My family jokes that I can take any event and turn it into a lesson.
I heard of one recently where two teens took one of their parent’s boat out fishing.
They were just going lake fishing so they weren’t out in the ocean but this boat had a little motor. They took the boat out a ways from shore and fished for a while. Then they couldn’t get the motor to start. So they go to grab the oars and start rowing, but there is only one oar.
Even with some ingenious rowing, (take one stroke and pass the oar to the other person to take a stroke), they can’t make any progress without the other oar.
So they decide they are going to push the boat back to the shore. They jump overboard and get behind the boat and start kicking in the water and pushing the boat.
All the sudden they hear a boat coming towards them and a man asks if they need some help.
YES!
He proceeds to tell them how he was eating his cereal and saw them both jump overboard and wasn’t sure if they had a fight or needed help.
He towed them to shore and the grateful teens got the boat back on the truck and home for repairs.
Immediately I went to, yep, you can’t get to your destination with one oar. You need tools.
Have you ever tried to row a boat with one oar? You just spin around and around.
I know what it feels like to spin around and around and not get to where I wanted to go.
Coaching was the oar that helped me to get the skills I needed in order to get the boat to my destination.
If you feel like you are spinning around, make an appointment with one of our Client Experience Guides to find out how we can help get your boat where you want to go.
DrPaul