BCG BLOG

The Waterline

Story Catalyst
What are you doing to keep the main thing the main thing?

Gordon MacDonald starts his book, The Life God Blesses, with a story about a mariner consumed with building a sailboat. I’ve paraphrased the parable below:

The man set out to build a yacht. He was well liked by all who knew him and intended to build the grandest boat that ever sailed from his yacht club.

He named his yacht, Persona and spared no expense to make it look stunningly beautiful. It was fitted with fine brass trim, colorful sails, and every convenience you could imagine in the cabin. The man’s excitement for the completion of his yacht centered on the anticipation of admiration that the Persona would garner.  The more he thought about that day, the more focused he became in making certain to add anything that would make her look good. Since no one would ever see the underside of his yacht, the man wasted no money on the design of the keel or hull. “Why should I waste time and money on those things that are out of sight, below the water line?”, he reasoned. So consumed with  the appearance, the man failed to ever consider the seaworthiness of the grand Persona.

His plan was working. As construction neared completion crowds came to look at the spectacle that was the Persona. Many thought the man brilliant and envied his accomplishments.

Finally the day came for the launch of the Persona. As she entered the water, the man’s pride swelled as the crowd admired her. A few other boats joined her on this initial sail. All was well, until she reached the mouth of the harbor where the wind kicked up and the waves grew in size. Suddenly the Persona started to falter. The boats sailing with her, pulled away, returning to the harbor, but the man who had built this grand yacht was so enthralled with his boat, he continued to sail towards the sea and into the growing storm.

Within minutes it was obvious the man was in serious trouble, as the Persona began to take on water. As the waves tossed her about, she was unable to right herself as a sturdy vessel should. In a matter of moments, this small storm had taken the grand Persona down.

A closer look into her destruction revealed the sad story of the mistaken man. All his efforts were focused on what could be seen, the beauty above the waterline. His vanity kept him from investing in those things that would have made her a solid boat that could weather the storms. And so, the man who so craved the applause of his friends instead was remembered simply as a fool.

Insight Trifecta
Below are three questions that dive deeper into the topic at hand. My responses are included. I hope you’ll take the time to explore your responses to each as well.

• How do you balance the need for both external presentation and internal substance in your work?
  
  • There’s an order that must be followed before a balance should be considered. The internal substance is the priority. Life and society will entice you to compromise this commitment, but hardship will always bring you right back to the substance. While the fully internal work is determined by my ‘why’ and the fully external presentation is determined by my ‘what’, the combination of the internal and external is a matter of my ‘how’. The external presentation is blind to my purpose unless how I go about doing it reflects on my why. In order for my external presentation to meet the standard I expect or desire, I have to be intentional about how I approach every opportunity.
    

This is the essence of trusting the process and surrendering the outcome. Control of the outcome is an illusion, so why not surrender it? The external presentation is only impacted by how we choose to show up for the process. Clarity of purpose drives clarity of process.

• How might you be rewarding or incentivizing 'above the waterline' behaviors in your team while unknowingly devaluing crucial foundational work?
  
  • Although I try to be intentional about avoiding this, it no doubt happens. Talent, while important, is not the trump card so many people believe it to be. Of course, it matters. And, of course, there is a level of competence required for any role. However, those willing to devote themselves to the crucial foundational work are not nearly as far behind as a talent scout will claim. Society’s talent obsession can sometimes influence me to join the crusade and undervalue the below waterline habits - and I like to think I really value them. Playing time is the most obvious reward in my world, but reinforcing talent rather than work or flexing the standards more for the gifted team member are other ways I’ve rewarded above the waterline behaviors in the past.
    

I do everything I can to avoid doing this anymore. I’m constantly gathering feedback and reflecting to be sure I’m honoring the foundational work our program is built on. Incentivizing above the waterline behaviors without the foundational, below the waterline focus  is poison for any culture.

• What unseen work are you doing today that others might not appreciate, but will ultimately determine your capacity to succeed in challenging times?
  
  • I’ve built systems into my life that are intended to create, and re-establish, clarity. Clarity is what allows me to stay focused on below the waterline habits. My morning routine is the cornerstone of that process: wake-up early, workout, journal, meditate, read, and pray. While these are dumped into the mental and physical health buckets, it would be equally appropriate to place them in the ‘perseverance’ bucket. I show up better for everything in my life when these things are in order, so I make them the priority. I’m also intentional about connecting with my family both daily and weekly. I believe it’s the culmination of these things that allows me to perform at a standard that reflects the best version of me. 
    

I always wonder - is it really work? It doesn’t feel like it. It feels like chasing a purpose or pursuing a calling. I’ve never thought of any of it as work. It’s just what needs to be done to be the best I can be.

Question to Carry
A final question for you to consider over the next week:
How does consistently attending to your unseen work shift your sense of genuine capability versus your concern about external perceptions?

In our life, the waterline draws a clear break between substance and immaterial, what we can control and what we can’t, what truly impacts our life and what doesn’t. It would do us all good to become aware of exactly where our waterline is located.


Checkout Surrender the Outcome on Amazon and order The Score That Matters with Ryan Hawk & Brook Cupps. The latest blog from Blue Collar Grit can be found here!