Kickigai Weekly
Posts
How to get lucky in your career

How to get lucky in your career

3 things I regularly do to increase my luck

Giammarco Pacifico
August 14, 2024

What is luck?

In its most well-known definition, luck is something we cannot control. It’s what happens to us, no matter what we do or hope.

In a previous article, I talked about the role of luck in decision-making and how the self-serving bias makes us attribute our misfortune to bad luck while believing every successful person had plenty of lucky strikes.

The truth is that even if we cannot control luck, there are ways to increase our chances of being lucky.

This means that after all, luck is somewhat in our control.

But is all luck created equal?

According to Dr James H Austin, there are 4 kinds of luck:

This is truly out of your control: who your parents are, the colour of your skin, the place where you’re born and all the main circumstances you are given.

Most people think this is the only type of luck, where you relinquish your actions and willpower to fate.

2. Luck from motion

Luck can be created by working hard and hustling your way through life. Most people who believe in “hustle culture” have experienced the effects of this kind of luck and directly attribute it to their actions.

In other words, the more you put into the world, the higher the chances that what you do creates more opportunities, directly or indirectly.

3. Luck from awareness

Being an expert in a specific area allows you to be in a position to take advantage of opportunities when they present to you.

For example, knowing a lot about a scientific field can help you get a primary role in advancing the sector or being a seasoned real estate investor can help you make the most of the changes in interest rates.

4. Luck from Uniqueness

This type of luck is specific to your interests, passions, lifestyles and experiences.

Generally speaking, the more eccentric and unique your interests, the stronger this kind of luck becomes as people who are also passionate about the same things will seek you out. This is the best way to make luck find you but it’s arguably the most rare form.

3 habits that increased my career luck

#1 - Choosing the path that leads to more opportunities

When I was working at Medtronic in Switzerland, I had an offer on the table to stay there, keep doing what I was good at and build a solid career in a medtech giant. Instead, I decided to move to Paris and join a startup on its way to launch a product into the market.

What I didn’t realize then was that the second option massively increased my surface luck area. I learned everything I know about building a company, launched my own projects and built a career in the startup world.

Had I stayed in my studio in Lausanne, going to the office every day in the Swiss countryside, this would have never been possible.

The same is true for smaller choices that increase luck:

Attending a networking event instead of staying home to watch a movie
Reconnecting with an old friend or colleague who just started something new
Sharing your work online instead of keeping it only for yourself

#2 - Becoming an introduction powerhouse

Mutually beneficial introductions are a powerful way to help people while increasing serendipity in your life.

It only takes a few minutes to send an email introducing two people but the ripple effects can be enormous.

Since I started working with startups and founders, I’ve been trying to make a few introductions each week. Some only led to casual online chats while others helped people find their co-founders, get their dream job or meet investors for their venture.

After making 100s of introductions, these are the 2 most important things I learned:

Pay attention and be curious when meeting new people: only if you care about what they are saying, you can think of people to introduce to them
Always make double-opt-in introductions: a written introduction cannot be taken back so before sending the email, ask both parties if they’d like to be connected. Sometimes people are just busy or they don’t have enough in common. This is an easy way to avoid awkward intros

#3 - Don’t keep a scorecard

I am a long-time believer in the give-first principle.

It means helping others without expecting any immediate return.

In other words, you never know when you’ll get something back or by whom but you’re confident that what you’ve put out in the world will come back to you when you need it the most.

Over the years, I’ve tried to help as many people as I could with their startup or career; sometimes over a quick call, sometimes spending hours reviewing their decks or CVs. Even my private coaching gives all the money to charity.

In return, I’ve had people offering me incredible job opportunities, speaking gigs and valuable advice when I needed it. None of this came from the same people I helped but I have no doubt the two are connected.

The next time, you’re in a positive to help someone, think about doing it even if you don’t (yet) see how you’ll get something in return.

The bottom line

❝

Luck comes from uncertainty.

A useful note to self.

If everybody lived through the same actions and did the exact same things every day, there would be no uncertainty and therefore there would be no luck.

The opposite of luck is monotony.

As humans, we are wired to seek comfort in predictable outcomes. Many of us have dreamt of a stable job and an easy life since we were kids. Unfortunately, this is what kills luck. It slowly sucks it away from your life without you even noticing it.

The catch is that when we think of seeking uncertainty, we only think of big bold moves: moving to a new country, resigning from a job we hate without a plan, or investing large amounts into a stock/project we like.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that these moves hardly pay out if taken without caution.

Instead, small but consistent actions are all we need to increase our luck surface.

Like meeting more people, writing in public (here is why I write), joining online communities, or signing up for a class/gym.

And if you are out of ideas, try some of the things I do myself. They served me well and I believe they won’t disappoint you.

If you enjoyed this issue, share it with someone who needs some luck!

This week's top scientific reads

Latest European funding rounds in health & bio

Adamo Foods raised €2.3M to develop whole-cut meat from fungi 🇬🇧
PL Biosciences closed a €7.8M Series A to develop their manufacturing technology to make cell culture media from donated blood 🇩🇪
Clare&me raised €3.7M for a mental health & therapy chatbot 🇩🇪
OW Smell Made Digital raised €2.5M to develop digital smell technology 🇬🇧
CroiValve closed a €14.5M Series B round to develop a medical device to treat tricuspid regurgitation and restore tricuspid heart function 🇮🇪
Release Therapeutics raised €3.5M to develop drugs that treat genetic disorders without the need for gene therapies 🇨🇭