Out of the Blue?

Friday, August 29, 2008.  McCain names Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his vice presidential running mate.  And the nation says, “Sarah who?”  Suddenly and unexpectedly, Palin is catapulted into her next career move.

Out of the blue?  Perhaps not.  What really happened was Career Serendipity.  Being in the right place, at the right time, for the right job.  It seems that Governor Sarah Palin’s entire career trajectory has been characterized by her being observant, recognizing opportunities, seizing the moment and creating her own career good luck.

Career Serendipity can also be your secret advantage in building career success.

The Three Princes of Serendip

“Serendipity” was coined by the English author Horace Wapole in 1754 in reference to the Persian fairy tale about The Three Princes of Serendip.  As the three princes traveled the land they would always discover things they were not in quest of.  Those discoveries resulted from their keen observation and sagacity, i.e., their acute mental discernment and sound judgment.  They were able to link together apparently innocuous facts and come to a valuable conclusion.  Quite valuable, in fact, since the Persian kings richly rewarded them for their discoveries.

Like the Princes of Serendip you can use your observation skills and sagacity to make career discoveries that build your career and create your own career good luck.

Opportunity Knocks, Then What?

So, what do you do when opportunity knocks?  Not everything you encounter fits into your career.  You need a filtering process so that you don’t pursue things that are out of alignment with who you are, where you’re going and what makes you unique.

There are three important layers to the filter:

1.     Your Personal Values.  Know who you are.  How does this opportunity align with your core values and the principles that ground you?

2.     Your Career Vision.  Know where you are going.  How does this opportunity fit with the core purpose of your career; why you do what you do?  Will this opportunity help you achieve your career aspiration?

3.     Your Unique Brand.  Know what makes you unique and stand out from the crowd.  Does this opportunity fit with your unique offer?  How do your current strengths enable you to seize this opportunity and make it successful?  How will this opportunity help you grow and develop to strengthen your unique Brand?

The filtering process will let you know if an opportunity is truly serendipitous for you.  If so, then seize the moment.  Don’t procrastinate and let opportunities pass you by.

Career Noise

There may be times in your career when all you hear is noise that masks the signs of career serendipity.  “Career noise” happens when you’re too busy/too stressed, or working in a toxic work environment, or reporting to an ineffective, uninspiring boss, or finding you just don’t fit with the culture of your organization.  Opportunity seems to pass you by. 

When this happens, it’s time to clear out the noise and get your career back on track.  Your biggest barrier may be the fear of the unknown—the risk involved in taking a chance.  This is when you need to abandon your fears and create your own career good luck by taking specific actions.

Create Your Own Career Good Luck

Like Sarah Palin and the Three Princes of Serendip, you can create your own career good luck.  Your career is a journey.  Learn to hone your aptitude for making desirable discoveries along the way that lead to your good fortune. 

Put those serendipitous opportunities through the filtering process and soon you’ll be on your way to your next career adventure.  Maybe not as the next VP candidate as Palin has done, but it’ll be a career move that fits with who you are, where you’re going and what makes you unique. Those are the secrets of Career Serendipity!

Barbara Neisendorf is the President of Neisendorf & Associates and can be reached at info@neisendorf.com