luck Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

06
May 21
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Lowered Expectations, Is That a Strategy?

Tags : desperate expectations hope luck psychology of work

Have you ever decided to go to the meeting with lowered expectations? Different from hoping for the best, or having a negative or positive attitude, right-sizing your expectations may be a game-changer.

Charles Dickens had something to invoke readers imagination in his novel, Great Expectations. Have you read it?

For most people, in their daily life, expectations can make or break your day. Often high expectations are considered positive, yet at the same time, high expectations not realized can bring you to a painful low. It might be about finding the right balance.

High Hopes

Hoping for a better outcome can certainly be constructive. Often your best energy is released when you enter the opportunity with high hopes.

Is hope counter intuitive for right-sizing expectations?

It likely depends on the circumstance or situation.

If you’ve prepared appropriately for the meeting, do you have hope?

Working hard sometimes seems to feel like it lacks the payout you deserve. Is that because you don’t have hope or is it that as you entered, your expectations were too high?

Another harmful consequence of improperly aligned expectations is that you learn to shy away from opportunity.

When you feel like you’ve been scammed, cheated, or promised but didn’t receive, you start to disconnect, disengage, and you aren’t eager about new opportunities.

More than that, there may be a breakdown in trust.

Lowered Expectations

When you are looking to the future and planning strategy. Having high hopes and great expectations makes a lot of sense. You remain practical and realistic, yet your target is higher and a bit challenging to achieve. That’s good.

If you are breaking new ground, making a recommendation that you know has been controversial in the past, or your delivery is seeking a lofty game-change, lowering expectations for the outcome may actually provide clarity and focus.

When you feel that there is a lot on the line and tension is high, your anxiety is elevated. Then fear and self-protection may start to creep in. You’re probably not doing your best work or giving your best delivery in those moments.

You fall back to hope.

Hope sometimes depends a little bit on luck. When we go in with high hopes, we probably are also expecting a good luck scenario. “Wish me luck,” may be the last thing you say as you navigate towards your meeting.

In some cases, lowering your expectations slightly may allow you to perform better and walk away much more satisfied with the outcomes.

With lowered expectations you don’t appear desperate. You don’t overwhelm or become overbearing to decision makers.

It often feels just right.

Just right yields better results.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

16
Feb 21
-

Do Small Wins Lead To Big Gains?

Tags : big gains luck small wins success win list

Are you building from your small wins? Are the big wins the only thing that matters? Never had a big win?

Many people measure luck as linear to success. The truth often is that many people experience luck, but they don’t react to it the same.

A good friend of mine has had great success. He recently told me that he got lucky. In a sense, I disagreed. He definitely had some good opportunities but it was his reactions to those opportunities that have made him appear so lucky.

Forward Motion

There are at least two important aspects to forward motion for your business or your career. The first is, are you constantly moved towards opportunities that are presented, and the second is, are you counting wins or losses?

Not every opportunity is a good one. At the same time, some opportunities are good, only they appear cloaked with risk. In this state, those who are risk-averse choose not to move on them.

Risk is a natural part of life. Risk is a matter of leadership.

Not everyone gets the same opportunities. Not everyone takes opportunities that lead to great success.

In a marathon the people who are still moving eventually finish. This is likely true for your measurement of success as well. It is when the motion stops that is over.

Small Wins

Are you moving or are you stuck? Are you taking any risk or waiting for the right opportunity?

Counting losses often results in fewer risks taken.

Most people have more wins than they count. Small wins compound, they grow, and they often lead to more wins.

Instead of a focus on small wins, people often reflect more on the disappointments, the misstep, or the closing door. Reflection can be healthy. It can also lead to a depressive state.

Opportunities have a funny way of appearing when you are counting wins. The quantity may not be any different, but you start to see more of them.

Counting small wins may be exactly what you need to create big gains.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

28
Jan 20
-

Is More Luck Coming Your Way?

Tags : getting lucky luck manage luck

People attribute much of what happens next to luck. What about you, do you believe more luck is coming your way?

It is often suggested that if you don’t participate, you can’t have the benefit of luck. We’ve probably a common slogan connected with the lottery, “You have to play to win.”

How lucky are you?

It seems that luck comes in two flavors. There is what is considered good, and what is considered bad.

Making the green light when you’re running late may be good, while getting a flat tire is bad.

Can we make luck happen?

Business or Career

When you attend the business social event do you make any new contacts? Do you learn about something you may not have realized otherwise? Does putting your smiling face into the mix help for the future?

When you put forward your best effort every day does it pay off? What if you only put in your best effort every other day? Will you have more luck?

You may suddenly realize there is a rising new movie star, a singer or songwriter, or an author. Your impression is that they are an overnight success.

Overnight success is very rare. Our perception of overnight success is much more common.

Did this person get lucky? Did they find luck because they tried more which improved their chances?

More Luck

Luck has been studied and books (Collins, Jim. Great by Choice, 2011) have been written. Some studies suggest that businesses all have about the same amount of luck. It is how they manage it that matters the most.

Could this be true for you personally? Have you had both some good luck and some bad? Did you work to get the most from it?

It doesn’t necessarily appear when we need it the most. More luck tends to happen with more effort across time.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

24
May 19
-

Workplace Event Disguised As Workplace Change

Tags : change event luck pivot workplace

What happens when the change you believe you are experiencing is just a workplace event? How do you know the difference?

The big sales month, the surprising reaction to the video posted on LinkedIn, or a visit and tour from a high-ranking politician. Are any of these a signal of change or just an event?

Blip or Change?

Occasionally, the angler catches a big fish, the realtor closes a huge deal, and you just happen to catch every green light when you are running a few minutes late. Do you build a plan around these occurrences? Has something changed?

When the biggest customer, the biggest sponsor, or the biggest vendor change, often so does the organization. Is this the result of an event or calculated change?

You may suggest that it could be both, and of course, it could. Usually however, it isn’t.

Workplace Event

Events may be repeatable, but likely are not the norm. Winning the lottery may be an event, but you shouldn’t count on it happening every day. You can pretend it might, but a business model built around pretend is clearly an illusion.

You can pretend you’ll have the biggest sales month ever next month too, and with a good plan you might. Chances are good however without a specific structure and catalyst for this continued success you’ll find a lot of disappointment and misery.

It is valuable to consider how events shape the organization. A blip of success here and there really isn’t something that is calculated. While it may be a promising sign of being prepared to seize opportunity, it may only be an event may and not a sign of the new norm.

The glass of water fills drip by drip, the tree grows a little each year, and the organization that lasts isn’t built from the results of a single event.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

20
Feb 19
-

How Are You Managing Luck?

Tags : bad luck good luck luck managing

Do you believe in luck? It is not uncommon for people to assess the success of others as, “They got lucky.” Are you effectively managing luck or are you letting luck slip away?

Jim Collins is an author I admire. He has published several bestselling books. Many know of him for his book, Good to Great. Another popular book is, Great By Choice.

In his book, Great By Choice, he has a chapter about luck. My synopsis of this chapter is that most companies have about the same amount of luck, good or bad. It is how you manage luck that is most important.

Lucky Events

What about your career or business? Have you been lucky? How have you managed your luck?

We may consider that winning big in the lottery is luck. Perhaps it is getting a lucky break for a better job. Good weather conditions for your upcoming special event, or hitting every green light on your daily commute.

How will you manage that luck?

Managing Luck

Would you invest the money? Would you seize the job opportunity and really put in a great effort and advance your skills? How would you plan differently for your special event? When you arrive early at your job do you crank out a little extra work?

You can take advantage of good luck and get a high return on the luck event, or you could squander it, blow it, and throw it all away.

The same may be said about bad luck. You can work to get the maximum return, even on bad luck, or you can waste the opportunity and plunge deeper.

Luck is often what we make of any situation we encounter. Even the luckiest people sometimes blow it. Don’t let that be you.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

01
May 18
-

Lucky Timing and Leveraging Your Persistence

Tags : luck persistence timing workplace

Show me someone who is successful and I will show you someone who has been called lucky. Lucky timing seems to be one of the most popular reasons that many people cite for those who achieve success.

When you go in too early, or a little too late, the stars may not be in alignment, no alignment, no success. Is it really about lucky timing?

Right Time

Ask around and you’ll find many people who are waiting on the right time. The right time to make an investment, buy a new car, or launch their million dollar idea. Certainly, timing has relevance, but it may not be as significant as the recognition it gets.

When you spot someone who gets more opportunities is that because of luck or persistence? Before you jump right in to the shoulder deep water and suggest that timing is everything, I would suggest only sticking in a toe.

There is a good chance that more luck will happen to people who are diligently leveraging everything they do, persistently, across time.

Let’s face it, most people who find a four leaf clover are looking around on the ground to spot one. Lucky to find one, yes maybe, but you must be looking first.

More Opportunities

Lucky timing is what you do every day to create more opportunities. It is the daily grind, the early mornings, the late evenings, the commitment of time and energy.

Sure, you’ll see the advertisements for get rich quick schemes. You will see the magnificent MLM programs promising a big return on little investment. Things that promise a work from home in your spare time or the social media business secret you should know may also seem tempting.

Lucky Timing

Las Vegas wasn’t built on big payouts at the casinos. Most get rich quick or get rich easy schemes only fill the pockets of the person in the chain of connections before you. Not always, but it is probably safe to say, most of the time.

The best way to get lucky timing is to leverage your persistence. Your grit, determination, and commitment to the daily grind are probably the best way to get lucky.

It only looks easy.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

13
Mar 18
-

Hard Work Is The Best Way To Get Lucky

Tags : career hard work job luck motivation

Do you count on luck to carry you forward? Does hard work have anything to do with luck?

Look around on your daily commute. There is someone thinking that they need more luck. They need luck to get a better job, advance in their career, or find a way to rapidly increase their retirement account.

Do People Get Lucky?

It does happen. Publishers Clearing House claims it will release $7k a week for life to someone who finds luck. The convenience store is always selling lottery tickets.

Some will flock to the store that sells winning tickets, because of course, that store is lucky.

Luck probably has something to do with your odds, your chance of winning, right? Can you get lucky with your career? Is it really all about luck?

Often your odds of winning in any kind of large lottery pool are slim. Buy a single ticket or buy ten. It doesn’t change your odds very much.

Lucky Job

Are people lucky with their job? Do they get the best job because they are lucky? Those who are in stop and go traffic, or cruising along on the interstate, will they get lucky? What about the people on the train or those boarding the plane, will they get lucky?

I don’t believe much in luck. I seldom play the lottery. However, I do believe that we can put ourselves into better positions to get lucky.

The singing sensation probably sings more in order to get the lucky break to be discovered.

An entrepreneur or an inventor knows that more visibility will increase their odds of market success.

People counting on luck to find a new job are probably putting themselves into a position that allows luck to work in their favor. Perhaps more networking, replying to job ads, or doing more of their best work.

Hard Work

Will hard work help you get lucky? What will increase your odds?

Don’t quit too early, don’t give up too soon. The harder you work the better your chances.

Luck rarely happens to those who are not giving luck a chance.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

17
Aug 17
-

Overnight Success, Yes, and Why Your Work Matters

Tags : doubt luck overnight success persistence

You probably know someone who appears to be an overnight success. You might dream of asking for the order and getting an immediate yes. Do these really happen in an instant? Have you ever wondered if your work matters?

People often feel that they watch someone become an overnight success. Suddenly they are getting a job promotion or starting a company. Someone else made a record and it sold many copies or hit number one. Often these people get the honor of being recognized as an overnight success. Just like that, overnight.

The same might be true for the sales process. Suddenly, the right product, at the right time, and it exactly fits the need. A person makes a call, an on-site visit, or the customer enters the store. An offer is made and the response is an immediate, “Yes!” Just like that, without any hesitation.

Is it that simple? Is it just some luck?

Overnight Success

Sure, luck happens, but it often happens to those who are seeking it or work hard for it. Most overnight successes don’t happen overnight and most immediate sales didn’t just happen in the moment.

That job promotion, a new business venture, a record, an album, a book, a rock star, and a new CEO, they are not overnight. That immediate “Yes, I’ll take that offer,” didn’t just happen in the second which it appeared.

Often things appear to happen in a moment, in an instant, immediate, or right now. The truth is they have been building for a long time.

Luck, opportunity, and overnight success, getting to the yes, it is a process. Persistence, determination, and tenacity, they are often the commonality.

Your Work Matters

What if it wasn’t necessary, what if someone, anyone, was just more giving by removing any doubt. What if the years of experience didn’t matter, practice wasn’t necessary, and the ask never had to happen?

Most people don’t give the benefit of the doubt. Respect is earned, and the overnight success took much more time than you realize.

This is exactly why your work matters, even when no one is noticing.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a four-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: luck

May 21

-

High Hopes

Lowered Expectations

Feb 21

-

Forward Motion

Small Wins

Jan 20

-

Business or Career

More Luck

May 19

-

Blip or Change?

Workplace Event

Feb 19

-

Lucky Events

Managing Luck

May 18

-

Right Time

More Opportunities

Lucky Timing

Mar 18

-

Do People Get Lucky?

Lucky Job

Hard Work

Aug 17

-

Overnight Success

Your Work Matters

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