Sunday, October 18, 2009

I believe in Serendipity


I believe in Serendipity

Some people believe Serendipity is luck, or chance or accidental.  I don’t.  When it happens, it is meant to happen at that moment, right where you are.  However, there are times when you can create your own Serendipity … or at least create a likely situation where it may occur!

Let’s be strategic about this.  Now, I’m talking about creating Serendipity when it comes to your job search or the promotion of your business (in the case of the job search, your business is YOU!)

Attend an event, conference, social gathering or other networking opportunity with an expectation.  Something great is going to happen.


 
You are going to meet someone who is going to make a difference in your life.




Golden rules:




1. Focus on letting yourself have fun, free from agendas, creating a positive impression on everyone you will meet.

2. Tell yourself that you are going to have a great time and will meet interesting people.

3. Armed with a positive attitude, open for all good things to come, ensure that you are prepared with what is necessary to create the serendipitous moment … business cards, marketing material (if appropriate.)  It’s all well and good to expect great things to happen – just ensure you have the required follow up!

4. Be observant.  Keep your focus on what is going on around you – who is attending an event, what is actually happening, all this will give you clues as to whom you may wish to approach to ask a question or strike up a conversation.  Be open to being approached too.

5. Evaluate your surroundings. If you’re attending an event, conference or social networking event, ask yourself the following questions:

Where will I be the most visible?  Where are people most likely to engage with me?  Who can I meet that is likely to tell his or her friends about me?  Who looks like someone I’d like to have a conversation with?

6. Just BE THERE! Don’t plan too much - show up and be prepared to let new people and situations unfold by themselves.  If you are relaxed, others will relax with you too.

7. Extend every encounter. When talking with someone new and there is a mutual respect developing, ask if they would like to continue the conversation over lunch or coffee.  Be interested. The longer you spend with someone, the more likely you are to discover how you can help each other.  There may be other events you could attend together.

8. Make your memory happy. After you meet someone, WRITE DOWN (either on their business card or elsewhere) some memory joggers such as what he or she looked like, what you talked about, some personal info you can bring up next time you talk, your common point of interest.

9. Follow up with a phone call or an email within the week. Use the information gathered from the previous example in your second approach. Prove your listening skills. Then, deliver something valuable like a link, recommendation or article.


10. Maintain your network!  Weeks, months and years may go by however, keeping in touch with the odd phone call, catch up coffee or even simply an email will maintain the relationship and who knows where the journey may take you.


Sometimes it will happen and you won’t even realise that it was serendipity, other times you will realise that you helped serendipity along a little bit.

Develop a positive attitude of expectation, prepare yourself mentally and when you turn up with a smile, that serendipitous moment (new people, new opportunities) will come to you.


Have you experienced serendipity 
or have you created serendipity?
Share your best story here!

Would you like to be coached?  Check out my LinkedIn profile
View Jane Jackson's profile on LinkedIn
and www.stylesuccess.biz  Nomatter where you are we can work together through telephone coaching.  Be empowered to achieve your dreams!

2 comments:

  1. So true Jane - serendipity is a mixture of creating it and letting it happen. 3 years ago when my husband and I set up our leadership development company, we dreamed of running leadership retreats in Bali. Without forcing serenditpity I created it by striking a conversation with the Headmaster of our girls school who sat next to me at a public event when Queen Elizabeth visited Singapore. I shared my company dream with him and my love of Bali,he also loved Bali and invited me to see his excluisve villa and conference centre he had built in Ubud. When I saw what he had created, I was in awe and thought if only one day I could do something like this, not really thinking that it would ever be possible. The Headmaster and I kept in touch via email and 2 1/2 years later he told me he was now living in Bali and is overseeing the running of the Green School, a concept created by the owners John and Cynthia Hardy, which educates children to be global leaders who are responsible for the sustainability of the world. The Headmaster was our link for our girls to be educated at the Green School, they joined in August and love it.They are already more globally and environmentally aware. The Headmaster was our link to us living and buying land to build a villa in Ubud and we'll be running our first personal development retreat at the Headmaster's beautiful / exlcusive villa in Bali this December 2009. I'm so glad I struck up a conversation.

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  2. Thank you for sharing, Janet. I have researched the Green School and find it absolutely amazing! Also was delighted to find the school featured in the environmental book "Slow Life."

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