Watch for Rising: Where Strategy Meets Context
We were on the slough about 30 minutes before shooting light. My dad, younger brother, and I were hunting flooded timber in Central Arkansas and were motoring our way to our preferred spot when the entire world turned gold. If you are an early riser, spend much time outdoors, or have been blessed to witness a golden sunrise, you know there is nothing like it. I can’t tell you how many birds we took that day, but I will never forget the way the world looked when the sun was rising that morning. Everything sprung to life, and big things started happening all around us.
I’ve always been a pond fisherman - it’s what my dad taught us. But that day was different; that day we were out on big water. My buddy David wanted me to experience bass fishing like a tournament angler, and we had the trip of a lifetime. Watching a pro do his craft is special, and that day I got to learn as much as I got to lure fish onto my line. “Goowah!” That’s all he said, well hollered. I think he said something between “good” (as in “good night!”) and “whoa.” “Goowah?” I wasn’t sure if he caught something big or got hung up. He pointed a few hundred yards away and said, “They’re blowing up. We gotta move! Sit down.” He hit the big motor, and in a few seconds, we were in the middle of Percy Priest Lake’s version of Shark Week. It was as if the fish were mad at the swimbaits we threw out to them. And needless to say, big things started happening the minute we threw to them.
Today, my passion for the outdoors takes me to trout streams–tailwaters, mountain streams, any water in Western NC and East TN. And while I have learned the invaluable lesson from Thoreau, some days you just have to hook up with a big one. The best guide I’ve ever fished with spent two days with me on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers. He taught me everything from reading water to advanced line mending. It was the trip on the SoHo that the vision for John Sullivan Solutions crystalized. Watch your line. Watch the riffle. Watch your positioning. Watch your casting tempo. Watch your drag. Watch your slack. Watch… watch… watch. “GOOWAH!!!” (I’m drawn to rednecks, yall). “Big fish rising downstream! Sit down. Let me get the boat into position.”
Watch for rising. For decades, I have lead and advised organizations of all types–higher ed, nonprofits, independent schools, camps, and start-up businesses. I have held executive positions and lead consulting roles for just about every cost center in an organization–finance and operations, curriculum and teaching, spiritual life and pastoring, vision and advancement, enrollment and retention, chief of staff, HR and R&D. There are only a few business sectors that I have no experience in leading or advising. In all that experience, I have found that there is only a short list of strategies that I would consistently apply across all organizational areas. There are a few about virtue, trust, and character. Hard work is certainly consistent across all sectors. And collaboration is always paramount in all areas of the organizational ecosystem. But in terms of leadership (and specifically leadership strategy), I think paying close attention to the context of your organization’s mission is an all-but-guaranteed strategy for growth and improvement. Watch for rising demands watching your context–the larger environment in which your firm is situated.
Organizational leadership requires some unnatural muscle memory. It demands the same coaching that dribbling a basketball requires. “Stop looking down. Keep your head up.” The foundation for solution-focused and learning-focused consulting has everything to do with how your work is situated in the grander market, community, or societal context. Ruthless examination of your external context drives strategic planning, board governance and innovation, and major fundraising no matter your mission and people group you serve. I have found that organizations that fail to thrive are often doing more things right than wrong. I see most frequently the good far outweighing the bad. But too often, the reality of “mostly good” organizations is a plateaued or diminished impact. My bet is that your board, your CEO, your culture is not “Watch for Rising” trained. My guess is that you are a learned mindset away from your biggest growth yet.
You see, big things happen when you are positioning for the rise, so watch for rising.
