The Sequence to Success: Three O’s of LifeНамуна

Opportunities Are Not Guarantees

Every opportunity is the product of observations and opinions that opened doors of possibilities. Opportunities, though, are just that; they aren’t guarantees. Sometimes, things work far better than we could have dreamed, but occasionally, they bomb. It’s our responsibility to cultivate the opportunity and make the best of it. 

The news is full of sordid reports of church and business leaders who have squandered their opportunities. High-profile leaders and under-the-radar ones have been identified in incidents of adultery and sexual abuse. Financial mismanagement is another way leaders are forfeiting their opportunity to have a positive impact on their communities. And some leaders have been released because they came to the conclusion they were emperors rather than shepherds.

All of these people were observed, although they tried to keep their behavior secret as long as possible and almost always denied it when someone called them out. People formed new opinions of them, usually very begrudgingly because they couldn’t believe the accusations at first. And finally, the wonderful opportunity they had enjoyed was theirs no more. 

Is it possible for these leaders to reclaim a good opinion? Certainly—but it’s not easy. The road back is often long and difficult; many don’t have the courage to take it. These leaders didn’t lose their intelligence, their organizational skills, or their ability to communicate, but they did lose their opportunity to lead because someone observed a flaw that they had tried to hide.

All of us need to find someone to confide in before we go too far down the wrong road. If not, we learn to live with secrets and before long, our lies take on a life of their own. We need to be brutally honest about our deepest fears and our attempts to manage our image to keep people from seeing us sweat.

We want to be seen as successful, competent, and wise, but many of us have thin skins and are deeply wounded by criticism. The solution isn’t to bark back at those who have something negative to say about us. A better strategy is to embrace the fear and regularly ask for feedback from our teams and trusted friends who aren’t part of the organization, including coaches and consultants. We’ll learn a lot, we’ll disarm those who say we can’t take it, and we’ll create a more open, vibrant environment.

We hope this plan encouraged you. Explore other resources at https://www.whitakerhouse.com/book-authors/samuel-r-chand.