I enjoyed lunch with an old friend last week. It had been far too long since we last saw each other; our last meeting was in Algiers in the fall of 2017.
Our friendship was originally forged during a challenging assignment in the suburbs of London in early 2009. Coming out of the Great Recession, we managed a large portfolio of mortgages across Great Britain and Northern Ireland that had soured. Our goal was to help customers stay in their homes by paying what they could afford on their mortgages — not an easy feat.
During lunch, we caught up on many topics, but the most interesting to me was his career journey. Recently, he had transitioned from a deputy role under a CEO of a large Dubai-based company to a leadership role at a smaller, struggling subsidiary — the so-called "ugly stepchild" within the company's portfolio. He had just relocated his family to Houston — a huge move with two boys in high school.
He said, "I am so lucky!" I teased back, "Tell me more."
He explained that his former boss didn't like him. The boss wanted him sidelined, hoping to force him out of the company. Eventually, the boss succeeded, and my friend was sent off to the undesirable subsidiary.
This subsidiary had a massive inventory backlog, was hemorrhaging cash, and couldn't sell its products. The company was stuck, going nowhere fast.
Then, Putin invaded Ukraine.
Suddenly, this company, which provides products for energy security, was in high demand across Europe. Countries scrambling to secure energy resources turned to my friend's subsidiary, deploying their products across the continent. Sales surged, and the inventory problem was resolved.
As my friend wrapped up the story, he shrugged and smiled. "Problem solved."
While no one wishes for war, it happened. And that crisis forced European leaders to focus on their energy security, probably something they should have focused on long ago. My friend is now a "lucky duck."
Sometimes, it really is better to be lucky than good.