This is a companion piece to an earlier post called How To Create Opportunities.

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Weird things happen to me all the time. People who know me will tell you that my updates are rarely boring. Although I’ve experienced gobs of near misses professionally, some nice opportunities have hit and more continue to come along as time goes on.

I don’t believe in luck, and chance has zero power since it is not a thing. Every effect must have a cause. As Branch Rickey–general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s–said, “Luck is the residue of design.” I’ve had that statement clipped to my heartstrings since college.

We don’t have to take chances, but we don’t have to succeed either. As a great leader I know has said, “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying.”

I fail plenty because I try things, sometimes stupid things. Some of you have witnessed this fact firsthand. That’s okay because there’s always a point in those missteps even if it’s just to figure out one more thing that doesn’t work. I am way more comfortable with screwing up than I am with never attempting anything.

A big part of this process includes what we call networking. Go back far enough in history and you’ll find that the word comes from ancient fishermen. Picture the disciples casting their nets over the side of the boat. That net was their greatest tool. They threw it out there consistently, each time hoping to successfully hit their target. Bigger nets gave those guys a better chance of snagging what they were after, but teamwork was vital to the operation. Continue Reading…