Everyone wants opportunity. Opportunity to succeed. Opportunity to make a difference. Opportunity to acquire a new role, gain influence, or showcase their talent. And when opportunity doesn’t come our way, it’s easy to get frustrated, complain, or even resent those who are given the opportunity we think we deserve.
However, in most cases, opportunity is not an entitlement. Just because I want it, doesn’t mean I’ll get it—or deserve it. So, how do I attract opportunity to me? How do I increase the odds that I’ll experience the opportunity I hope to see, whether that opportunity is a promotion, a new assignment, or a lifetime dream? While there is really no guarantee that certain opportunities will come your way (and that’s important to recognize), there are four things you can do now to position yourself for opportunity.
1. Superior Performance
If you only do what’s expected, don’t be surprised if nobody notices. Mediocre, average, or just-enough-to-get-by performance won’t get you anywhere. Great opportunities usually only come to people who have performed greatly. If you want to attract new opportunities your way, start delivering your “A” game now. You may not be the best, but if you don’t give your best you certainly won’t attract the best opportunities. As John Maxwell often says, “People don’t pay for average.”
2. Strong Passion
Leaders don’t like to promote people who exhibit little excitement about their job. After all, past performance is the best indicator of future performance. If you can’t show excitement in the job you have now, your boss isn’t likely to hand you more responsibility or opportunity. Passion isn’t a matter of personality; it’s a matter of self-motivation. Having passion shows your leader that you know how to motivate yourself, and self-motivated people are much more likely to experience new opportunities. Your leader doesn’t have time or energy to constantly motivate you or light a fire under you. Genuine and sincere passion gets noticed.
3. Second-Mile Perseverance
I recently heard an Entreleadership interview with Mark Miller, Chick-fil-a’s Vice President of High Performance Leadership. Miller said, “Opportunity is found in the second mile.” People notice the extra. When everyone else clocks out early—or even on time—second mile leaders go beyond the status quo. Going the first mile might help you keep your job, but going the second mile is where promotions are found. Second mile perseverance is what sets you apart from the rest of the pack. And here’s the truth: very few people go the second mile. Those who do rise above the pile.
4. Steady Preparation
In the same interview, Mark Miller went on to say that you don’t determine opportunity; you determine readiness. In most cases, we can’t force an opportunity to happen. We can’t demand it, manipulate it, or orchestrate it. We can only prepare for it. As Coach John Wooden used to say, “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” If you’re going to prepare for opportunity, you have to cultivate a lifelong learning attitude. You don’t prepare once. You don’t prepare by attending one training event, reading one book, or completing one course. Opportunity comes to those who have developed a discipline of steady preparation. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. You can’t determine the opportunity, but you can determine if you’re ready for it.
If you dream of having greater opportunities in your future, you can’t simply wait for those opportunities to appear. Opportunities are much more likely to come to the person who chooses today to exhibit superior performance, strong passion, second-mile perseverance, and steady preparation. While opportunities are future-oriented, the preparation for them is now-oriented.
