Opportunity In The Strangest Places

The Laboratory

Nearly ten years ago, I was at that point in my corporate career of contemplating what was next.  I applied for a different internal job which appealed to me somewhat, though not completely.  I didn’t get it.  I decided the next step would likely be outside the company though I let it be known to senior management that I was eager for something new to do. (That’s code for not quite flipping out yet but getting there).  Along came a high exposure, though somewhat risky project that had no guarantees of obtaining funding or support.  Perfect, I’ll take it!

I pictured my new role as an opportunity to experiment in my very own laboratory.  My work ethic ensured that I would continue to contribute to the company and now my “new attitude” (cue Patti LaBelle) was to raise my awareness of what I could receive from the company as long as I was there.  What could I test, try out, or develop within a familiar environment?  I had new eyes, new ears, and a new boldness.  A few confidantes knew about the lab and they became my lab partners. “Hey, thought of an idea for the lab!”

Ironically, that position was the most rewarding of my entire career and resulted in my staying another four years.  I rediscovered my creativity, came to value my talent for developing others, and realized that motivating and communicating needed to be part of whatever I did.  My confidence was back in full force.  The experience of running a small “company” within a large organization prepared me to found my own coaching company.  Soon it would be time to leave the lab.  It had served me well.

The Beaker

I have since shared the lab idea with many others.  One client actually went out and bought a chemist’s beaker to put on her desk at work to remind her that all the elements are there – all she has to do is create new concoctions.  As Francis Bacon said, “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”

The Opportunity

If you are doing all you can to effect a change and it’s not happening as quickly as you’d like, look again at your surroundings.  There may be more to unearth.  Ask yourself: What is the opportunity right here?  Sometimes opportunity can be found – or made – in the strangest places…including exactly where you are.

“Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.”
– Napoleon Hill