Catch More (Metaphorical) Fish

On one side we have the fisherman. On the other side, we have the fish. With a hook and bait, the fisherman tries for the catch. There’s an art and a science behind the work. In business, the act of telling our story is the act of choosing the right bait and hook for the desired fish, and then knowing where, when, and how to cast our line.

The fish is out to eat. It’s also out to survive. The fish’s perspective can’t be overlooked. 

Not just any bait will do. It will have to be the right bait for the right target fish. Respect the fish’s tastes. 

Not just any hook will do. It will have to be a fit for the bait and the fish it’s intended to catch. The right hook can be the difference between feeding and catching fish. 

The fisherman has to be patient. They need to have the right line and technique. They need the right strategy for where to be and when. They’re fishing with purpose and catching with luck, but not by accident. 

It’s a simple metaphor. Whatever our goal is, we can separate the required efforts from the hook, the bait, and the target. A fisherman’s patience and practice are required, but with the right approach, we can catch almost anything if we start from the target’s perspective. If we’re catching nothing, the metaphor can be useful for troubleshooting too. Do we have the wrong bait? The wrong hook? Are we fishing at the wrong time of day? There’s a lot of power in having a system to validate why we can’t catch Jaws with a paper clip and some bubble gum, or why we may need a bigger boat. 

Working smarter wins. It’s a useful exercise to deconstruct the process from our expectations. When we turn a critical eye towards how and why we expect something to work, we can turn anything into practice. Practice doesn’t always make perfect, but it does make better. 

Catch more fish.