“Wing Man”

As an avid kayaker, I have spent hundreds of hours on the water.  On certain occasions, unique things occur.  Recently, as a paddled, a Bald Eagle started flying back and forth (up and down river).  He circled looking for fish nearly 100 feet above the water.

A few minutes later, I noticed a Heron on the rock bank also attempting the same task (catch dinner!), but the technique was different.  This heron is built to fish from the shore vs. the sky.  I quickly snapped a photo with my phone as I paddled by.  The body language is what really caught my attention.  This bird looked crouched over, almost limiting it’s sight lines to a six foot radius.

I thought about how huge of an advantage the Eagle has, and how the Eagle can cover hundreds of feet of river within minutes vs. the heron that had his small area of vision.  Just as that thought came to mind, the Eagle was back, and provided me with a story I won’t forget.  The Eagle parked himself about 20 feet above me and due to high winds, slowed himself down, and proceeded to follow me for nearly 2 minutes.  I immediately felt as if the Eagle was my “Wing Man,” watching over me, and giving me a new perspective of the river, as I chose my path.

In business, we often find it difficult to soar like an Eagle, and our body language can sometimes be more like a heron when times are tough, limiting our vision.  What the river told me that day, was that by aligning yourself with a “Wing Man,”  it gives you a higher level of confidence that you are headed in the right direction.   Big business forces this outside vision through boards of directors.  In the building industry many owners tend to go at it alone, or rely on those who may not be flying high enough above the water to assist.

Action Item:

In the next 30 days, make a short list of the 3 people you lean on when you make big decisions in your business.