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Prepare to Be Lucky
A wise mentor once told me "It's better to be lucky than smart," and I am constantly reminded of the truth embedded in that particular piece of advice. As the world around us sometimes seems to be spinning out of control, we tend to experience life as a series of random occurrences. As we struggle to make meaning of these events, we look for evidence of our own authorship in them. Were we being smart, or were we just
lucky when something turns out well for us? And is it just plain bad luck when things go south, or did we somehow cause our own failure? Success in leadership probably owes much to both smarts and good luck, although in what proportion to each other is seldom clear. Think for a moment about one of the ingredients of good leadership: a capacity for strategic thinking. Of course, it's
impossible to know what the future holds with perfect certainty, and so today's leaders are encouraged to think in terms of multiple scenarios and options for alternative paths through an uncertain future. The world may throw either good or bad luck your way, but if you have thought through a set of carefully conceived scenarios, you'll be positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that come along, and to deflect the impact of negative events. "Chance
favors only the prepared mind," according to the pioneering scientist Louis Pasteur. Even good luck can be missed if you don't recognize it as such. Your outlook on the world - whether you are generally an optimist or a pessimist - may also be determinative of whether you will see opportunity in seemingly random events. This type of emotional intelligence is surely part of Pasteur's "prepared mind" as well.
The ability to imagine a different, better outcome than what may have come before is another attribute we want in our leaders, and the leaders who bring that kind of imagination to bear are able to mobilize their followers to take action and shape the future rather than simply react to it. Thomas Jefferson once said "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more luck I have." There is certainly a way in which we do make our own luck by
working to create the basic conditions necessary for certain things to occur. If you are not out and about in your professional or business community, for example, chances are you won't be there when an important connection is there to be made, or a valuable relationship cemented. If you looked more closely at the regular habits and practices of the people you credit with "having all the luck," you would probably find a pattern of
conscious intention and action on it. This is less about being smart, and more about persistence and effort. And finally, luck is sometimes a product of calculated risk-taking, of a leader being unafraid to step out in a new direction without really knowing what lies ahead. If we only took action in reaction to favorable circumstances, we would never realize the potentially huge gains to be had by taking the less crowded road. Leaders who
carefully weigh and assess the risks of more speculative action, and consider them in light of the potential benefits of success, are more comfortable taking action in an uncertain environment like the one we inhabit now. Coaching can support you in developing your capacity to see opportunities as a leader in your organization. Call (410)626-6008, or email info@bloomfieldassociates.com to explore your options. 
Think about the times in your own life when you attributed a good outcome to good luck. In what ways did you prepare yourself for the opportunity to present itself? What choices did you make, or not make? What can you learn by reflecting on these experiences?
Similarly, reflect on those instances when despite your best efforts, things did not turn out as you wanted them to. How did your own attitudes and
habits keep you from seeing the developing situation more clearly, and from preparing to meet it? What could you do differently the next time? |
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According to a recent study by the American Institutes for Research, 20% of U.S. college students completing four-year degrees-and 30% of those pursuing two-year
degrees-possess only "basic quantitative literacy skills, meaning they are unable to estimate if their car has enough gasoline to get to the next gas station or calculate the total cost of ordering office supplies." The Business Software Alliance says its nationwide survey shows that 86% of hiring managers "consider information about unethical and illegal downloading, file-sharing and uploading in their hiring decisions."
According to a study published by USA for Innovation, intellectual property in the United States alone is valued at $5 trillion to $5.5 trillion, equivalent to 45% of the gross domestic product, far larger than the GDP of any other nation. 
Bluetooth fairy
Someone who spends his or her day with the blinking glow of a Bluetooth headset plugged into one ear. (As reported by www.BuzzWhack.com) 
 Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women in Second Adulthood, by Suzanne Braun Levine. What I like about it: As the author herself puts it, much of the quality of a woman's life in her fifties and sixties depends on luck - "good health, good fortune, good friends." But a lot also depends on
determination - "taking risks, making change, weighing new options." She makes the case that growth and development is not only for the young.
Beth Bloomfield
Executive Coach, Strategy Consultant
Principal, Bloomfield Associates Share what you're into - books, articles, movies, music, websites - with others on the list! Send us the title and author or other pertinent information, along with a sentence or two on what you like about it, and if we use it in A Different Optic we'll not only quote you, we'll provide a link to you or your website. |
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