Developing & Branding Your Personal Competitive Advantage

It has been a long time coming, but I finally got a fly rod and am getting into fly fishing.  Hey, I live in Colorado where the outdoor activity is plentiful and I want to take advantage of all of it.  Just like I took up surfing during my few years in California because that is what the environment offered me and it fit with my skills and interest. 

Because I am a dork about personal branding, leadership, speaking and the related, I use or come up with analogies related to all this activity.  Sports, especially team sports, creates wonderful analogies.  So does music, travel and other activity for vision, preparation, planning, etc.  But let's talk fly fishing.   

So I am learning new phrases.  Presentation on the fly and when needed, change presentation on the fly.  You are "leading" fish and it is important how the fly is presented to them in your ability to increase chances they bite.  The technical knowledge comes to play when you realize the need to change presentation based on fly, fish, current and other conditions. 

Presentation in business is the same idea.  Your elevator pitch for funding, networking to your presentations to the boss, clients, etc.  You come in with a plan and a vision for the outcome even anticipation for what questions you may need to answer.  But sometimes, you learn something or the environment changes to the point you need to change your presentation on the fly.  Something hits you from left field.  You have to stay cool and strong while evaluating the situation.  Does your change in presentation mean educating and staying your ground or adjusting to stay relevant? Do you pull the fly out (take a minute) to evaluate and start asking questions? 

The other element is reading the situation. Body language of your audience.  Why are they biting (learn what is going well) or why are they not biting (what needs to change now.  In all cases, you learn how to be more effective in the future and catch more fish!