Practicum: The Role of Chance in Success

What role does fate have in success? John C. Maxwell only touches on the subject in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, but it would seem that fate, chance, or providence (take your pick) is a significant part of the leadership success equation. There are efforts you put a lot of time into that just fizzle, but then serendipitously a chance encounter results in a big win.

There was a recent proposal that I worked on which required a lot of effort. We (seemingly) did everything right. Our proposal beat the competition, but then the bid was cut. Nobody won. Around the same time, a cold call (actually it was an email) to the right contact and I come up with a success. Why did one thing work while the other thing failed? It reminds me of verse.

"Sow your seed in the morning and at evening let not your hands be idle for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. "

- Ecclesiastes 11:6

Chance plays a bigger role in the margins where more risk is involved. Within the safer, well demarcated zones of the organization it is much easier to control success factors - to know the risks and mitigate them. In the margin, chance events are magnified for good or ill. Perhaps the best strategy is that provided in the verse - keep a diversified portfolio.