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I had a coaching client who told me about a fishing trip he was on in the
Pacific Ocean. He and his fishing partner were not commercial fisherman
but fairly competent amateur sport fisherman. They were miles out in the
ocean when a dense fog rolled in. They were fairly familiar with the area
but the fog was thick and disorienting. They were certainly aware that
there were reefs that could damage the propeller. There were rocks that
could damage the boat. The fog blocked out the sun that might help with
navigation and it muffled sound. They realized fairly quickly that a lot
of bad things could happen. They could easily head in the wrong direction
and end up way out to sea. As they listened to the eerie silence they
imagined a large ship moving toward them with no audible or visual
warning. They could imagine hitting a rock and going overboard.
One thing they knew for sure was that they were in a fog.
They decided to set a compass reading and head for an agreed
upon bearing at a slow speed. One person was on the bow focusing on the
upcoming fifteen feet for rocks and reefs. There were times when they
second-guessed their strategy. One would report that he saw a sparkle in
the water that might mean the sun was over there. "Maybe we are going
in the wrong direction," one might think. When you can't see the
future, fears start to move in just like the fog. The other would say
"We are going to stay the course and continue our actions." The
actions included sounding a fog horn intermittently and moving forward
cautiously. They soon got a glimpse of a landmark that they recognized
and finally made it home safely to the fishing lodge.
I think this is a great metaphor for life! Often, as human
beings, we are navigating through a fog in our lives. We may not see how
our habits or beliefs have been working against us. In life, as in this
story, there may be people or tools that could make the journey a lot
easier. A professional might have radar, a global positioning system or a
radio to call for help. And so it is true with our lives,if we do not
have a clear vision of where we are going and some of the tools to help
us get there, we may end up changing course every time there is a
distraction. When you can't see the future, fears start to move in just
like the fog. A coaching style to leadership is about developing
awareness, taking action, and having an environment of accountability in
place to ensure desired results.
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