Why deServing Leaders Must Consistently Create Luck
I recently accepted the position of President of our parent company Entertainment Technology Partners. The offer immediately reminded me of a frequent joke amongst my colleagues — that the “little man on my shoulder is always looking out for me.” After reflecting for a few days, I suggest that generally speaking, luck isn’t found. It is made. Seemingly lucky people create, notice, and act upon the chance opportunities in their lives. Being in the right place at the right time is actually all about being in the right state of mind.
When we started EVENTEQ over 12 years ago, I didn’t know how large we would become or what opportunities might come our way. We were building a scalable company centered around deServing Leadership principles. Our principles allowed us to differentiate ourselves, and our ability to scale allowed us to capture and deliver anytime an opportunity presented itself. We were prepared. A few years ago, Entertainment Technology Partners acquired EVENTEQ. We had been building a leadership team and processes to scale and had already become one of the most significant event production providers in the mid-Atlantic. It was ideal to become part of ETP and leverage its extensive resources to fuel our growth. We were prepared. Last year, I accepted the position to become CEO of our sister company Premier Event Services. The EVENTEQ leadership team was already running day-to-day operations without much of my involvement. We were prepared. By the time I was offered the ETP President role, EVENTEQ, Premier, and our virtual platforms were well on their way to becoming self-sustaining organizations. We were prepared.
Sometimes good luck is just being able and determined to overcome bad luck. The COVID pandemic devastated the live event industry. Like most organizations, we had to downsize, restructure, pivot quickly, and find virtual event solutions for our clients. Having spent over 20 years in the software industry, I knew I had to take the lead on this initiative. I immediately diverted almost all my time and effort into building our virtual solutions strategy. We were prepared.
What’s common amongst all of these situations? In hindsight, it’s elementary. While we didn’t know if or when any of these opportunities would present themselves, we recognized them when they did. And we were prepared for them. Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.
Why is it relevant for deServing Leaders? Because being prepared enables you to leverage the opportunities that present themselves. The return on these opportunities allows you to serve your purpose. Each of the above opportunities has given me a chance to advance my purpose of becoming a “behind-the-scenes creator of teams that achieve beyond their wildest dreams.” These opportunities have afforded me the blessing of witnessing several ETP family members grow into exceptional leaders, have families, purchase homes, and fulfill their dreams. To create opportunities to serve those around you, deServing Leaders must always be prepared to create luck!