Gone Fishing

Many years ago, my chairman invited me to join him for a day’s fishing on the Tweed in Scotland. It was a thrill and an honour.

There was only one problem. I didn’t fish. I couldn’t fish, I had never learned, well to be more accurate I had never asked anyone to teach me. So, I spent the day on the banks of the river, with my rod pointing towards the bank opposite and the hook doing God knows what but it certainly wasn’t attracting and fish.

On my own and isolated from the rest of the party I found myself getting more and more maudlin with each passing hour. In my head I knew why I couldn’t fish. I couldn’t fish because no one had ever taught me. So, I asked myself who would I expect to teach a young man how to fish, or how to do anything, for that matter? The answer I kept presenting myself with was ‘A boy would be taught be his father or grandfather or an older male relative’ and the more I thought about that the more aware I was of what I had missed out on by being sent away to school and my dad dying when I was just 14 and the more I thought about that the more maudlin I became.

But before this blog turns into a pity party, the real question I want to ask is how disadvantaged are we when we miss our opportunity to learn something? When we have failed to learn something, at the appropriate time in life, how disadvantaged are we and what can we ever do about it?

There is always an answer and I suppose I could have found someone to teach me but I didn’t know who and as I stood there on that riverbank on a blustery autumn day all those years ago, it seemed an insurmountable problem.

Maybe it is because I am so aware of what I have failed to learn that I am such an advocate for helping others to learn and of being that role model and mentor. Now I actively seek opportunities to learn every day.

So, the questions for today are:

• Where are the gaps in your knowledge?
• What have you told yourself you are competent at that may not be true?
• What are you doing to actively learn each and every day?
• We don’t know what we don’t know but who can help you see what you can’t easily see?

If you need any help, reach out

Many successful business owners eventually hit a wall on growth and struggle to climb it alone. When you work with me you get a fresh perspective, a solid plan, and customised coaching so you can grow and scale your business safely and at speed.

To check whether I can help you on that journey https://calendly.com/iankinnery/canweworktogether