Author of seven books, including The Accidental Creative, Herding Tigers, Die Empty, Daily Creative, The Brave Habit. I help creative pros and leaders to be brave, focused, and brilliant every day.
How to seize an opportunity
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Big opportunities don’t come along every day. Great leaders know how to spot them and seize them when they do. This week’s Daily Creative episode featured the stories of two people who seized their moment, whether in good or bad circumstances. Here are three ideas to help you seize the moments in your own life. Brave: Call out the obviousI've observed that leaders often hesitate to voice their observations about things they think are obvious. They assume others see them too. That’s not always the case. When leaders fail to call out the obvious, they miss opportunities to address critical issues early on. This can lead to misalignment, wasted resources, and decreased team effectiveness. Here’s a worthy question to spend five minutes considering this week: What obvious thing do you see right now that you’re not calling attention to? Focused: Identify the tensionsOne reason that leaders pass up opportunities is that they don’t know where to begin. It seems too overwhelming. One strategy that I’ve been using lately is to keep a list of tensions - actually, it’s in a database in Notion - that need to be resolved with my current work. These tensions are open loops, problems to be solved, or decisions to be made. Then, each week I choose one or two to focus on with the intent of resolving them by Friday. The biggest weight we carry is the weight of all that’s undone. Once you identify outstanding tensions, and work a plan to resolve them, the anxiety often dissipates. Where should you keep your list of “tensions” to be resolved? Brilliant: Prepare now to shine laterIn the early 1970s, Harrison Ford was working as a carpenter to support his family, having become disillusioned with the small acting roles he had been getting. His carpentry skills led him to win a job building a door in the location where George Lucas was casting his new film Star Wars. Though Ford had a role in a previous Lucas film, he was in no way being considered for a role in this new picture. During this carpentry job, Lucas asked Ford to read lines with actors who were auditioning. Ford wasn't auditioning himself; he was simply there to give the actual candidates someone to respond to. However, Ford's natural charisma and delivery caught Lucas's attention. Impressed by Ford's performance, Lucas decided to cast him as Han Solo, one of the lead roles in the film. This was a completely unexpected opportunity that Ford hadn't even been seeking. Ford seized this chance, throwing himself into the role with enthusiasm. Star Wars became a massive global phenomenon, and Ford's portrayal of Han Solo launched him into stardom. This one-time opportunity, which arose from a carpentry job, transformed Ford from a struggling actor-turned-carpenter into one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Opportunities are only real if you’ve done the work to prepare for your moment. When your few real moments of opportunity come, you must be prepared to seize them. How are you preparing yourself today for the opportunity you’re hoping to have tomorrow? Your turn to lead:Do you know someone who might find this email helpful? Please forward it to them. |
Todd Henry
Author of seven books, including The Accidental Creative, Herding Tigers, Die Empty, Daily Creative, The Brave Habit. I help creative pros and leaders to be brave, focused, and brilliant every day.
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