"There is a divinity that shapes our ends..."

The complete denial of luck or coincidence in leadership success/failure seems misplaced

Luck and coincidence exist. It is wrong to imagine design when there is only adaptation and improvisation and to attribute every success to some deliberate plan.

A few readers have sought comment on luck in the success formula of a leader, an interesting and controversial subject. The title is of this article is derived from Hamlet. Conflicts were causing Hamlet to lose sleep when he uttered these words to Horatio. Thus he acknowledged that many things were out of his control and that god would determine destinies.  

When positive things happen, a leader or the sycophants attribute it to the leader’s foresight