Admittedly, I have very little experience fishing. But it was easy to get hooked on the strategic insight from a successful business leader with a serious love of the sport. To him, fishing is a way of life. So he naturally drew from his on the water expertise while speaking to our group about how to drive growth and innovation in an organization. He discussed why hard working leaders with strong ideas and the desire to advance their business, may fail to achieve their goals. He warned of a trap called ‘going for the shiny lures’ that he sees many getting caught in. When individuals are working hard, they tend to be pulled in multiple directions at the same time and end up spreading resources too thin. Each time a new lure drops in the water, they are drawn to it and it pulls them off course.
It is important to understand why your business was successful in the first place, remain true to your mission (learn about ours!), and stay focused on priorities. Has your organization drifted away from its core? Here’s a simple test to gage the waters: ask company leaders, “what’s your top goal and strategy?” If all are lured in different directions, it may be time to re-focus and prioritize.