Growing personally and professionally in service of your community’s needs takes a little bit of luck. In our lives we will meet mentors and sponsors at dinner parties or sporting events who end up opening doors in our careers. Circles of friends can connect with stakeholders in business ventures. A new boss with a new network of allies can get you the exposure you’ve been craving for years. This might help you win a promotion within a few months. Constructing unexpected career opportunities, also known as “planned happenstance”, is a philosophy that you should cultivate in your work and life. Here are three ways to make your own luck.
Be a giver
Being social and connected in your community is critical for personal and professional success – folks with strong networks are better at everything from overcoming trauma to leading high performing teams. Just being social, however, probably isn’t enough. “A willingness to help others achieve their goals lies at the heart of effective collaboration, innovation, quality improvement, and service excellence,” argues Adam Grant (author of Give and Take and general hero of this website). “In workplaces where such behaviour becomes the norm, the benefits multiply quickly.” Living by the golden rule is fine, but it implies tradeoffs (or “matching”, as Grant would say). By helping others and asking for nothing in return you will absolutely increase the likelihood that they will help you – in the longer run.
Learn to improvise
I love improv. In fact, I’ve even written about it before. Embracing the tenets of improv will enhance your ability to think on your feet, speak in front of people and manage change. Tom Yorton, CEO of Second City Works, argues that success isn’t a zero sum game and that the greatest improvisers, like Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert, reached their potential because of their ability to collaborate as part of an ensemble. Their ability to adapt as situations evolve and make others look good around them was a key part of this. That’s why, at the core of improvisation, is having each others’ backs and always supporting where your stage partner takes the scene.
Saying “yes, and…” to a scene choice is a hallmark of improv. A story moves forward when collaborators build on ideas no matter how ridiculous they might be. Building your career should take a similar tact – doors open, allies are made and incredible stories are collected when you say yes to random experiences. From a manager’s perspective, just think about how valuable it is to have a a team that is constantly able to find ways to make things work no matter what hurdles comes there way. Think about what it will take to say yes when the next chance encounter presents itself.
Embrace being uncomfortable
Saying yes to experiences probably means being uncomfortable. We rarely grow when we’re comfortable. In fact, most personal growth comes when we’re challenged or when we have to learn something about which we have very limited knowledge. I’m about to make a ridiculous comparison between me and a Green Beret profiled by Inc magazine named Jason Van Camp. The Green Beret reflects on how pushing yourself past whatever you imagine to be “a comfort zone” and “embracing ‘the suck’” are two key tactics for accepting (and maybe thriving in) discomfort.
I recently experienced such things during a hot sauce eating contest at work. A few weeks before the challenge I knew that I would be representing my team. How I dealt with the impending pain – and there was some pain – was by creating a mental model of finishing. That was it. Once I accepted that this would happen it made the discomfort very bearable. Whether you need to create mental models for asking your boss for a raise, putting your hand up for a challenging assignment, or leaving your widget-making job to pursue something that will feed your soul, think about what it will take to shift you perspective to a place where you are thriving out of your comfort zone.