St. Patrick’s Day is a good day for Irish accents, shamrock-themed accessories, green beer and phrases like “Top o’ the mornin’ to ye!” and “luck of the Irish.” And while the other items on that list might not be useful for your staffing business outside of hospitality-based clients, it’s a good occasion to ponder the importance of luck in your success.
“Luck” is often used interchangeably for “random occurrence,” but that’s not the most accurate way to look at it. Because while randomness has no meaning attached to it (it’s neither good or bad, it just “is”), luck is often accompanied by a judgment: good luck, bad luck, dumb luck, etc. So luck isn’t just random occurrence, it’s the meaning of that occurrence for us. And that’s actually a good thing, because meaning puts luck into the realm of what we can influence.
British professor Dr. Richard Wiseman conducted a 10-year study on luck, investigating how people who considered themselves lucky differed from those who considered themselves unlucky, and he was able to find four key differences in their behavior:
- Lucky people are skilled at creating, noticing and acting upon chance opportunities. They do this in various ways, including networking, adopting a relaxed attitude to life and by being open to new experiences.
- Lucky people make effective decisions by listening to their intuition and gut feelings. In addition, they take steps to actively boost their intuitive abilities by, for example, meditating and clearing their mind of other thoughts.
- Lucky people are certain that the future is going to be full of good fortune. These expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies by helping lucky people persist in the face of failure, and shape their interactions with others in a positive way.
- Lucky people employ various psychological techniques to cope with, and often even thrive upon, the ill fortune that comes their way. For example, they spontaneously imagine how things could have been worse, do not dwell on the ill fortune, and take control of the situation.
How can you put these principles to work in your staffing business?
- You’ll notice that many of these principles involve staying on an even keel and looking for the bright side of things. Not only does this make you more luck-prone according to Dr. Wiseman, it can help considerably in managing your employees. Some of the employee problems that might be classified as “bad luck” can be avoided if employees know they can come to you with their issues, and you’ll be both fair and positive.
- Listening to your intuition can help you manage your candidates and your clients. If your gut tells you that a candidate has more to offer than they think they do, or if a client might be more trouble than they’re worth, try listening to it and acting on that intuition.
- Networking is also key to enhancing your business’s luck. The more people you come into contact with, the more opportunities you’ll have to make connections that can help your business. And if you make a note of all your contacts in COATS Staffing Software, you can track your connections and grow your relationships easily.
What about you and your staffing business? Have you experienced good or bad luck, and did you notice any effects that your attitude had on it? Let us know in the comments!