Once Upon a Business – Episode 103

The Lion, The Bear, and The Fox

Lisa Bloom: Just as a great bear rushed to seize a stray kid, a lion leaped from another direction upon the same prey.

Hi, I’m Lisa Bloom, the story coach, and you’re listening to Once Upon a Business. In each episode, we explore a story, a fairy tale, folk tale, or traditional story, so that we can discover the amazing lessons relevant for business and for entrepreneurs.

The lion and the bear fought furiously for the prize until they had received so many wounds that both sank down, unable to continue the battle. Just then, a fox dashed up and, seizing the kid, made off with it as fast as he could go, while the lion and the bear looked on in helpless rage. How much better it would have been, they said, to have shared in a friendly spirit. Those who have all the toil do not always get the profit.

I love this simple Aesop fable, and it’s very clear moral. Those who have all the toil do not always get the profit. It speaks to me with strong lessons for my life and for business. The first thing that popped out to me is the idea that sometimes we try so hard to achieve something only to find that we’ve missed the point that trying hard is not going to get us to the results. When I first started my business, I would write a story for my blog every week. It was a commitment that I made in order to grow my audience and I stuck by it no matter what. In fact, in 10 years, I only missed one story, and that was the week that my dog died and I was so heartbroken I couldn’t do a thing.

But every week, once I wrote the story, that was the easy part for me. I would spend hours trying to battle with the technology. Now, I’m not a tech phobic person, but it was aligning all the things, making sure it looked right, getting it uploaded the right way, and finally sending it out to my growing list. It would literally take me hours. Eventually, I realized that it made a lot more sense to hire a virtual assistant. That was her brilliance. She could do the thing I was battling for hours over in about 20 minutes. It was so worth it. The fighting with myself, the struggle, the focus was all wrong. It could be achieved so much more easily if I would just give in and find a better way. Good results do not always have to mean blood, sweat and tears.

In fact, over the years, I’ve come to see that the way that looks easier is often the smarter choice. We don’t have to suffer to get a great outcome. The other lesson from this story is that sometimes we’re so concerned with the perceived competition that we don’t even notice what’s going on around us and what the real threat is. In the fields of both coaching and professional storytelling, it’s quite competitive. Where I live, there’s a relatively small market and people tend to be very territorial. I used to worry about that and would feel very upset by uncomfortable interactions where I wasn’t sure who I could trust. But over the years I’ve come to understand that my values and my approach are crystal clear. I believe there’s always enough for everyone. I’m happy to share my expertise and my work without being scared that it will be somehow stolen or misused.

My father used to say whatever goes around comes around. I believe that now. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be paid for what I do or that I’m happy for people to walk away with my property, but I’m willing to interact with anyone and then trust my gut and my instincts as to whether the environment and the interaction are healthy or not. There may always be a fox in the vicinity, but if I’m too busy fighting unwinnable battles, then there’s no chance I’ll be aware enough to outsmart him. In general, I believe we need to pick our battles and life is too short to always be fighting. Justice is too short to always be on the lookout for a fox.

Let’s agree to share our knowledge, our wisdom and our success. That way we all get to dig into a wholesome meal and as a vegetarian, hopefully not one that comprises of a helpless baby animal. A meal shared is always a more fun way to get sustenance, not just from the food itself, but from the company, the chat, and of course, the stories.

I’m Lisa Bloom and you’ve been listening to Once Upon a Business. You can find out more about me at story-coach.com. That’s story-coach.com. Once Upon a Business as part of the Mirasee FM Podcast Network, which also includes such shows as Making It and Neuroscience of Coaching. To catch the great episodes that are coming up on Once Upon a Business, please like and follow us on Mirasee FM’s YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It’s the best way to help us get these ideas to more people. Thank you. We’ll see you next time.