What Does It Mean to Be Lucky in Business?
According to the book Hearts, Smarts, Guts, and Luck, there are many different kinds of luck in business. Even though people can have “dumb luck,” they may also create a lucky environment with attitude and building a network of opportunities. Successful people have lucky attitudes because they are optimistic, which allows them to see available opportunities. Part of those available opportunities is meeting new people and constantly expanding their network and making themselves available. It keeps them open to new ideas. A second component of a lucky attitude is humility or the way you carry yourself. Prospects want to work with genuine and humble partners who they can trust. A lucky attitude and network creates an environment of openness, positive attitudes, and innovation.
Attitude is the Little Thing that Makes a Big Difference
Many athletes grow up with the basic principle that success is a mindset. It’s not just about what happens on game day, but also every day of practice leading up to it. Business is no different. Every successful person walks in the office knowing that today is a good day because there are new opportunities. This is a lucky attitude. For example, an investor has to be optimistic to sit through one hundred pitches looking for at least one successful one. The optimism of the investor is opening themselves up to new ideas that could be beneficial. The humility of the investor is passing on a good idea that does not work for them. An investor who passes on an idea that may be worth a lot of money understands they may not have the best resources or provide the best opportunities. This investor has a lucky attitude because they are optimistically willing to listen to hundreds of pitches to find a few opportunities and have the humility to reject good ideas that they may not be best suited for their success.
It’s About Who You Know
The same investor who chose not to invest on a good idea may know someone in their professional network who might also be interested and have the right resources. The investor is taking advantage of their lucky network. Networking is a key part of business because you never know who you will meet and when you may need the people you meet. Making an effort to constantly expand that network creates more opportunities. Online investor networks have taken this to a new level because instead of pitching fifty investors in person, everyone saves time by posting or reviewing proposals online. Not only does this speed up the process but it also allows each side to find the best match possible. The more networks someone joins, the better chance of finding a great match. A lucky network is about meeting your perfect match in a sea of opportunities.
In a lot of ways, being successful in business is about making your own luck. You just need to make the choice to seek out opportunities as well as create situations to meet people and expand your network. With a little optimism and some humility, luck is just around the corner!