I thought I was a strategist and then I went fly-fishing

Strategic Leadership

There are many elements to outstanding leadership, one of which is the ability to identify true market opportunities and align the organization to make them come to life. This strategic ability is how businesses become and remain relevant. Recently I spent a few weeks in Montana where I continued my exploration of fly-fishing and why the people who do it are so insanely passionate about it! To say that an extraordinary fly-fisherman is a strategist is an understatement. Their love for the game equals my love for identifying strategic opportunities, and below is what I learned from those masters of the river.

1.    These people are fanatical: Fly-fishermen will fish all day and into the night. They use the internet to learn what is happening on the river. Every detail from the flow (velocity) to the water temperature is studied, and over a beer they will discuss any number of theories as to why the water temperature dropped 10 degrees. They don’t have one rod, they have many. They don’t have a few flies, they have hundreds. 
The Lesson:  If you want to be great at something, you have to be passionate.

2.    They are information gatherers and they use information to meet their goal: to catch fish! They read the river, the fish, what the fish are eating, the weather, the water temperature, the water flow and everything that is happening down to the insect and aquatic life on the river.
The Lesson:  Information makes your decisions smarter and your success rate higher.

3.    They know how to get the fish’s attention: they match the insects that are hatching with their artificial flies so fish will not think they are a fraud. Fish have a lot of food to choose from, so your fly has to be good.
The Lesson:  Make sure your offers (products and services) are appealing to the buyer. Stop selling and start creating buying environments. 

4.    Fly-fishermen understand that presentation matters. They present the fly in a way that deceives fish into thinking an artificial fly is the real McCoy. This means the consideration of the type and size of the fly as well as the type, length and the strength of the line which all has to match the fish’s perception of what is real.
The Lesson:  Your offer has to be presented in a way that highlights your unique benefits. This must match what your customer is looking for and must do so in a way that gets that customer to take action.  Remember, creativity alone will not get you success.  Once you catch your customer you must have the processes in place to deliver on your promise. No one likes to be taken.

5.    This sport takes energy. To start, there are 4 main types of casts that a fly-fisherman must master and they are using any one of these four casts hundreds of times in a single day. And while they are casting, they may be walking in a fast moving river or standing in a current that could sweep them away. This requires balance. Sometimes they may even chose to walk against the current. This requires strength.
The Lesson:  Energy ignites what is possible and in business and in life you have to stay healthy and in shape. Be curious about what you don’t know and have the energy to be persistent towards your goals. Don’t be afraid to walk against the current - especially when you know there are fish upstream.

6.    Fly-fishermen are very competitive. They want to be in the best place on the river where the fish are hanging out. When they catch a fish they take a picture and track each day’s count (missed strikes as well as the fish count). They talk about each fish like they are talking about their children. 
The Lesson:  Healthy competition gets everyone wanting to play bigger.  Celebration and pride in accomplishments builds momentum.

7.    They are present, focused and patient. They have the confidence in their analysis that they so diligently completed and constantly look for more clues to adjust their approach (actions). They do not set it and forget it. Their approach is always changing as the indicators around them change.
The Lesson:  Do your homework, spot opportunities, be fanatical about your goals and strategy and agile on your tactical execution. 

8.    They use the knowledge they gain. I thought I had heard it all until I learned that after they catch their first fish of the day they actually pump the stomach to learn more about what the fish ate. In the end, you cannot catch a fish if you don’t know what they want to eat. Period.
The Lesson:  Measurements give you insights into what you need to change, enhance or walk away from.  Know what your customers want and give it to them the way they want it and you will own your marketplace. Period.

9.    Fly-fishermen know that there are good days and bad days and even that some days are both. They don’t let the day when they didn’t catch a single fish affect their attitude towards hitting the river tomorrow. 
The Lesson:  Attitude and tenacity matter. If your people don’t have the right perspective and are not tenacious you are vulnerable to your competition regardless of the quality and advantages your product might have. In the end, fly-fishing is about the fishermen and their approach to fishing…not the fish.

10.    In the end, the fly-fisherman hopefully gets his fish, takes their photos, measures and logs the results to be smarter tomorrow and pays tribute to his Fishing God. All to release that fish back into the water for someone else to catch. 

The Lesson:  Do what you love, make it fun and it will never feel like work.

Renie Cavallari is the CEO and chief inspirational officer of Aspire, an international strategic marketing and training company positioning organizations to generate increased revenues. Contact her at (602)  392-0700 or renie@aspiremarketing.com. For more information on how to strengthen your organization and increase revenues through improving your leadership team check out  www.aspireleadership.com