Webster’s Online Dictionary gives us the basis to start our quest of understanding better how to define the elusive end goal of "success": [suhk-ses] - noun – 1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.. 2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like. 3. a performance or achievement that is marked by success, as by the attainment of honors: The play was an instant success. 4. a person or thing that has had success, as measured by attainment of goals, wealth, etc.: She was a great success on the talk show.
Do we truly believe personally that success is the attainment of
any one thing? Or is it a process that doesn't end until our ultimate demise?
Is it truly obtaining a specific goal?
Think about just for a moment all the successful entertainers out there that have died tragically: Elvis, Michael, Marilyn, etc. How about all the successful business leaders or politicians that wound up in jail or disenfranchised after long careers? Can you really count someone as being successful without first identifying what they are/were successful at in the first place? A successful politician like Richard Nixon for example…He became President of the United States, however ending his long impressive career in scandal.
Think about just for a moment all the successful entertainers out there that have died tragically: Elvis, Michael, Marilyn, etc. How about all the successful business leaders or politicians that wound up in jail or disenfranchised after long careers? Can you really count someone as being successful without first identifying what they are/were successful at in the first place? A successful politician like Richard Nixon for example…He became President of the United States, however ending his long impressive career in scandal.
Of course this doesn't
mean he was not a success at many things, however, can you really say that
history views him as a success story? Probably not. I bet dollars to doughnuts
that his “life goal” was indeed to become leader of the free world and to this
end, he succeeded. He became The President. Yet having a successful presidency,
well that is another matter.
The rule: Carefully define
what success means to you.
That is the most important thing. What I mean by carefully defining something is giving yourself a specific measurement and an end goal, so you can measure if you hit that goal. IE: I successfully finished that 5k in less than 30 minutes. SUCCESS! However to a seasoned runner that goal is far from what they were trying to achieve; like finishing first, or finishing in less than 15 minutes. But to a first time runner of 5k's, a 30 minute finish might be a huge accomplishment and indeed a successful completion of the race. So unless you achieve a goal that is universally defined as being successful (ie: a gold medal, a billion dollars, a Nobel peace prize), then the vast majority of us need to be aware that we should not try and compare our individual or organizations success with others. For example, what would you consider to be wealthy? $1 million in the bank? Donald Trump would beg to differ. How about having a 40 year career? Al Capone is an example of that going painfully wrong.
To some, to be a successful crook, you need to avoid capture for life, or depending on your point of view, maybe at least not end up in jail for life. Thus depending on where you are in your journey, there is a big difference between the two perspectives obviously. The fact is, there is a huge disparity between what we personally may define as success and what others define it to mean.
So truly it is imperative that if you are on a work, volunteer, or sports team, that everyone has the opportunity to voice what they think the end goal looks like, what success means to them and the team, and then define as a team how the group knows they have achieved it, and by when to achieve it. The leader of that group should have an eagle’s eye view of all the opportunities, barriers and possibilities the team has, and then should be able to lead the group in the general direction of success. However like the old adage goes, a racing team is only as good as its slowest runner. So if your team is not bought into your definition of success, the speed at which you are trying to accomplish it, and the direction you are heading, then success will be elusive.
The average tenure of a CEO is 5 years.
So does that mean if you achieve year 6, you are a success? To me, it was just to become a CEO in first place. I worked very hard to make that happen. Many times I achieved various high level director positions in various companies that answered directly to the CEO, but the elusive CEO/President /Executive Director Position was just ever so painfully out of reach. I spent 20 years working for others and waiting for my opportunity.
Success to me was to become a CEO. That was it. I was going to work as hard and as long as I needed to achieve that goal, and once it happened, I thought I would realize all my financial goals, and life would be great!
So when the chance came…. I JUMPED! And I got it. I was named President and CEO and I could not have been more proud. I did it. I met my goal, and boy did I deserve it.
I quickly determined though, I kinda’ didn't have much more of a goal after that. So after only 3 years as a CEO and Executive Director I found myself not being a CEO anymore. I failed to achieve even the average tenure. So using my own, and in retrospect, poorly refined definition of success at the time, I failed to achieve success in the end.
Just like ol’ Richard Nixon, my goal was a position, and although it was a long arduous process to get there, the goal itself lacked substance. Lance Armstrong was viewed as a success until it came out he cheated. He won 7 Championships after all. What else did he have to accomplish? And then it came all crashing down. His legacy tarnished forever. His goal was to win at all costs, and in the end, even though he is still very rich, and has done great things for cancer research, that lack of social responsibility and ethics turned out to cost him dearly. Nixon’s’ actions to win at all costs, to be successful no matter what, to achieve his goals, laws or not, also cost him dearly.
Need I mention OJ? Probably not, I think you get the idea.
Success should be a positive process; it’s a marathon; it’s a journey achieved by hitting mile marker after mile marker, and getting better and better as you learn from your mistakes and move along. Success to each and every one of us should be different. I was told by a cross country coach in high-school many years ago, don’t try and win the race, just try and pass up that fellow just in front of you. And during the race, don’t worry who is behind you; unless you find that there is no one else in front of you to pass.
Marco Tomat, Alpinum, LLP
That is the most important thing. What I mean by carefully defining something is giving yourself a specific measurement and an end goal, so you can measure if you hit that goal. IE: I successfully finished that 5k in less than 30 minutes. SUCCESS! However to a seasoned runner that goal is far from what they were trying to achieve; like finishing first, or finishing in less than 15 minutes. But to a first time runner of 5k's, a 30 minute finish might be a huge accomplishment and indeed a successful completion of the race. So unless you achieve a goal that is universally defined as being successful (ie: a gold medal, a billion dollars, a Nobel peace prize), then the vast majority of us need to be aware that we should not try and compare our individual or organizations success with others. For example, what would you consider to be wealthy? $1 million in the bank? Donald Trump would beg to differ. How about having a 40 year career? Al Capone is an example of that going painfully wrong.
To some, to be a successful crook, you need to avoid capture for life, or depending on your point of view, maybe at least not end up in jail for life. Thus depending on where you are in your journey, there is a big difference between the two perspectives obviously. The fact is, there is a huge disparity between what we personally may define as success and what others define it to mean.
So truly it is imperative that if you are on a work, volunteer, or sports team, that everyone has the opportunity to voice what they think the end goal looks like, what success means to them and the team, and then define as a team how the group knows they have achieved it, and by when to achieve it. The leader of that group should have an eagle’s eye view of all the opportunities, barriers and possibilities the team has, and then should be able to lead the group in the general direction of success. However like the old adage goes, a racing team is only as good as its slowest runner. So if your team is not bought into your definition of success, the speed at which you are trying to accomplish it, and the direction you are heading, then success will be elusive.
The average tenure of a CEO is 5 years.
So does that mean if you achieve year 6, you are a success? To me, it was just to become a CEO in first place. I worked very hard to make that happen. Many times I achieved various high level director positions in various companies that answered directly to the CEO, but the elusive CEO/President /Executive Director Position was just ever so painfully out of reach. I spent 20 years working for others and waiting for my opportunity.
Success to me was to become a CEO. That was it. I was going to work as hard and as long as I needed to achieve that goal, and once it happened, I thought I would realize all my financial goals, and life would be great!
So when the chance came…. I JUMPED! And I got it. I was named President and CEO and I could not have been more proud. I did it. I met my goal, and boy did I deserve it.
I quickly determined though, I kinda’ didn't have much more of a goal after that. So after only 3 years as a CEO and Executive Director I found myself not being a CEO anymore. I failed to achieve even the average tenure. So using my own, and in retrospect, poorly refined definition of success at the time, I failed to achieve success in the end.
Just like ol’ Richard Nixon, my goal was a position, and although it was a long arduous process to get there, the goal itself lacked substance. Lance Armstrong was viewed as a success until it came out he cheated. He won 7 Championships after all. What else did he have to accomplish? And then it came all crashing down. His legacy tarnished forever. His goal was to win at all costs, and in the end, even though he is still very rich, and has done great things for cancer research, that lack of social responsibility and ethics turned out to cost him dearly. Nixon’s’ actions to win at all costs, to be successful no matter what, to achieve his goals, laws or not, also cost him dearly.
Need I mention OJ? Probably not, I think you get the idea.
Success should be a positive process; it’s a marathon; it’s a journey achieved by hitting mile marker after mile marker, and getting better and better as you learn from your mistakes and move along. Success to each and every one of us should be different. I was told by a cross country coach in high-school many years ago, don’t try and win the race, just try and pass up that fellow just in front of you. And during the race, don’t worry who is behind you; unless you find that there is no one else in front of you to pass.
Marco Tomat, Alpinum, LLP
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