Have you ever witnessed someone fly fishing?  As a youngster, I can remember seeing a man in a float tube casting a fly to rising trout, and it stopped me in my tracks.  How can he move all that fishing line above his head and keep it above water like that?  How does he know what the trout are eating? Isn’t he freezing sitting in that tube?  I was hooked right then, right there.

It’s been roughly twenty-five years since I observed that fly fisherman, and I am still passionate about the sport.  You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”  What a great quote, right?  This resonates with me because it prompts my memory to a time spent with my oldest daughter a few weeks ago.  It also reminds me of the ongoing dialogue we are having with so many leaders about Wholehearted Leadership.

First, let me share about the connection with my daughter.  I had the privilege of taking her on her first overnight backpacking trip.  One of her second-grade classmates and his Dad joined us; it was the boy’s first trip like this as well.  We (the Dads) packed in float tubes so we could introduce the kids to the trout on the lake.  It was a thrill of a lifetime for me to have my daughter in my lap as we kicked the tube around casting to rising trout.  Seeing her take command of her casts, the strike, and then landing little brooke trout, was exhilarating!  Equally thrilling, was observing the other Dad teach his son and the success they were having together.  Both of the kids (and the Dads) can’t wait for next year’s trip!

At Living Wholehearted, we define a leader as anyone with a following.  So, if you are the head of a multi-billon dollar corporation or a soccer mom, you are a leader. How we lead does matter.  It’s not about perfection, because that’s not realistic.  Authentic Wholehearted Leadership however, is about transforming lives.  The transformation first arrives in us, like my encounter as a boy with the fly fisherman.  That moment was the beginning of a life-long passion for fly fishing.  Once the transformation takes root in ourselves, then we are in a wonderful position to touch the lives of others seeking to learn, grow, and become fellow change-agents.

In a moment I was captivated by a man with a fly rod pursuing wild trout.  That moment would eventually provide me with the leadership opportunity to teach my daughter how to catch her own wild trout on the fly as well as share the experience with another Dad and his son.  I have no idea if the love for fly fishing will stick with my daughter and if she will one day be in a position to help another experience a similar joy. However, I am hopeful she will catch the idea that leadership is about living out the transformation in us and then extending it to impact others for good. “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”