The story of the Mexican Fisherman

José’s lessons in life, leadership and introspection-by Dr. Steve Bettner

“I mean, I can buy anything I want, basically, but I can’t buy time,” -Warren Buffett

If you have never read the story of the Mexican Fisherman or if has been a while since you have, please take a minute and reacquaint yourself with it. There are many life as well as leadership lessons hidden within this parable. For me it highlights the importance of asking “why” and “then what” type of questions and to regularly evaluate the end goal of what you are working toward, you may be surprised to find you already have it.

As you read it, reflect on where you are today and where you want to be 5, 10 or 20 years from now. Are you more like the fisherman (José) or the investment banker(Brett)? What are you willing to sacrifice to make it to the “C-Suite” and what would you give up for the “Sea-Suite” instead? Do you have to make a choice or can you have both?

As a leader, are your employees aspiring fisherman or bankers? Do you know? If you do, are you able to use that knowledge to maximize productivity along with employee satisfaction and quality of life? Would you prefer to have more bankers or fisherman in your organization? It may not be as clear as you would think.

And the story goes…

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while”. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your (grand)kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

-Author Unknown

There are several versions of the story of the Mexican Fisherman out there, it is difficult to find the origin of the story or who was the first to tell it. The first time I heard the story was nearly a decade ago and ironically it came across my desk while at work. I don’t recall exactly who sent it to me, but I got the message loud and clear. I needed to slow down, take a step back and evaluate what exactly it is that was important to me. I had spent the better part of two decades of my adult life in hot pursuit of a lifestyle and a career that I believed would make me happy. I burred myself in work in an effort to be the best at whatever it was I was doing at the time and trying to accumulate more toys, always taking on more.

There is a line in the move “Wall Street 2, Money Never Sleeps” where the protagonist (Jake) asks the greedy antagonist (Bretton) “What’s your number?” referring to how much money would it take him to walk away and just enjoy life to which the antagonist replies “More.” I was becoming a Bretton.

The Mexican Fisherman changed my life. Upon close examination I realized I wanted to be the fisherman, yet all of my life I acted like the investment banker. How could I change my behaviors and my lifestyle to match that of my desired outcome while also giving up a career goal of the next corner office. I had everything I “needed” already in my life. Namely my family and friends and relatively good health. Thanks to my military service I have a modest yet respectable pension at a fairly young age. I have effectively met all of Maslow’s basic needs, and I do mean basic. So what am I trying to accomplish exactly?

In my Mexican Fisherman blog, I am going speak about my journey to the Sea Suite and becoming José and embracing a new lifestyle. I am also going to tackle answering the questions posed at the beginning of this story and how embracing the fisherman mentality made me a better, more efficient and more productive husband, father, friend, manager and leader than I could have imagined before.

I hope you decide to follow along with me on this journey and share some stories of your own.