There is a story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields.
One day, the horse escaped into the hills. When the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills. This time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”
Then when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this was very bad luck. The farmer’s reaction: “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg, they let him off.
Was that Good luck or Bad luck? Who knows!
Great leaders understand that even though they have all that it takes to be a top-notch leader, they don’t have all the answers.
A leader who always knows the way usually shows the way—but when they don’t know, they allow themselves permission to face the times of “Who knows?”
Who knows? Remain calm. Great leaders stay calm and refuse to become agitated when things seem to fall apart. They trust in their abilities to pull them through.
Who knows? Trust your abilities. Great leaders have handled crises before, and they have the inner assurance that their capabilities and abilities will pull them through again.
Who knows? Take action. Great leaders don’t become paralyzed by events that don’t turn out exactly as imagined. They make plans and they take specific action to move forward.
Who knows? Invite acceptance. Great leaders accept the idea that in chaos there is order, and that sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got, accept what happens, and move on.
Who knows? Don’t compromise. Great leaders don’t compromise on their integrity. They know that to compromise is to go a little below what they know it is right. When they put integrity first they know they can keep respect.
Who knows? Foster agility. Great leaders know how to respond to change with flexibility and not rigidity. Change and adversity are inevitable; those who are busy worrying about the past or distracted by the present are most certain to miss out on the future.
When it appears there are more questions than answers, more trouble than solutions, more failures than successes, more bad then good, to lead with greatness is to sometimes say, “Who knows!”
Lead From Within: When everything seems to be bad luck– it may just be good luck in disguise— and when not everything has an answer, and not everything can be figured out—that is when true leadership emerges.
© 2014 Lolly Daskal. All rights reserved.
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.
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35 Responses
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to “Good Luck or Bad Luck? Who Knows!”
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June 24, 2014
[…] Daskal shared and asked, “Good Luck or Bad Luck? Who knows!” There are important reminders here to: remain calm; trust your abilities; take action; […]
Panteli Tritchew
17. Jun, 2014
“Remain calm. Trust your abilities. Take action. Invite acceptance. Don’t compromise. Foster agility.” Wise words, Lolly.
When we invite and accept Good Luck vs Bad Luck thinking into our lives, we validate and project Win/Lose dramatics as well.
Life (and work) become battles to be won, rather than journeys to be taken. When we “allow [ourselves] permission to face the times of “Who knows?,” that is our first step towards acceptance, of the situation, and of ourselves.
As leaders, we can choose to drive grimly forward, fighting our way through life, aiming for exploits within endless win/lose dramas, or engage our encounters with open minds and tranquil hearts.
Win/lose dramas do have their place, however- the NBA, the NHL, and the World Cup! Great day to you!
Amy Byer Shainman
17. Jun, 2014
My Dad always says…”Blessing in Disguise”.
Really love this post! Thank you Lolly.
lollydaskal
17. Jun, 2014
Amy you have a very smart dad!
Thanks for sharing
Lolly
Diana
18. Jun, 2014
What a great post and the way you have written this is beautiful and clear. Even for me, a Dutch girl. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Kelli
18. Jun, 2014
Hey Lolly
I love that story and have heard it before. It is interesting how something that seems bad can turn into something good and lead you down a better path. It is so hard not to apply judgment to a situation and just let things unfold. One of the ‘worst’ things that ever happened to me ended up one of the best because it helped me get on my true path, increase my income dramatically and all that good stuff. am getting better at taking everything that happens on my journey in stride, and trusting things will unfold as they should, while taking any actions that will be beneficial.
LaRae Quy
18. Jun, 2014
You made great points, Lolly.
Strong minds are flexible and agile so they can cope with the unexpected in life and business.
It all comes down to our attitude, and if we cultivate an attitude of curiosity and innovation, we can find ways of landing on our feet…even when confronted with the unknown.
sridhar laxman
18. Jun, 2014
Lolly
Another insightful post
Thank you
Reminded me of this quote
‘ Go and wake up your luck’
~ Persian Saying
: )
Ryan Biddulph
18. Jun, 2014
Lolly, excellent! See an opportunity instead of good, or bad, luck, and you’ll grow through them quickly. Thanks!
Garren
18. Jun, 2014
Excellent Lolly…thank you.
I was reminded of Shakespeare.
“There is neither good nor bad but
thinking makes it so”.
I like LaRue’s comment too…cultivating an
attitude of curiosity and innovation.
thanks again…
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Jonathan Boston
20. Jun, 2014
Inspiring post Lolly. The rational mind of a true leader remains calm through the most difficult storms.
I’ve developed a pattern of beginning each day at 5 am with a challenging aerobic workout which always keeps me level headed throughout the day, equipped to handle any adversity that may emerge. Success has a way of always showing up when you lead with a confident, consistent presence.
Daymond
20. Jun, 2014
Attitude it´s what make a bad luck into an opportunitty, and good luck into an awesome opportunity when bad luck comes, who knows?.
There will always be strange circumstances that we can not foresee, but simply not rush to judge whether or not we have a bad fortune, we can overcome the challenges.
abhay gupta
21. Jun, 2014
Lovely Lolly ! In our country we believe in things like : reincarnation
victory of good over evil is assured
what ever happens happens for the best
no matter how long and dark the night is, eventually the sun will rise…
etc etc….
We also believe in destiny – karma and The Bhagwad Geeta which preaches us to keep doing our designated tasks with out worrying about the results. You will eventually receive what you deserve.
Best / abhay
Joe Thomas
23. Jun, 2014
Great article, Lolly!
Every leader should understand the difference between “giving up” and accepting circumstances for what they are; bumps along the road.
I read a great quote that says, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you’re looking at change”.
Dan
23. Jun, 2014
Somewhere I learned the phrase “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity” This article supports that saying.
David
23. Jun, 2014
I completely agree, follow the path you are on to the best of your ability.Make the most of every day!”Good and Bad Luck Who Knows” is a very true and thought provoking statement,our perception is our reality, some times we need to allow ourselfs to travel the path of least resistance.
However try not to confuse oneself by taking the easy way, there is a big differance between the path of least resistance and the easy way.
Thank you all for your thought provoking comments!
David
23. Jun, 2014
Started taking horseback riding lessons not too long ago. The horse spooked one day and I asked the instructor, what spooked him? She responded, who knows… stay calm and just keep riding!
wil jaski
23. Jun, 2014
Give luck a chance…
A friend of mine always parked his car outside the city center because it is very hard to find a parking space in the busy center. I always try to park as close as possible to my destination (even in the city center). Somehow I often find a space right in front of the door! If you don’t try, you’ll never know if you’re lucky….
Felix
23. Jun, 2014
Outstanding article…but I wish you would have included that great leaders control their ego and consult with subordinates. Also please note that your most important comment in this article is that great leaders do not compromise their integrity. The latter, which often times is done in the name of “political correcteness” by those who lack courage is what is causing the loss of focus on the target, mediocrity and the lack of INTEGRITY itself……
Just LA
24. Jun, 2014
this past year has been a real year of good/bad and who knows. the project from hell, two broken arms and 3 months offf work living away from home, a failed relationship staff shortages and a broken leg. In each one, there was good and bad, but the good truely outweighed the bad. A successful project that has won 3 awards, 3 months living with my sister and her family, playing with my grand neice and my dogs, a relationship that i didn’t have the courage to leave and the chance to work on my upper body strength using crutches. (OK, that one is a stretch!) Sometimes you just have to wait to see the ultimate outcome.
Anthony Giambrone
25. Jun, 2014
1st time reader . Enjoyed article, hope to follow you now that I have found your site.
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10. Jul, 2014
Lovely Lolly ! In our country we believe in things like : reincarnation, victory of good over evil is assured.
Bob Duggan Business
18. Jul, 2014
Hmm it looks like your blog ate myy fiirst comment (it wwas extremely long) so
I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still
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I’d genuinely appreciate it.
Rick Corbett
22. Jul, 2014
Lolly, great post. Those are signs of truly great leaders.
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sumeet
27. Aug, 2014
Leadership cannot be learned!
Its like a horse,
If a leader have not a good heart then it will escape from them.
And
If a leader have a very good heart then it will stay with them
Forever!
Ace-Nectar
13. Dec, 2014
Honesty Integrity Tenacity: Hallmarks for Humans. Thank you for the “Horse Story”, Ms Daskal.
Louei Ali
12. Apr, 2015
Excellent post Lolly. I really enjoyed it, benefited, and shared. It is one of those posts that you read multiple times and it gets better every time.
DorseyTFrier
03. Jun, 2015
This is the right website for anyone who would like to find out
about this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not
that I really would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a
topic which has been discussed for ages. Excellent stuff, just
great!
pokoknya
16. Jan, 2017
Somewhere I learned the phrase “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity” This article supports that saying.
Aaron Munetsi
03. Mar, 2017
Excellent advice Lolly, you have summarised what leadership I’d in very simplend yet very vivid terms. I was reflecting on my past behaviour in similar situations and I could see in my mind’s eye how I could have taken control my acknowledging in simple terms…Who knows! Thank you Lolly for sharing this wisdom of leadership. My Dad used to advise us to “Do your bedt”. Another way of saying “Who knows”!
jual rumput sintetis
25. Apr, 2017
Lovely Lolly ! In our country we believe in things like : reincarnation, victory of good over evil is assured. Nice
Zonasedap
02. Nov, 2017
Information that greatly adds insight to me, an interesting discussion.
Jason
13. Mar, 2018
I’ve experienced the “Good Luck” disguised and buried in what seemed like a “Bad Luck” turn of events! The “Who Knows” ended up being an employment opportunity in which I found myself working a job that I love and earning more money than I ever could’ve expected! We should always move forward, even though it may seem impossible! Take what happens to you, learn from it and Always go forward and never step back!