Opportunity often comes suddenly. Great ideas sometimes come from an unexpected place.  And every once in a long while breakthroughs emerge in a manner that makes you think, “Why did I never think about that before?”

These things can’t be forced, but good leaders know to recognize – and act – on them quickly.

Here are three examples:

#1. The Post-it ® note story

Spencer Silver, a researcher at 3M in the early 1970’s, was working to develop a strong, lightweight adhesive. He failed. His work remained on the shelf, never reaching the market.

A few years later, Arthur Fry, another 3M researcher, became frustrated that the markers he placed in his church hymnal to keep track of each Sunday’s selections kept falling out.

Then he remembered Silver’s “failed” adhesive.

Fry coated his markers with the stuff and, well, you can guess the rest. Post-it Notes® hit the market in 1980 and became an office staple.

#2. Tight end in motion

The great Forty-Niner Coach Bill Walsh tells his own “Post-it story” in his book ‘The Score Takes Care of Itself.’

It happened when Walsh was an assistant coach with the Cincinnati Bengals, in a game against the Oakland Raiders. Bob Trumpy, the Bengals tight end, mistakenly lined up on the left side of the line of scrimmage. Trumpy realized his mistake and went in motion to the right side before the ball was snapped. All hell broke loose in the Raider defense. The tight end had never gone in motion in the NFL. Three of the Raiders actually collided in the middle of the field trying to adjust to this move.

Soon every team in the NFL started putting the tight end in motion.

#3. The triplicate file

My own Post-it story came early in my career. My assistant John Thompson (yes, that John Thompson) was just out of college. He had no experience in real estate. He also did not have what we referred to in those days as a “Brag Book,” a book filled with client testimonials and listings you had sold that you brought with you to listing or buyer presentations.

So John, lacking a Brag Book, took along a triplicate file  – one of those nice looking file folders lawyers use. He would fill it with the contract and other forms used in a transaction. Although he was very inexperienced I observed sellers’ reaction to John improved simply by virtue of this rather impressive looking prop. Soon, I started inserting the triplicate file into my presentations and it was one of the biggest factors in me closing 50+ transactions in a single year.

Brian Crane, our Los Gatos Manager, refers to this as an “X Factor,” that small thing that makes a big difference.

What is your Post-it® story?

I suspect you have your own version – that moment when something that profoundly changed your life or business came unexpectedly.

Email me with your story and I may share it in future installments of this newsletter.