Summary of the book "The Serendipity Mindset" - By Christian Busch

Key Insights in this book:

1. There are various types of serendipity, but they're all distinct from "blind" random chance because they include making "smart luck."
2. Usually, serendipity involves joining disparate pieces of information.
3. Letting rid of engrained biases is necessary in order to be attentive and aware of serendipity.
4. Companies with a serendipitous approach include RLabs, for instance.
5. Maintain your attention on a purposeful north star to keep you alert and motivated.
6. There are easy techniques to raise your odds of serendipity.
7. There are simple procedures for sowing the seeds of serendipity.
8. Serendipity can take years to develop, therefore patience is typically required.
9. Creating a safe environment for the blending of fresh ideas from many minds is essential to encouraging serendipity.

Why should I care? Learn how to create your own luck by changing the way you view the world.

You might believe that each day is essentially the same as the one before it. In actuality, though, we constantly witness the unexpected. To see it, all you need are the proper eyes and mindset.

This is a way of thinking that is founded on suggestions that you can put into practise right away in your life and at work. Every day, it's simple to put on blinders and proceed through your workweek automatically. But this is the mindset that makes it possible for so many of us to overlook the intriguing connections that are available every day. You'll discover that life is filled of serendipity once you start noticing these opportunities, and you'll never be the same.

You'll discover the three most typical sorts of serendipity in these insights, as well as how a volcano inspired a well-attended TED conference and how dirty potatoes inspired a ground-breaking new appliance.

Not to mention, Insight 10 contains a unique insight on serendipity in the COVID-19 era. Because serendipity is more crucial than ever, it was written by the author and covers material not found in the original book.

1. There are various types of serendipity, but they're all distinct from "blind" random chance because they include making "smart luck."

What precisely is serendipity? The term was first used by British author Horace Walpole in 1754 to describe a type of discovery that was found unexpectedly, accidentally, or as a result of a certain form of foresight known as sagacity.

This definition has mostly endured through the years. For our purposes, we'll consider serendipity to be a fortunate event that results from the collision of your actions and chance. As a result, serendipity differs from randomness or luck on its own.

The main takeaway is that there are various types of serendipity, but they're all distinct from "blind" chance of the draw since they all involve making "smart luck."

There are generally three sorts of serendipity:

Archimedes Serendipity comes first. This occurs when a solution to a certain problem that you are searching for does so in an unexpected manner. The term is derived from the tale of Archimedes' solution to the crown-related issue facing King Hiero. In order to build a crown, King Hiero employed a goldsmith and gave him a specific sum of gold. The crown was fashioned by the goldsmith and was exactly the same weight as the gold that King Hiero had been given, but he became uneasy. Imagine if it were a fake.

So Hiero asked the wise Archimedes to verify its veracity.

Archimedes contemplated it. He also visited the public baths when he was coming up with ideas. Here, chance intervened. In an instant, Archimedes realised how to test the crown after observing how the water levels rose when individuals dropped themselves into the baths.

Silver is less dense than gold. This implies that if two crowns made of pure silver and pure gold had the same weight, the silver crown would be larger. Additionally, a bigger crown would move more water than a smaller one. Thus, Hiero's crown would dispense more water than if it were pure gold, according to Archimedes' well-founded reasoning. That was all too simple!

Post-It Note Serendipity is the second kind of serendipity. This occurs when a problem that wasn't even being thought about at the time is suddenly solved. The Post-It note gave rise to the moniker. When seeking to create a new kind of strong adhesive, Dr. Spencer Silver, a researcher for 3M, came up with them. One effort was unsuccessful. It wasn't at all sticky. Silver was intrigued to learn more about the potential of this feeble adhesive, though. It eventually evolved into the ideal component for the Post-It Note.

Thunderbolt Serendipity comes last. As the name implies, this occurs when a solution just comes to you. You weren't investigating a specific issue or looking into a specific fix. You were simply going about your daily routine when an idea and an intriguing new possibility suddenly presented themselves.

Serendipity can occasionally be a mix or variety of these. However, they are not instances of pure luck. We'll see that cultivating serendipity is something you can do if you have the correct frame of mind.

2. Usually, serendipity involves joining disparate pieces of information.

It matters how we understand or recall serendipity. In fact, it has a significant impact on the probability of future serendipity.

For instance, even though serendipity is one of those lightning moments, we shouldn't think of it as a solitary occurrence. We should consider it as a process instead. Serendipity frequently comes about as a result of seeds that were sown weeks, months, or even years in advance. You must always contribute to it, whether it be by identifying a value that hasn't been noticed previously or coming to a new conclusion.

Here, the main point is: Usually, serendipity involves joining disparate pieces of information.

The discovery of penicillin is one of the most well-known instances of serendipity in history. You could be acquainted with some of the information: When Dr. Alexander Flemming visited the lab one day, he discovered that some of the petri dishes had unintentionally been left on a ledge, exposed.

He was shocked to discover that the plates had started to mould after he had been dealing with an infectious germ and that the bacteria had disappeared all around the mould. Now, other doctors would have just focused on the error of leaving the dishes unattended and then resumed their original task. In reality, previous researchers had already noted that mould may kill bacteria, but they didn't make the connection and further investigate this.

Flemming, however, was intrigued. He perceived an opening here. He was receptive to the possibilities and freely exchanged ideas with dependable coworkers. The serendipitous outcomes were largely due to this curiosity and openness.

In order to cultivate the appropriate attitude, it is important to be perceptive, interested, open-minded, and willing to discover opportunities where others might only see negative things. Additionally, you need to have an alert mindset and the ability to make connections between what you observe as unique and other things.

3. Letting rid of engrained biases is necessary in order to be attentive and aware of serendipity.

Do you ever catch yourself thinking with a "glass half empty" attitude? Even the best among us are susceptible to it. Biases and prejudices are actually part of human nature, but it doesn't make them useful in daily life. Having rigid, unyielding preconceptions can be a major barrier to serendipity.

Here, the main point is: Letting rid of engrained biases is necessary in order to be attentive and aware of serendipity.

The four biases the author has discovered that can prevent serendipity are as follows.

Underestimating the unexpected is the first. When someone has this mentality, they think that everything in life is uninteresting, routine, and expected.

The business world has seen a particularly high prevalence of this mindset. The traditional approach has typically prioritised stability and sticking with tried-and-true tactics. But it's become obvious that no matter how much you attempt to plan and prepare, the unexpected always happens given the quantity of data we now have access to and how quickly things are changing.

Following the majority is the second bias. Once more, having this inclination is entirely natural. It is secure and convenient to adhere to the views and practises that are popular. But this might quickly result in a self-censoring herd mentality that makes it difficult to profit from unforeseen developments.

The author is a business consultant, and one of his habits is to look for a busy area within an office where he can set up his laptop and listen in on conversations. It can be close to the water cooler or the break area. He has the opportunity to learn more about the company's culture through this. Does it encourage free thought or inhibit it?

He is aware that the environment is not conducive to creativity and serendipity if people are gathering and discussing how stupid it was for someone to get up and offer a new idea during a meeting.

Post-rationalism is the third bias that has been identified. We have a propensity to interpret an uncommon event into something predictable when we reflect on it, which is one of the main reasons why serendipity is contested. It's extremely human to do something like this, which is related to "hindsight bias." It's more relaxing to think of everything that occurs as a logical component of a continuous story rather than a collection of unrelated, chaotic events.

Functional fixedness comes last. This occurs when you acquire knowledge or talents, and using those methods becomes your exclusive preference. In other words, you want a single solution for every issue. Let's go on to the following insight for a nice illustration of this.

4. Companies with a serendipitous approach include RLabs, for instance.

The Western approach to assisting nations who are attempting to lift themselves out of poverty is an excellent illustration of the functional fixedness bias. There is just one method of operation for certain humanitarian groups, and that is the Western method. Therefore, if a nation lacks the "appropriate" resources, the organisation will give up and apologise for being unable to assist.

Thankfully, not all businesses have such rigid viewpoints. Consider RLabs, which stands for Reconstructed Living Labs and is a South African social enterprise. A group of independent thinkers is working to make communities in places like Iringa, Tanzania, better. They are doing this by spotting opportunities where others have only seen obstacles.

The main takeaway from this is that businesses with a serendipitous mindset, like RLabs, are excellent examples.

RLabs do not attempt to impose a predetermined method of operation on the communities they engage with. Instead, they find ways to make do with what is available, even if that includes drug traffickers and abandoned garages. Former drug traffickers are appreciated for their creativity and networking abilities, for instance, and such garages may become training facilities.

Within the communities they work in, the ability of the RLabs team to recognise unexpected value has a significant impact. Their strategies can encourage, liberate, and restore people's much-needed dignity. The impression given by some rigidly ideological Western groups is almost exactly the opposite.

In actuality, there are frequently numerous approaches to resolving issues or completing tasks. When it comes to banking, this has also become clear in Sub-Saharan Africa. For many years, global banks have struggled to establish themselves in most of Africa due to a lack of ATMs and the infrastructure for traditional walk-in bank branches.

But then MPesa, a mobile money transfer service, appeared, effectively handling several banking requirements from the ease of a cell phone. After only a few years of operation, it was the preferred service for millions of Kenyans. MPesa demonstrated that a bank can be effective without ATMs. Even though it now seems clear, successful organisations were unable to see this type of innovation due to their functional fixedness bias.

5. Maintain your attention on a purposeful north star to keep you alert and motivated.

What drives your daily motivation? Is it cash? Or are you trying to find something more profound?

You've probably read about or heard something about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Although this was created by the philosopher Abraham Maslow more than 50 years ago, it has had a lasting impact and continues to shape many of the social theories of the present.

Simply put, according to Maslow's hierarchy, fundamental needs like food and shelter are what initially drive humans. People are then motivated by sex and relationships once that is taken care of, and only later, after all of the lesser needs have been satisfied, do they start to think about more lofty things like existential fulfilment. Although it seems reasonable, this notion is currently being contested.

The crucial takeaway from this is to keep your eyes on a worthwhile north star in order to stay aware and motivated.

Young professionals frequently start out their careers focusing on significance rather than money these days. In actuality, this change isn't unique to young idealists; it's manifesting itself in people of all ages.

People prefer to be purpose-driven rather than money-driven for a good reason, says Danae Ringelmann, cofounder of the crowdfunding website Indiegogo, because it feels better and is ultimately more gratifying. She believes it might be exhausting to put your actual ideals on hold in order to attend to your day job. Hide your genuine self from nine to five every day requires effort. Being genuine, remaining true to oneself, and figuring out how to combine earning money with a purpose are the best options.

This is crucial for serendipity as well because a tired mind won't be motivated to notice the unusual and forge fruitful connections. Rather, it is the focused mind, which is one that is anchored to what the author refers to as a north star or guiding principle.

The ideal north star isn't anything you'll accomplish before you age 40; rather, it's some continuing purpose, interest, or curiosity that will keep you motivated forever. Helping individuals who are marginalised or disenfranchised can be all that is necessary.

Your serendipity will always have a purpose if you have your north star in place; you'll always know what to do. So you'll be ready to take advantage of the unexpected if it does happen.

6. There are easy techniques to raise your odds of serendipity.

You should now have a decent concept of the mental state that is most conducive to recognising and taking advantage of serendipity. So let's look at what we can do to increase its production in our life.

Although serendipity is meant to be random and unforeseen, it doesn't mean you can't boost the likelihood that it will occur frequently in your life.

The main takeaway from this is that there are straightforward techniques to raise your chances of serendipity.

Converging thoughts frequently result in serendipity. It's the unexpected epiphany that can happen when you combine disparate ideas, such as art and science in the instance of DaVinci or Steve Jobs. So it makes sense that increasing the number of ingredients or possible combinations would enhance the likelihood of serendipity.

Even though your high school grades were, to put it mildly, less than fantastic, let's imagine you're like the author and want to enrol in a reputable university. Nevertheless, you're eager to learn more, so you create a moving essay in which you describe your aspirations to one day alter the course of human history.

Simply submit your application to your top three schools with this essay attached. You could also increase your chances by submitting it to numerous colleges. You'll have a better chance of having your essay read by someone who can connect to your experience of struggling in high school but thriving in college if you cast a wider net.

In essence, you want to open up possibilities, and no matter what your current situation is, you can achieve this in a variety of ways. Many people have sent a mass email to everyone on their contact list or to complete strangers in the hopes of getting a lucky break. You might be shocked to learn how frequently this works.

Other times, it might be a chance encounter in an elevator or a Zoom conference, but in either case, you need to be sociable, willing to take chances, and optimistic to make small talk. There also needs to be patience. Sometimes it takes years before the business card you gave someone results in a case of serendipity that changes your life. However, as we'll see in the insights to follow, incidents like that do occur frequently.

7. There are simple procedures for sowing the seeds of serendipity.

Do you recall the 2010 Icelandic volcano eruption? Its ability to halt aviation traffic between Europe and the US is one of the reasons it is so memorable. Planes were grounded due to the amount of smoke and soot in the air, forcing many people to abruptly modify their plans.

Entrepreneur Nathanial Whittemore was one of them. Whittemore, though, made the most of this unexpected event while others clenched their fist at nature for delaying their plans. He rapidly put up the event that would become TEDxVolcano by contacting colleagues and contacts in his network, turning it into a fantastic serendipitous opportunity. This impromptu symposium on creative business featured a livestream that attracted thousands of viewers and brought together hundreds of specialists.

The main takeaway from this is that it's simple to lay the groundwork for serendipity to happen.

How did Whittemore transform an outburst of volcanic ash into serendipity? He knew the opportunity existed, was well-prepared, and made the most of the resources at his disposal.

First of all, Whittemore belonged to a vibrant neighbourhood. In reality, his motivation for travelling in the first place was to be part of the Skoll World Forum, an annual event for social entrepreneurs. He participated actively on Sandbox, a social network that the author co-founded with the goal of fostering inspiring partnerships and, indeed, raising the possibility for serendipitous creativity. He also knew the folks in charge of the TEDx events, which was undoubtedly helpful.

Whittemore, in other words, had a solid, broad network of contacts. Although a small network is sufficient for this type, it must be frequently maintained. Casual relationships can be made at conferences and on the internet, but in order to keep important connections alive, they must be periodically maintained through emails, phone calls, or other means of communication.

In contrast to social media platforms where anybody may join, one benefit of carefully curated social platforms like Sandbox is that the connections have a certain level of assurance that makes them naturally stronger.

Twitter, for example, is a popular social networking site that you may still use to share information about your interests and make unforeseen accidental connections. You never know when someone else might read one of your postings and respond with a lightning-bolt idea that could alter your course in life. In fact, we'll examine one of these examples in the following insight.

8. Serendipity can take years to develop, therefore patience is typically required.

Another element of the serendipity mindset is grit, or tenacity. Rejection, botched endeavours, and close calls are frequent obstacles on the path to serendipity. Many business owners will admit that it took them a long time and numerous rejections before they found an idea that investors liked.

You must be tenacious. Not only that, but it frequently takes time for your mind to make those crucial connections in order for the perfect possibilities to reveal themselves.

The main takeaway is that patience is frequently needed because serendipity frequently takes time to develop.

Serendipity can be facilitated by having a wide range of interesting people nearby, but it also requires persistence and patience.

The tale of Daniel Spencer serves as a good illustration of this. Spencer worked well at Apple, but his true love was always photography. He eventually parted ways with Apple to focus exclusively on photography, opening a business called Turn and Shoot Photography in the process.

Spencer started out by taking classic, excellent headshots and portraits. But because he was in the correct frame of mind for serendipity, he was always alert and on the lookout for odd indicators that might or might not be related. For instance, he observed a trend of revolving images that offered a 360-degree view of objects like a brand-new pair of shoes or video game characters on television and online.

A thought came to him: spinning headshots. He understood that casting directors frequently asked performers to turn in certain directions throughout the audition process because he had a lot of experience taking actor headshots. Nevertheless, he entertained the intriguing concept of producing rotating, 360-degree headshots for performers for a number of months. He shared a common fear with many of us: what if he took a risk and it didn't work?

Then he came upon a Facebook advertisement for a giveaway of a sizable, robust turntable that could rotate a standing human. How many to one? He entered and he won. All the parts were falling into place. He approached a casting agency that agreed to include him on their website and started testing his headshots on friends.

The most amazing aspect was possibly the fact that his company was known as Turn and Shoot from the start. It seems to be fated to be.

9. Creating a safe environment for the blending of fresh ideas from many minds is essential to encouraging serendipity.

Let's imagine that you run your own business and want to encourage as much serendipity as you can. You're not alone, after all. Many companies are increasingly doing precisely that. They know that things are changing fast these days and counting on stability and consistency just doesn’t make sense anymore.

What kinds of structures and cultures are reasonable, then?

Here, the main point is: Creating a safe environment for the blending of fresh ideas from many minds is essential to encouraging serendipity.

Simply said, you don't want to work for a company where employees are made fun of for having innovative or ambitious ideas. You want to establish a safe environment where people can express themselves freely as well as feel free to try new things and fail without worrying about getting in trouble or losing their employment.

This kind of environment frequently requires top-down inspiration. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the leaders to convey to everyone that the organisation requires their input in order to prosper. The free exchange of ideas is necessary for serendipity to take place.

Many businesses are also eschewing the typical hierarchical structure in an effort to empower staff and encourage them to feel confident making decisions on their own. This is also a smart step for encouraging serendipity because there are occasions when you have to act quickly to take advantage of fleeting opportunities.

Businesses are also tearing down the divisions between departments that once existed, and perhaps no organisation provides a better illustration of this than the animation studio Pixar. Understanding that blending varied ideas is crucial to innovation, the studio was purposely structured to maximise cross-pollination between the three main divisions — animators, executives, and computer scientists. Built around a central atrium, it forces these three departments to mix and mingle every day.

It's crucial to make sure your staff can communicate and give feedback. But it's equally crucial to pay attention to customer feedback. One of the more odd fortuitous creations at a Chinese consumer appliance manufacturer was inspired by user input. It found that many customers were washing potatoes in its dishwashers before complaining about the issues the dirt buildup this resulted in. But instead of warning people to avoid this behaviour, the thought occurred to someone: why not create an automatic vegetable cleaner?

Don’t dismiss input, even if it’s bad. With the serendipity mindset, issues, grievances, failures, and even erupting volcanoes can serve as catalysts for the most amazing and inventive results.

Approaching COVID-19 uncertainty with a mindset of serendipity.

2020 has been a rough year so far. Physical remoteness has robbed us of the many opportunities for serendipity that emerge from in-person contact. Many of the typical starting points of serendipity — like randomly running into someone in the corridor, or the iconic “watercooler moments” – are happening less frequently.

However, there are still many things you can do to encourage serendipity, which is essential in uncertain situations. After all, many solutions, ideas, and opportunities tend to emerge from unexpected sources during difficult times.

The main takeaway from this insight is that nurturing serendipity is an active strategy for dealing with uncertainty in a world that is changing quickly.

What can you do, then, to encourage serendipity in these odd times? Here are a few easy methods you can use.

Setting serendipity hooks will be the first step. Creating hooks is all about providing people with potential connecting points. And to do this, you might alter the way you speak and ask questions, particularly when using Zoom.

For instance, you can provide them with a variety of potential "touchpoints" when someone asks you during a Zoom call or virtual conference what you do. In response, you could say something like, "I've been working on x, recently become interested in y, and just started investigating z." This presents opportunities for "oh, what a coincidence, I was just looking into xyz!" moments.

Let's move on to putting bets, or creating opportunities for serendipity. seeking a new position or an internship? Your range of potential opportunities or solutions is limited if you concentrate on obtaining a specific job or carrying out a specific task. Instead, the magic happens when you consider every opportunity that might be out there for someone with your skill set and are receptive to any unexpected ones that someone might inform you of. Working on the side with someone you respect is a terrific approach to get started in this. This is an effective approach to get on their radar and to "be there" when a job opportunity unexpectedly arises.

Now let's talk about planting serendipity triggers. Finding the people you admire the most whose contact information is publicly available via InMail on LinkedIn, homepages, etc., is one of the finest methods to go about doing this. Send these people an open letter describing how they have influenced your life so far and how you would like them to participate in your journey. People frequently respond if you do this a few times in an open and non-pitchy manner. Some of them may "coincidentally" be working on topics that relate to your knowledge, projects, or skill set.

Finally, it's important to think long term. We can't plan everything, least of all our careers, as demonstrated by COVID-19 and the ensuing economic unrest. But in ten years, what will really matter? 'Bad luck' frequently depends on where we end the narrative. For instance, we must consider the big picture if a job doesn't work out. We should make an effort to reframe the circumstance as a chance for improvement, introspection, transformation, and the growth of resilience.

Because, over time, our growth and serendipity are found in the interval between stimulus and response.

Final thoughts

These insights are primarily conveying optimism. Open-mindedness. Curiosity. Perseverance. Adaptability. The serendipitous mindset has some of these fundamental characteristics. With this attitude, you may look for and welcome the unexpected and take advantage of these peculiar times to forge intriguing new connections. When you adopt this mindset, you'll start to see that every day is full with surprises and opportunities to generate fresh, fortuitous concepts and inventions. The same is true for commercial enterprises. You may start to create the conditions for more creativity and fortunate events to occur by making a few little changes to the culture and surroundings.

Practical suggestions:

A Serendipity Journal should be kept.

Making a serendipity notebook can help you think back on unexpected occurrences, how you responded to them, and what you might do better in the future. It enables you to consider how to see each interaction, whether online or in person, as a potential setting for serendipity.

Make room for creativity.

You can think back on your regular everyday activities, particularly meetings. Which meetings are actually required? Do they actually require the time allotted to them? Can you reorganise things if you have control over them to make room for creativity?

Learn about the key multipliers.

Have you ever mapped out your network? With pen and paper you can create a visual that can reveal the people in your social circles who are most connected. It may be worth your time to strengthen your own connection with these people.

However, it goes beyond the individuals on your contact list. Mailmen, teachers, rabbis, yoga instructors, bartenders, and hairdressers frequently have the most social capital in your neighbourhood. When was the last time you introduced yourself to and started a conversation with these well-connected people? Inform them of your plans because there's a chance they know someone else who could hold the key to your next happy accident.