Brian Wagner wasn't exactly in love with fly fishing the first few times he went, but a friend had invited him and promised cold beer was involved. After a few times, he began to learn the knots and techniques to catch fish and it became a lot more fun. And while unplugging from work is nice, there are many parallels -- no matter how much you study the technical skills, to truly excel, you must also learn the "art" of both fly fishing and business.
In this episode, Brian and I talk about how his fly fishing has built some really strong client relationships. It's also given him the ability to hone some skills that translate straight to the office, like focusing, remembering to be in the moment, and patience -- as Brian says, "Nothing good happens when you rush it." I also really liked talking with Brian about how it's up to individuals to own their career but the organization must support it, which includes sharing passions or creating shared experiences as a team. The last thing Brian wants is for everyone in the firm to be the same (i.e., accountants who only talk about accounting) because that'd be a very boring place to work.