Timing is a trait a leader must possess and develop. As part of feasibility of vision the development and convergence of enabling technologies, channels and markets need to be understood and clearly conveyed.

Wayne Gretzky said, “Skate where the puck is going, not where it’s been.” It is critically important to develop a sense of timing. The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. That can mean being persistent or waiting until the enablers are distinctly on the horizon.

The art of leadership is in navigating between being too early and not feasible and being too late and losing an opportunity to competition. This means continuously monitoring the changing technological, social, demographic, economic, legislative, political, and competitive demands of your business environment and how those changes impact implementing your vision.

Good timing can make up for lots of other errors. As John Maynard Keynes said: Its better to be roughly right than precisely wrong.

Timing and Luck

Strategic thinking takes into account timing. Don’t fall into the trap of anticipating changes that are a bridge too far. Don’t be right too soon. Being ahead of your time doesn’t work well in business. The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!

Venture Capitalists understand that timing is more important than entrepreneurial talent. It is better to be lucky than smart and luck depends on timing.

Napoleon Bonaparte won battles. Critics said it was because of luck. He responded, “I’d rather have lucky generals than good ones.”

Luck depends on timing and on hard work. Believe in the value of luck and you will find the harder you work, the more of it you will have.

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