Bookmark This! The Success Edition
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
I believe as a general rule, people want to find themselves in whatever their version of success looks like. I also believe that defining what success looks like can be really hard. Maybe one of the reasons that we’re reluctant to define success is because if we do and then we don’t achieve it…well, that’s often called failure. And we’ve attached a negative connotation to failure.
I think it’s time to do a little reality check where success is concerned.
Success is a fluid concept. We are allowed to establish what success looks like and then change it. We can change it as many times as we want. Granted, if you change it too much, how will you ever know what you’re striving for? But you get my point. Success is not a plan once and we’re done activity.
It’s also important to realize that the external world – for which we have no control – often messes with our success plans. Those moments are good opportunities for us to reflect on where we are and if we’d like to continue the plan. That’s not failure. That’s called being practical. We can always revisit our plans at another time – if we want to.
I ran across a few articles about success that I thought might be helpful right now. Both organizations and individuals are making plans. They’re revisiting what success looks like. And that’s a good thing.
Employees Become Successful When They Know What Success Looks Like
Performance is important. Organizations want employees to perform at a high level. Managers want that too. And guess what, employees also want it so they can succeed in their roles. We need to give managers and employees the tools to identify and talk about successful performance.
Use Your Job Failures to Achieve Career Success
If you’re searching for a job, are you regularly asking yourself, “What did I do well during that interview?” and “What should I consider doing differently next time?” Don’t assume that if you got the job you did all the right things. Conversely, don’t assume if you didn’t get the job that you blew it.
Celebrate Your Successes Through Micro Victories
Micro-victories or micro-celebrations are a great way for individuals, teams, and organizations to recognize their successes, stay focused on the big picture, and keep motivation at a high level. Because all those little steps will be what creates the “next BIG thing” in the organization.
Celebrate Your Organizational Successes
Give employees, managers, and the company’s HR department a way to enjoy their successes. It allows everyone in the organization to see that the company is accomplishing their goals (even if they weren’t directly involved in them). It shows everyone in the company that when you do good work, the team gets to celebrate.
Whether it’s at an organizational or individual level, now is a perfect time to establish your plans for success. Decide what’s important and put action steps in place to get there. But don’t forget to celebrate along the way. And if you need to review and reset, do it. Just be sure to take a moment to reflect and understand the reason. That will help you with future successes.
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