Well, the massive failings of your average GM aside, I don't think you can apply the word "luck" to Jocketty. What he did yesterday was demonstrate his ability to do things other GMs can't/won't. It's what set him apart with the Cardinals and the Reds are counting on an encore performance in Cincinnati.
Kenny Williams was out there for years. To DanO's credit, he targeted the ChiSox back in 2005. Unfortunately, being DanO, he couldn't sell the deal inside his own organization.
Jr. spent years swinging between "he's got to go, but no one wants him" and "you can't trade him when he's doing well." Jocketty managed to deal him during an ebb, the thing that was supposedly impossible to do.
My sense of Jocketty is that he probably listens well. Other GMs try to push their agendas. Jocketty has the ability to discover what other teams are willing to do, not necessarily what they want to do, but what they will do when push comes to shove. I've got to believe that takes a good ear.
Krivsky's strength was his ability to get big returns from small moves. The Reds needed that (and to a degree they still do). Jocketty's strength has been his ability to do big things. That might be the exact type of GM you want to succeed Krivsky - Krivsky assembled some pieces, Jocketty now needs to deliver the finished product.