The people in my networks know that when they send an opportunity my way, they can rest assured that if I agree to take it on, I won’t merely be in — I’ll be all in. I don’t make small plans. I get things done. I never make excuses. These are a few of my core values — they’re why people are attracted to working with me. But these values aren’t exclusive to me. If you exhibit the same values in your business life, you will attract the same kind of people and opportunities I do.
Make no mistake about it, success is no accident. Successful people might make it look easy, but from my own personal experience, and the experience of the successful people I’ve met and worked with, I have learned that it’s not easy. Every person who has achieved great success in his or her life has overcome numerous challenges and has faced failure, sometimes many times over. Every success I’ve experienced, as well as every failure, has helped to prepare me for even more success in the future. So far, I have had the good fortune of starting up three very successful businesses: Sugarleaf Vineyards, Luxury Market Branding and Gen Y Capital Partners. But while I have experienced a good run of success, like every other entrepreneur I sometimes lie awake at night worrying about the possibility that one of my ventures will go off the rails. The uncertainty keeps me nimble, alert and responsive. At times the unknown can be nerve-racking, but more often than not it forces me to be hypersensitive to the multitude of circumstances that could adversely (or positively) affect my business interests. The pro to sleeping with one eye open, as they say, is that I never miss a beat.
So, how can you improve the odds that you’ll achieve the success you want in life? I asked one of my personal heroes, Mellody Hobson, what success means to her and what she thinks it was that enabled her to be so successful. Mellody has been president of the Chicago-based investment management firm Ariel Investments since 2000, and she serves on the board of directors of Starbucks, Dreamworks Animation SKG, and Estée Lauder. Mellody explained to me that success for her is a personal sense of accomplishment, and that it’s something in her own head. She doesn’t look for outside recognition or accolades. According to Mellody, she has never been nor ever will be motivated by other people. She told me that her perspective on success is best summed up by the classic Boy Scouts motto, “Be prepared.” The only time her confidence lacks is when she is not as prepared as she would like to be.
When Mellody told me this, I realized that she was absolutely right. Being prepared for opportunities as they present themselves is a quality that’s so simple yet so powerful. It’s often over- looked. Many times people allow events to happen and simply hope for the best. They don’t bring their best selves to the table. As I thought about my own life, I realized that much of my success was a direct result of being prepared. I was ready for opportunity when it knocked on my door. Actually, I was more than ready for it — I invited it to come in, kick off its shoes, and join me for dinner.
As far as the actual reasons for her success, Mellody attributes it to outworking everyone else. She has an unwavering work ethic, original ideas, and she makes a point of always coming through. According to studies done at Ariel Investments, nearly 80 percent of people don’t live up to their commitments. That’s a terrible track record when you think about it, and it is an indication of how rare (and welcome) it is to work with someone who does consistently live up to his or her commitments. If you can be that person, you will stand head and shoulders above the rest of the pack and, believe me, you will be noticed. You will exceed expectations.
I have many friends who are also successful entrepreneurs, and I now look at how they achieved their successes in a new way. Whereas in the past I may have assumed it was more organic — through much trial and error — I now realize that each one of them was as prepared as could possibly be for the opportunities that catapulted him or her forward. The combination of their experiences, successes, failures, networks, colleagues, and supporters put them in the right place at the right time to take advantage of a specific opportunity when it arrived.
This is an excerpt from THE PATH REDEFINED: GETTING TO THE TOP ON YOUR OWN TERMS by Lauren Maillian Bias. Reprinted by arrangement with BenBella Books. Copyright © Lauren Maillian Bias, 2014.
