I haven’t taken a pill which has made me think of 1970′s TV shows, I’m talking about how you create opportunity for yourself. So many people let opportunities pass them by, if only they could be a bit more attentive or a bit braver or ask more questions, wonderful things might happen.
It isn’t always obvious, nor can it be spotted on your first meeting with someone, however the more people you do connect with and make an effort with, the more doors can open for you. The trick to generating opportunities is to ask good questions, listen attentively to the answers and then ask more questions and listen again. Questions I like are: -
- What is the biggest issue or challenge facing your business and industry right now?
- What is the biggest problem on your desk right now?
- Tell me about the stepping stones you need to take to reach your goals?
As you can see, not clever or difficult. All open questions, all with an ability for you to quickly hear the pain points of the individual you’re talking with and all with an ability to ask further questions dependent on the responses. The quality of your further questions, depends on how hard you listen. It’s surprising how many people don’t “actively listen”, I did a short blog post on this which you can see here.
Ultimately, the brightness of your entrepreneurial fire will depend on how many embers you have glowing at any particular time (that one’s for you Moneeb). Opportunity comes if you are alert, out, meeting people, thinking and curious of others. If you are stuck in your office, don’t go anywhere, stand in a room with a half-empty glass or just collect business cards at events, then opportunity won’t knock as hard or as often for you, as some others. Be the COE (Chief Opportunity Engineer) of your business, not the CEO, change your mindset and turbo-charge your efforts.