How to Take the Elusive Out of Success (Part 2)

I want to continue where I left off previously and point out some lessons I've learned about achieving success. Recently, I pointed out risk and visibility. Now, I want to highlight luck and commitment. I served a short stint in the military years ago and served as an aide to a Major-General. In our headquarters we had a Brigadier that was always cheerful, affable, and approachable. I liked his demeanor and leadership style and gathered up enough courage one day to ask him how he had achieved so much success. He said four letters. I was a bit confused by that response and said, "Do you mean four letters of recommendation?" "Oh no", he replied, "L-U-C-K".

I've never met anyone that honest before. Frequently, when successful people are asked about what circumstances contributed to their fame or fortune, they respond that motivation and hard work were the keys. While hard work and motivation are requisites to success, one should also recognize that a certain amount of luck is involved in most achievements. Being in the right place at the right time is an ingredient that cannot be overlooked. I think you can invite luck to your success endeavors. Previously, I wrote about the junior executive that sought visibility and achieved remarkable success. Let me provide a few additional details. In his preparation for a critical presentation, he came across an old company file that had been written years ago by the grumpy senior executive that was to be the recipient of his presentation. He read the file and during the course of his presentation he responded to a question with a quote from that old file. The grumpy senior was obviously impressed and the successful presentation resulted in an offer for a much better company position. I think it was luck that had an important part in that success story - of course preparation had been the precursor to that event - but luck cannot be entirely discounted.

Commitment is another obvious necessity for discovering success. What I mean is commitment over the long haul. Not just a week, a month or a year - long haul! Sometimes it takes a significant amount of time. My last story involves a manager that had worked hard for almost 15 years for the company (long after I departed) and never seemed to be able to free himself from mediocrity. It wasn't that he wasn't talented, it was just that he was conservative, measured and analytical in his approach to problems and although he was effective, he just wasn't noticed. Finally someone in a senior position recognized his ability and he earned a well deserved promotion to a very senior position that enabled him to surpass some of the dynamic youngsters that he had tutored along the way. Management recognized his commitment over the long term and rewarded his efforts.

Commitment of the sort displayed by this individual is rare. We've all witnessed the middle manager that has retired on the job. Burned out and committed to just getting through the day is the major objective. I guess the lesson here is that "it's not over, till it's over". Opportunities are always available until you retire or expire.

There are many other lessons that I've learned along the way and I'm eager to share if anyone is interested. Please share your stories - maybe we can provide a helping hand to those that are struggling along the road. Enjoy the journey!