How to Screw-up a Great Opportunity

Opportunity-Screw-up
Some of you may know that I also write technology related articles for Wired and other online periodicals. Well a couple months ago I was at a technology conference in Las Vegas. I was working on an article about how cloud computing is changing the strategic direction for backup vendors. While at the show, I met with several executives and asked them a specific question about the industry. I asked them to email me a short response. I told them when I needed to get it by, because I was planning on publishing the article that week.

I spoke to executives from at least 20 backup vendors. They all were excited to have their company featured in an article on Wired.com. I mean heck, who wouldn’t mind a little exposure and publicity on one of the most read technology magazines in the world? Of the the 20 companies, about 2 sent responses exactly how I asked, a few more responded with ridiculously long “quotes,” more like an article in itself, and a few more just tried to promote themselves in their content. The rest got lost with PR people or they never responded.

I was completely blown away because the backup industry is fierce with competitors. All they needed to do was email me a couple of sentences on this question, and I was going to quote them and link back to their site in this article. I even told them that I did not mind if they had a little self-promotion in the quote. Yet, most of them completely screwed-up the opportunity that would have taken only a few minutes.

This is not the only incident like this I have had. I have offered to write  and do other things for all kinds of people to help promote them, and have had similar experiences. I enjoy helping people, but if the person I am trying to help can’t follow through with me, then that is a huge problem. The next time someone wants to help you or promote your business, jump on it!

It’s easy to screw-up opportunities, just don’t let people help you.” Tweet This!

A Great Opportunity – Are You Going to Screw This Up?

So with that said, I want to offer to help you in a really big way. I want to promote you on Twitter, on Facebook, on Google+, on LinkedIn. I want to send my followers to your blog. I want to create backlinks on my site to your website and feature you in my Friends Around the World page, and other pages. I want to offer you books, cash, and a bunch of other cool things, including an IOU (I Owe You) from me.

Wondering how you can get all this? Easy – sign-up(free) to be an Uber-Master or Uber Apprentice for Uber-Magnificent Book Launch. The work I am asking you to do, pales in comparison to what I am giving away, and the value of what I am giving away is HUGE. This is a massive book launch where I will be releasing three books on creating a culture of execution in an organization.

I hope you will join me, there is limited space and the slots are filling-up!! Go here: Uber-Magnificent Book Launch, and signup (free), under the package that appeals to you.

A Successful Leaders Guide To Getting Lucky

Successful LeadersHave you ever been envious of successful leaders? Have you ever wondered why all the good things happen to them? Have you ever questioned yourself and thought, “why can’t I be as  lucky as those successful leaders?” Do you wonder why good things happen to those successful leaders and why good fortune seems to follow them around?

The Secret of Successful Leaders

Well, I will tell you the secret of successful leaders …they get lucky because they do the work to create opportunities that appear to others as luck. Yeah, it is not really luck is it. Shamrocks, rainbows, and rabbit feet will not make successful leaders. Luck comes from creating opportunies that come to us as we get out of our comfort zone, take risks, and do the work that is necesary to create those opportunities.

I realized this week that as hard as my personal success plan is for me, there was something I still was not doing. I was not getting out of my comfort zone and creating opportunites. My personal success plan is hard for sure. I have a ton of goals and they require a large amount of discipline and focus to achieve. But therein lies the problem, I am doing a bunch of things, but very few of them require me to get out of my comfort zone, they just require me to work harder. There is no doubt that they will make me better, but “better” has never really been good enough for me.

A Successful Leaders Takeway to Creating Luck

So I challenge all you leaders, wheter you consider yourself a successful leader or not, to dig deep, figure out what you want to achieve and what opportunies you could create by stepping out and doing one thing everyday that will help to bring greater success. Keep at it, keep at it, and sooner or later, you’ll get lucky too, because as Elmer Leterman said, “Luck is what happens when preparation, meets opportunity.”

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So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to create “luck?”

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comment section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, and occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
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