Saving Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, and Jade: A story on survival and lessons for leaders
In September 2017, we moved to a new house with a koi fish pond in the backyard. Having a pond was something new to our family. What made the pond even more exciting was the five small and beautiful koi fish in it. My kids enjoyed watching the fish every day and even named them. Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald and Jade were the precious names they picked for the fish, although all looked the same!
As the winter started approaching, I knew I had to “winterize” the pond to help the Koi fish survive the frozen pond. As part of my research, I found some amazing information about how koi fish adapt to survive during harsh winters. I learned that as the water in the pond gets below 50°F, koi stop eating. They live off the fat their bodies have put on. Their movement slows down, along with their metabolism, thereby needing less oxygen. The fish do a lot to keep themselves alive, however, they need help. When the water freezes, they need a hole in the ice to get fresh oxygen and vent out the carbon dioxide that they exhale. So I went shopping on Amazon and found a small pond water heater with good ratings and reviews suggesting that the heater does a good job of leaving a hole in the ice.
In the first week of December, I plugged in the heater and dropped it into the pond. The heater started doing its job. I could see from the inside of my house that while the rest of the pond was frozen with thin ice, there was a hole exactly on top of where the heater was placed. I was a happy man! It looked like everything was working and I did not need to worry about the koi fish for the rest of the winter, or so I thought!
As the temperatures started dipping further, the next few weeks saw the pond freeze hard, forming a thick layer of ice. The heater was still functioning but just could not deal with lower temperatures and lost the battle against the 6–7 inch thick ice. The hole was gone.
I decided to take matters into my own hands. Just before leaving for work, I would break the ice with a sharp tool. After several minutes of hitting the ice really hard, I was able to make a hole in the ice — much like the heater was doing earlier. I also realized that it was not enough to break the ice in the morning. I had to do it in the evening and on the days when I was home, three times a day. Here is a picture of how the pond looked during the coldest part of the winter.
My routine of breaking the ice continued for months. During this time, it was impossible to know what was happening underneath the ice and if the fish were alive or not. But I kept my routine every single day.
As the temperatures began to rise, it became easier to break the ice but it was still hard to tell if the fish were alive. Towards the end of winter, ice began to thaw, and I was thrilled to see all five fish alive and kicking (or swimming in this case). Here is a recent picture of the pond with orange koi in it.
It was satisfying to see the fish survive through the winter. This whole experience reinforced for me the following lessons that are highly valuable in business or personal settings.
- Adapt: Koi fish adapt to the cold weather really well by slowing down their movement and metabolism. We live in a world where as they say, change is the only constant. The ability to adapt to changing personal and business situations is critical for sustained success and happiness.
- Long term strategy: During the deep winter time, when it was hard to see whether the fish were alive or not, I kept breaking the ice every day without seeing daily results. It reminds me of how when business pursues long term goals and strategies, the leaders have to believe in the strategy and not worry about seeing immediate results. Long term strategy requires patience and persistence.
- Learning mindset and working smarter — For the next winter, I need better tools and less manual work. I need a stronger heater or some other proven approach for harsh winters. Every project or initiative in the business provides opportunities to learn lessons. In the journey of building great teams, leaders have to enable smarter ways of working.
- Calculated Risk: At times, the ice was not strong enough and I had to take calculated risks to step on to it in order to make a hole close to the center, where the heater was placed. My kids found it amusing that I was breaking the same ice that I was standing on. Taking calculated risks are critical for personal and business growth. Risk over safety is one of the principles discussed by folks in MIT Media lab in their recent book Whiplash on navigating our future.
With their strong ability to adapt to a changing environment and some external support, the koi fish were able to survive the harsh winter. Similarly, leaders with strong basic qualities and favorable support are able to survive and lead in difficult times.
