...
What never happened during the rest of that summer were the monster fish catches that I experienced on the first day!
I was back to normal...even though that Spring trip was still embedded in my mind...much like "the kid's" hooks that had been...in my flesh!
By August...normal catches and hook #3 brought about an epiphany!
"The kid" was no good luck charm!
He was a PAIN both literally and figuratively!
I finally realized that my spring experience was nothing more than being at the "right place...at the right time"
"The kid" just happened to be there...with me!
I gave him credit for success that he definitely didn't deserve!
As a result...he reaped benefits...and I put up with a ton of pain and suffering...
All because I attributed my success to him and that I didn't want to risk not having a good luck charm...
Hook #3 ended my invitations...
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He however continued fishing...
We kept and ever watchful eye out for him...when he was on our side of our lake and if we saw him first...we made our way to the other side of the lake...
Our distancing ourselves from "the kid" and consistent avoidance actually broke routines and expanded our regular fishing territory...
AND our catches improved!
We actually would watch where he was fishing and do the opposite...because it seemed that we seemed caught more fish by doing so!
For a while we even believed that the best places to fish was where he was not!
You would think that we would have learned something about superstition...
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Many organizations make the same mistakes with their leadership...
A leader is invited to take the helm of the "boat" (canoe)...at the right time and right place...
"The kid's" new-ness buys him time and the rest of the organization ignores the tangles and pains...
It sets up his tent...give him line...ties the knots...and fishes like it always dooes...
It even reaches into the water and pulls him out...while keep the boat from capsizing!
AND...
It catches fish...
Then it looks at its success and attributes it to the leader!
What it doesn't see is that the leader has done no paddling...or even wet a line himself...
If they truly took stock...they would realize that there was more energy expended during that time!
All he has done since the biginning of the trip is complain!
The "kid" undeservedly is tagged a "good luck" charm...
Even though it was simply "the right place at the right time!"
The "kid" reaps benefits...quite undeservedly...
The "kid" refuses to change...because he see himself and convinces others that he is competent...and may even believe in his "charmed" existence!
He continues to drive hooks into his supporters who tolerate the pain because of that "right place...right time...." experience of days gone past...
Then...reality sinks in...like hook #3!
and the invitations to lead disappear!
and the astute organization realizes the error of their beliefs!
They see "the kid" for who he really is and act accordingly...
I hope!
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My experience of that "tween-age" year has a direct parallel in the organizational arena...
It may have even influenced how I believe leaders should act...
Many times organizations experience success and wrongly attribute it to "the kid" when it was simply a matter of placement and timing...(LUCK)...
The successful 21st century organization needs to look at its plight (leadership) realistically...
Leadership (at EVERY level) must be scrutinized for its contribution to success...
If it is a matter of timing and luck...then the questions must be asked...
- How many hooks and rat nests?
- How many times did we pull him from the water?
- What price did we really pay to carry our "good luck" charm?
