The Right Person at the Right Time – in the Right Place. Perfect Storm or absolute luck? And why does it even matter?
People often refers to the right person at the right time to do the right thing. This indicates the distant wish that things can be perfect for someone and their organisation. It is inevitably followed by: how lucky was that?
Far from it, luck should not be part of it. The combinations are simple: what about the wrong person at the right time and right place? What about the right person but at the right time and the right place; what about the wrong person at the wrong time but the right place. You get the idea.
What defines the right time and place is often the desired outcome rather than the right one anyway. The desired outcome properly planned will assist overcoming the highest perception of luck.
Take sports for instance, as an illustration. A scorer has to be in position to score. Most of the work will be to be in a scoring position. All team’s members need to play their part, so you are not offside. Then, if it is football for instance, when the ball arrives, the scoring probability increases dramatically if you are in the box. Does not matter if the player is good or bad, fast or slow, what matters is that when the ball bounces off the player in the right position to score and that it goes to the back of the net! That very same slow, unloved by some fans, overpriced for the owners, player will be in the box for whatever reason and score for the team. Instantly becoming one of the hero of the game, or the VP of the match if the scored goal is the winning one! All is changed, and never by luck!!
To be the right player at the right place at the right time, well firstly you:
- Had to be there;
- Had to be ready/alert to deliver;
- Had to be on conscious of your actions at the time you did them;
- Had to rely on your team to also deliver their part.
This basically means that in business, as in life, one can only act according to his own representation or perception of reality and based on the agreed shared plan. Keep it to yourself and no one will send you the ball as they will not know you were there in the first place.
This also means that other’s judgment must not affect you as it will be their perception of their reality and that will be likely forged only after the outcome of your actions has been made visible. Like the player: running slowly onsite to be in a scoring position only matter if you score, if not it will be a slow run and you will be replaced.
IN CONCLUSION : there is no fast or slow, right time or wrong time, right place or wrong place. What there is is perception of your own reality geared to produce a desired outcome! don’t let others judgment affect you and focus on your desired outcome as all that is worth being remembering is when you are at the right place at the right time, and you will become the right person!
