Achievement - What’s Luck Got To Do With It? (Apologies to Tina Turner…)

By Mike Hoban

Almost everyone would agree that talent is important for individual and organizational achievement. I say “almost” because a few members of the Flat Earth Society might argue the point. And there are other factors besides talent that contribute to human achievement such as drive or determination, which has recently been popularized as “grit.” 

There’s another factor that most reasonable people regularly identify as an enabler to talent but which receives scant attention in the academic literature: Luck. Right place-right time. You know, like the Beatles (audible gasp).

Granted, implying the Beatles were “lucky” makes for fighting words for many Fab Four fans, especially among Boomers, of which I am one, as well as a Beatles fan. So with credentials presented, let me explain about the Beatles and “luck” and the connection to talent, because there are parallels in the business world.

The Beatles had a great deal of talent, both individually and as a group. But were they the MOST talented individual musicians in England at the time? No. But in the perfect storm of a changing musical genre and the 60s cultural zeitgeist, they were able to leverage their considerable talents to bring the British sound to the world. Meanwhile, it’s almost certain that there were other bands in England composed of more talented musicians who continued to toil in obscurity.

So, something else besides talent helped propel the Beatles to the top of the music world. Most successful people would admit they caught some breaks and the Beatles were no exception - serendipity played a part. And they were definitely in the right place at the right time and also had the aforementioned “grit.” But talent was still the foundation.

So what’s the lesson in this for individuals and organizations? For individuals, other factors besides talent can be important for achievement. The “luck” of being placed on a visible, high-impact project team or turnaround situation, for instance, can boost a career, but like the Beatles example, one doesn’t usually get placed into that type of situation simply because of random chance. It’s more likely that talent was the ticket into that assignment. It’s what gets you invited to the table in the first place.

For organizations, it’s not just identifying potential talent, but to put them into situations where, like the Beatles’ early club performances in Liverpool and Hamburg, they can demonstrate “grit;” they can hone and apply that talent and create for themselves the opportunities for “luck” to occur. As a result, being in the “right place at the right time” becomes more of a logical consequence than an incidental occurrence. 

What role do you think “luck” plays in success and achievement?

Mike Hoban is a senior consultant for Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Comments

[Bob Rogers]

Mike: IN the book, The outliers the story of how the beatles got so good is described. They played in Germany(I believe if my memory is correct) every day and night for a long time(Again I believe more than a year) to earn money. They perfected there music and harmony to a very high level. Once given there big break back in the UK they became a hit and the rest is history. The talent was there and practice made it even better.
Bob