How the CEO of Whole Foods Bought Gossamer Gear
I don’t care for the idea of luck.
I prefer Ralph Waldo Emerson’s approach, “Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”
But a recent conversation with the founder and chairman of Gossamer Gear turned to the phenomenon of finding agreeable things not sought for – serendipity.
Some people start businesses and fail. Glen Van Peski didn’t try to start a business but succeeded – serendipity.
In the course of time, he decided to close the business but the co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, offered to buy it – serendipity.
(Glen explains how John Mackey ended up buying 75% of Gossamer Gear – 2:06)
How to make the most of serendipity:
Serendipity can’t be planned or manufactured, but it can be noticed and welcomed.
Serendipity isn’t passivity.
Serendipity won’t come knocking while you’re bingeing Game of Thrones.
Serendipity meets people who are already doing something.
Solve your own problem.
Glen developed ultralight hiking gear for himself.
The need you meet for yourself brings value to others.
Do the next generous thing.
Serendipity is an unexpected opportunity to meet a need.
Life centered on service encounters more serendipity than life centered on self.
The next generous thing might seem small, but it may open a door to bigger opportunities.
Say yes to surprise.
Serendipity is an unexpected interruption. You turn your back on serendipity when you cling to the status quo.
The more tenaciously you grip established patterns, the less likely serendipity will grip you. (Unless your habit is to notice and welcome surprise.)
Serendipity extends joy.
One joy leads to the next.
Serendipity meets you when you’re doing something you love.
Serendipity is an unexpected moment of joy, an idea that comes out of nowhere, a new expression of something in your heart.
You love hiking. How do you craft ultralight hiking gear?
How has serendipity impacted you?
How might leaders make serendipity more likely?
Glen Van Peski on serendipity video:
Pingback: How the CEO of Whole Foods Bought Gossamer Gear
“Chance favors the prepared mind.“ – Louis Pasteur
Thanks Duane. Wonderful quote.
Love that Louis Pasteur quote – thank you! Here’s another: “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” Attributed (probably wrongly) to Thomas Jefferson.
I don’t count on it, but have found it to be:
“Luck favors the prepared.”
(Ben Franklin?)
Always do your best;
express your Self elegantly;
take nothing personally; and
assume nothing. (Ruiz, 4 agreements)
Be open, be curious,
center your Self in your adjacent proximities, and
be of good will (be the change you want to see),
And good things tend to happen
(similar energies tend to attract).
Doesn’t mean it’s easy, though. IMHE
Thanks for adding so much insight, Rurbane. For me, “be of good will,” is useful and important. I find it easy to be skeptical and to assume the worst. Even if things aren’t what I want, being of good will is better than being of negative will.
I like the 4 Agreements, had not heard of those. Especially ‘take nothing personally’; assume best intentions by others until it’s obvious that’s not the case.
Thank you for this post Dan! I’ve a tendency to be like you w/reference to luck. Serendipity is a sweet reminder to remain open and optimistic to possibilities- right place right time.
My Husband says, “we make our own luck”. Serendipity says, “come and find me”, a little playful in the strategic confines of our ‘follow the rules’ based society.
Thanks Melrose. If nothing else, my interaction with Glen Van Peski are a helpful reminder that serendipity is part of life. It’s not a strategy for success, but it seems to play a part.
Dan a wise old boss/mentor always said, If given a choice of smart or lucky, pick lucky every time! Brad
Fascinating, Brad. I would have chosen smart, but I see the point.
I think “the more I practice, the luckier I get” was Arnold Palmer, but whether it was him or another famous golfer, the principle’s the same. At the same time, don’t overlook the impact of unpredicted/unexpected/accidental issues. Fleming observed the effect of Penicillin molds on Staph when he accidentally contaminated some cultures and left them to sit. Also, it actually WAS pure blind luck that he noticed and didn’t just chuck the whole lot away without a second glance!
So true Mitch. Let’s not rely on serendipity for success. But, serendipity is often part of success.
I wonder about Fleming’s observation powers. If you or I had seen an anomaly, we would have dumped it. But Fleming was a scientist, trained to observe. Still, an accident produced a remarkable – world changing – discovery.
I suppose all of the people who work hard and don’t experience a serendipitous intervention might find this topic frustrating.
Dan,
In science, most of our progress isn’t from “eureka” moments. It comes from “That looks odd…” moments. Like when Fleming looked at a set of samples he had forgotten about, saw that the moulds had inhibited his Staph cultures and thought “That’s funny…”. We tend to notice things that fall outside of patterns.
Dan often writes about how curiosity is a trait of successful leaders. Curiosity helps create those “That looks odd/interesting…” moments.
It seems like most serendipities in my life arrive through people. So the more relationships I have, the more I am opened up to potential serendipity. Tough for us introverts, but worth some effort. Now I look for how I can deliver serendipity in the lives of others.
Thanks Glen. I so enjoyed our conversation. Your insight re: serendipity arrives through people is powerful, and as you indicate, challenging.
Personally, I have upped my relationship game and life is definitely richer for it.
Glen, it was wonderful to open up this blog (that you got me into reading daily) only to find your face as a star feature! I couldn’t have imagined a better person to describe serendipity. You navigate life with such grace and continue to inspire me from a far. ~Alli
Alli! Yes, I am a big fan of LF, for a NUMBER of reasons. Someday I hope I can be an agent of serendipity in your life!
Here’s a couple of my favorite quotes: “I’m just a lucky golfer…the more I practice the luckier I get.” – Arnold Palmer. “I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor the skillful; but time and change happen to them all.” – Ecclesiastes 9: 11 (King Solomon).
I’m a creature of habit. I’m also a young woman (40ish) who has been feeling stuck in a rut lately. This discussion is exactly what I needed to push me in the right direction. “Serendipity is an unexpected interruption. You turn your back on serendipity when you cling to the status quo.” That was my aha moment! The more of an introvert that I have become, the less serendipity that I encounter in life. Time for a change. Thank you!!
Like, like, like! Nice energy flow.
I was speaking with my buddy Mike the other day about Serendipity. We were discussing how you can’t ‘force’ it, and he commented that sometimes when you’re focusing too much on something, you can get tunnel vision, and fail to notice things that could blossom into serendipity. It’s opening your field of vision and trying to relax slightly that make the serendipities more likely.
Brilliant! The more you try to force it, the less likely you are to see it. Thanks Glen
My grandmother, a wise and resourceful woman, used to say:
“You don’t send luck to the market on its own, you go with it hand in hand”
Good Afternoon Dan, I never really thought about what serendipity meant. I always associated it with good vibes but never took time to think about it in depth. The development of unsolicited positive events by chance. By reading the article it seems you can set yourself up to better achieve serendipity by taking life by the horns and doing things you love. Your right, sitting at home “binge watching TV” waiting on something good to happen is most likely not going to happen. The article states that similar energies are attracted to one another. Harnessing good vibes associated with happiness seems to be the best option to attract “agreeable things”. It is true; one person with a bad attitude can turn the whole office dynamic around quick. That also is true when it comes to positive attitudes as well. I also enjoy the concept that one joy builds off another. I have had those weeks or even months when I feel like I cannot do anything wrong so I guess this would be considered one of my serendipitive moments! I have also been on the “binge watching” side of the couch that I can assure you nothing but an extra 10 pounds came from it.