You may know the parable of the consultant and the fisherman:
A consultant is taking a rare vacation at near a sun-baked fishing village. Every day he goes down to the wharf to gaze out at the ocean and take in the peace. He watches the boats come and go. His eye is caught by a jovial fisherman returning with a small catch. He sees the same fisherman on every morning walk to the wharf, and then again every evening in the local cantina. After a few days the consultant strikes up a conversation with the fisherman.
The consultant begins. “You seem to have a good life. May I ask what your day is like?”
The fisherman is happy to speak to the tourist. “Yes. Every day I love to go fishing. I catch enough for my family in the morning, along with a few extra to sell. I spend the afternoon with my family, and we eat together in the evening. At night I come here to drink with my friends.”
“You love fishing? You catch a little extra? How long are your fishing trips each day?” the consultant asks.
“Just a couple of hours,” the fisherman replies.
“Why not stay out longer? Then you can catch more fish!” The consultant is excited on behalf of the fisherman.
The fisherman is confused. “But what would I do with the extra fish?”
The consultant becomes even more animated. “Well then you can sell them and make even more money. And you can invest that money.”
The fisherman is even more confused. “How should I invest?”
The consultant is completely in his element now. “There are so many options! You can buy a second boat, recruit people to fish for you, and set up your own business. With success you could have a fleet of fishing boats. You might be better off moving to the city, it’s closer to some of the financial and administrative resources you might need. After years of success you can sell your business and retire!!!”
The consultant sat back, delighted with his delivery on the possibilities. Just as he picked up his drink he threw in an afterthought. Turning to the fisherman he asked, “how would you spend your retirement?”
The fisherman shrugged, and took a small drink before his reply. “Every day I would go fishing – I love to go fishing. I would catch enough for my family and a sell few extra. I would spend the afternoon with my family, and eat with them in the evening. At night I would come here to drink with my friends.”
My friend Cal had an experience along these lines. He effectively swapped places with his boss when his boss decided he had achieved all he felt he could in that position, and now wanted to rebalance his life. Cal found himself working crazy hours while his old boss (and now direct report) went home to his family at a reasonable time. As Cal wryly observed to me when recounting this story, “there is a certain enviable peace in knowing that you are at a place where you can do most good, and you don’t feel like you’re constantly struggling to improve, to grow…. to cope!”
