#10: Getting lucky at work
Promiscuity in the name of serendipity, how to be lucky, and some mysterious links...
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There’s an old saying, ‘the harder you work the luckier you get.’ But if you’ve learnt anything from reading Work Daze, it’s that we’re not a fan of the simplified narrative of hard work = success.
That’s not to say, however, that luck can’t be cultivated. While the nature of luck may seem defined by chance rather than action, the odds of events going in our favour can indeed be improved.
In this issue, we’re talking about being lucky in work. Not quite as sexy (or alliterative) as ‘lucky in love’, but as it turns out, not all that dissimilar.
Stay lucky,
Milly & Yumi
Promiscuity isn’t a trait often praised. Loyalty on the other hand, much-lauded. But when we think about luck, and where it comes from, it rarely springs from the routines and repetitions of life. Instead, the conditions that luck thrives in are openness, curiosity, and variety. With that in mind, we share three suggestions on how to apply the nature of promiscuity to get lucky at work.
Cast your people net wide
Good relationships with colleagues are important; work teams often even have a familial sense. But while we’d hate to break up a happy family, here’s the deal, you’ve got to start playing away from home. A key part of increasing your chances of luck is down to increasing your exposure to opportunities. So tell your colleagues it’s not them, it’s you. You want to meet more people because the more people you connect with (meaningfully that is - no networking for the sake of networking here please) the more likely you are to get introduced to your next boss/business partner/customer.
Throw off the shackles of the to-do list
‘I can’t believe my luck, I just came across the perfect job opening while doing this photocopying.’ Said no one ever. Firstly, because photocopying is a dying art. Secondly, because serendipity doesn’t happen when we’re getting through our to-do list. This is where all those years of fine-tuning your skill at falling into heady procrastination-induced rabbit-holes really pay off. Only instead of feeling guilty, actively carve out time in your calendar for directionless wandering. Be it in person or online. Start with a place, a company, or an article you’re interested in, and then just follow your nose without expectation. Just remember to tell your to-do list you’ll be back late.
Sector swap
By now you’ve probably got the idea. Sticking to your sector isn’t going to expose you to lucky coincidences. So instead, consider it in your best (lucky) interests to get nosey about other industries. Be curious and open to stumbling across an innovation or a way of doing something that might bring an unexpectedly new approach to your own area of expertise. Who knows, Lady Luck might just be a few Linkedin clicks away...
For making your own luck
How to be lucky by Christian Busch
10-minute read
If nurturing ‘a serendipity mindset’ has never occurred to you before - we don’t blame you. But believe it or not, there’s science behind luck and this article is here to demystify it. Combine openness to new experiences, a mindset that spots opportunities, and a dose of initiative, and you get the core ingredients to make the best out of any situation.There’s lots of practical advice too - from learning to reframe mistakes to how to meaningfully engage with others, there are many things that you can do to cultivate your luck.
Networking for people who hate networking by Adam Grant
35-minute podcast (Apple users can also listen here)
Turning ideas into reality might require a bit more than just vision and there’s rarely anything more useful than a network of people who can help along the way. In the spirit of making your own luck, we’d recommend meeting new people. It doesn’t have to be painful though, and Grant’s insights on how to build valuable relationships should make the job that little bit easier.Lunchclub
45-minute conversation with someone new
Lunchclub is probably as close it comes to making your own luck in real life. Once you enter your interests and goals, Lunchclub pairs you for a casual virtual conversation with someone you haven’t met before. The rest is up to you!
For an alternative viewpoint
Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
8-minute book summary (but you can read key bits in a few minutes)
‘Mild success can be explainable by skills and labor. Wild success is attributable to variance’. As much we would like to be in control of our destinies, the odds of success are not the same for everyone. Things don’t lead to each other in the way that we think and survivorship bias means we tend to focus on the exceptional successes rather than the failures. Taleb explains that the world is much more random than we think.Stack Magazines
A quick browse
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For serendipity
Four mysterious links, do what you please.
And for a different perspective
Sometimes it all just works out…
Thanks for reading, see you in a few weeks!
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