Let's Talk About Luck
I saw this post on LinkedIn the other day and it stopped me dead in my tracks.
Like the OP, I sprinted up the leadership ladder. Moving from an IC (individual contributor) to a VP (vice president) in tech in just 5 years. I always credited that success to a combination of things including: my skills and expertise, a hunger for learning and developing new skills, 1 standout and stellar manager, solid EQ (on my very best days), and *luck*.
Most people tend to attribute their achievements solely to their own efforts and are afraid to credit any of their successes to luck. They do this because they feel like it minimizes their talents or their hard work and you know what, I get it. But luck isn’t the beginning or end of the story, it isn't just a thing that happens to you. Luck turns into something meaningful when you capitalize on it by working hard and leveraging your skills and expertise. It's up to you to turn that lucky break into an opportunity. Here's a simple example: Person A and Person B both work for Company Z. The CEO of Company Z is curious about an emerging trend in the industry and whether it's impacting usage of their product. Person A and B both have the same title and job responsibilties but Person B is obsessed with this specific industry trend and its impact on user data. The CEO drops into a meeting that Persons A and B are attending and asks about the trend. Person B shares their insights and the CEO asks for a follow up 1:1 meeting with Person B to discuss in more detail. That meeting results in the CEO asking Person B to lead a task force on solving the problem. Person B successfully leads said task force, develops a new feature that boosts user engagement, and when the next promotion cycle comes around - they earn a promotion. In this example, Person B had no idea that the CEO was interested in the industry trend they were researching or that they would drop in on one of their standing meetings randomly (spoiler alert: that's luck). The important thing in this scenario is that they were ready and willing to share their expertise when the opportunity presented itself and were able to lead a team to develop a solution that drove the results that mattered to the CEO. That's how you turn luck into your BFF.
Creating our own Luck: Strategies for Success
1. Stay Ready:
Luck often favors the prepared mind. By continuously enhancing your skills, knowledge, and expertise in your field of interest, you increase the likelihood of recognizing and seizing lucky breaks when they come knocking.
2. Look for Bright Spots:
I've come to believe that what you see is what you get. There were times in my career that I received good news simply by seeking it out. Try and find things to be excited about, things that you can innovate, change, or impact in your day to day. When you encounter challenges, don't spiral or fixate on them - because all you'll continue see are more unsolvable challenges 😢 Approaching challenges and setbacks with realism (bad things happen 🙆) and resilience can help you see things from a more productive point of view.
3. Nurture Your Network and Build New Connections:
Remain curious about people, check in on your current network, and build new connections; it's easier to do this if you genuinely try to foster relationships with like-minded individuals. Trust me, there's a tribe out there for you! One thing that has helped me is joining slack communities for people in my industry (I personally enjoy Operations Nation). Believe it or not, luck often manifests through connections and introductions made by others.
4. Embrace Serendipity:
Sometimes, the most remarkable strokes of luck occur when we least expect them. Embrace the element of surprise and remain open to possibilities that unfold unexpectedly. If you're an operator, resist the temptation to question everything (focusing on what could go wrong or what feels safe) and instead be flexible and adaptable; be ready to explore new paths when they present themselves.
5. Invest in Becoming an Expert:
People who are known for a thing are often the most lucky. Stick with me here. If you’re in an operations role and you’re known for 1. executing well 2. having great ideas 3. working well with colleagues 4. understanding ops and how to apply certain tools and principles at the right moment, what do you think is going to happen? People are going to want to work with you more and it’s going to happen organically. So invest your time and resources into becoming really good at what you do and others will notice, even if they don’t tell you!
I’ll be sharing more tactical tips on how to become an expert from my POV in a future post.
How to Capitalize on the *Right* Lucky Breaks
If you're like me and always tend to fast forward to action items - this part is for you. Although we call it luck because it's unexpected, we *can* also create our own luck by taking key actions and adjusting our mindset. Here are some strategies to enhance our chances of success:
1. Set Clear Goals:
Be clear about your goals and what you want out of your career, for your life, for your relationships. Even if you don't yet have a path for getting there, being clear about what you want is how you create a clear direction for yourself. This clarity helps you identify opportunities that align with your goals, increasing the likelihood of lucky breaks coming your way. Think about the times when you were clear about what role or opportunity you wanted to pursue next in your career and you went ahead and shared it with someone and that person either knew of an opportunity or knew someone in that field or industry that they could introduce you to. That's what we want to see!
2. Learn from Failure:
Look, I'm recovering from perfectionism - so failure was a bad word to me for quite some time. I've come to learn that failure isn't the opposite of luck, it's a valuable teacher. Try analyzing your failures, pinpointing what happened and why, and making adjustments. Learn, grow, make mistakes, learn, grow, repeat.
3. Cultivate a Growth Mindset:
Adopting a growth mindset allows you to see setbacks and challenges as opportunities for improvement. Embrace a belief in your ability to learn and grow, and you will create an environment where luck can flourish.
Additional Inspo
If you need some additional inspiration, here’s my favorite quotes about luck:
“I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity. If you hadn't been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn't have been lucky.” —Oprah Winfrey
“Things happen to you out of luck, and if you get to stick around it's because you're talented.” —Whoopi Goldberg
If you’re a nerd, like me, here’s some additional reading on why acknowledging the role that luck plays in success matters.
About me
I’m Ashley, a former tech executive turned business consultant and coach. I help my business clients achieve profitability by leveraging smart and flexible operations tools. I help my coaching clients level up in their careers and navigate tricky workplace dynamics with practical tips and advice shaped by my own experiences at growth stage companies. Work with me.