I ran across this tweet a while ago and it got me thinking.
“We need to change the definition of success, so young people take risks and build things.”
I agree with the author that we need people (not just young people) to take risks and build things. And I agree that we need to change the definition of success. Because success shouldn’t be defined by other people. You should define what success looks like for you.
For some people, success is making enough money that allows them the freedom to pay for the things they want. Another person may define success as having the flexibility to work whenever and whereever they want. Or someone might say success is working for a company that gives back to the community.
It’s not my place to tell someone how to define their own success. That being said, it would be my responsibility as a manager to understand my employee’s definition of success. It could be different than mine. Maybe my definition is flexibility and a member of my team defines it as money.
As a manager, if I don’t understand someone’s definition of success, how can I help them achieve it?
When people acknowledge the individuals who help them become successful, they’re saying that those people know their definition of success.
[Tweet “Who Defines Success? You Do!”]
Getting people to take risks and build things means letting people define their own success. It also means helping a person whose definition of success might not match your own.
Image courtesy of HR Bartender
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Myke Powers says
Spot on Sharlyn. I like how you think..& write
CJ says
As a young person trying to succeed based on society’s standards I have a hard time allowing myself to take those important risks. My biggest fear is failure and not being able to have the funds I need to provide for my future family. My definition of success is about making enough money to allow me to buy the things that my family and I need as well as want.