Looking back across five decades of business and life, I can see how often success wasn't the product of a perfect plan but of being ready when opportunity appeared. Serendipity isn't luck alone — it's a mix of preparation, timing, and the willingness to act when doors unexpectedly open.
From chance encounters on factory floors to meetings in far-flung cities, those unplanned moments shaped the trajectory of my career more than any spreadsheet or forecast ever did.
I remember standing in the lobby of a hotel in São Paulo in 1987, delayed by a flight cancellation that I'd initially cursed. While waiting for the next available connection, I struck up a conversation with a man reading the Financial Times in heavily accented English. That twenty-minute conversation led to a joint venture that would define the next decade of our South American operations.
But serendipity requires more than just showing up. It demands a certain alertness—the ability to recognize significance in the seemingly random. Most people are so focused on their predetermined path that they miss the exits that could lead somewhere better.
In boardrooms around the world, I've watched executives dismiss "lucky breaks" as irrelevant to serious business planning. They're wrong. The most successful leaders I've known weren't just tactical planners; they were tactical opportunists. They understood that rigidity in pursuit of the perfect plan often blinds you to the better plan standing right in front of you.
The key is preparation without attachment. Know your industry deeply enough to spot the anomalies. Build relationships broadly enough that information flows to you from unexpected quarters. Stay curious enough that you ask the follow-up question when something doesn't quite fit the pattern.
Serendipity isn't about abandoning strategy—it's about building enough flexibility into your strategy that you can pivot when the universe presents a better option.
[Chapter continues...]