Louis Pasteur, the French scientist, is best known for his breakthroughs on vaccination and on – well, pasteurization, the process of stopping the contamination of milk.
💬 He also famously said “In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.” 💬
Updating this statement for today, I offer the idea that “Chance favors only the prepared organization.”
There are many reasons why some organizations succeed and others fail. If you look at the stories of successful organization, you may well find that a recurring theme goes something like this:
➡️ Those that succeeded were ready to take advantage of new opportunities and other changes in the environment.
In other words, they were Prepared for Change.
Sadly, not all organizations are Prepared for Change. Many organizations are working really hard to become successful in the world as it is today. But that does not prepare them for the world that might be here tomorrow.
As I’ve been speaking over the last few months with leaders of organizations receiving transformational gifts from Mackenzie Scott, I observe that many of them were Prepared.
They had faced difficult issues within their own organizations and asked themselves: Are we really ready to grow?
They were clear-eyed about the challenges they faced, and they took on the difficult leadership of making changes “before” they were needed.
👉 Do we have evidence that our approach works and makes a difference?
👉 Do we have thoughtful strategies for where we want to take the organization?
👉 Have we developed the internal systems and processes to support growth?
👉 Have we invested in the capacity of our leaders and staff to take on the challenges we will face as we grow?
Having done this work, these organizations were Prepared for Change.
And then, almost as if by chance, they received word that they were going to receive a gift from Mackenzie Scott.
I don’t think this is a coincidence!
Remember:
💬 “Chance favors only the prepared organization.” 💬