Nurturing an Opportunity


You’ve heard the idiom, “Opportunity knocks but once.”

Some would even say “When opportunity knocks, you still have to get up and open the door.”

I’m going to take it a step further. When opportunity knocks, invite him in for his favorite cocktail, put on his favorite music, ask him what he needs most in the world, and then find a way to help him achieve it. 

That might sound like a huge feat, maybe even impossible, but the only way you’re going to get the opportunity you’re looking for is to provide opportunities for other people.  

When someone gives you an opportunity, it’s a rarity—like lightening striking or spotting the Lochness Monster. You can always put yourself in a better position to gain any number of opportunities but you can’t force someone to give it to you. 

Talent is not enough to get “picked” to take advantage of an opportunity. Punctuality, delivering in a timely manner, giving more than what the job requires of you, reliability, consistency and integrity are all components that put someone in a position to get picked for an opportunity. 

Make big promises and figure out how to keep them. Learn a new skill. If you can’t deliver on your promise in a timely manner, find someone who has your skill and outsource it. Become indispensable. 

Once you’ve kept your promise to the person who has given you your coveted opportunity, find a way to get them to provide you with additional opportunities. Reward them for rewarding you. Be creative. Provide them with a business referral. Make them dinner. Buy them coffee. Send them Christmas cookies. Continue to deliver on your promises. 


Nurture your opportunities—feed them with your magic elixir and they’ll come knocking so much you’ll need a new front door. 

No comments:

Post a Comment