How do you Define Success?

I was recently leading a workshop of 20 leaders on Turning Your Vision into Goals and I asked the participants how they define success. Somewhat surprising, after an extensive brainstorm, money and material possessions didn’t make the list. Why is that? I consulted several dictionaries for the definition of success, among them Merriam-Webster and here’s what they had to say: “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals or the attainment of wealth, favor, eminence, etc.” According to these definitions, not only is success a measure of one’s accomplishments but it’s also a measure of wealth. But for this group of leaders; success was measured by the intangibles.

In our brainstorming it became evident that it was a trilogy of things that defined success. And without these elements the participants simply wouldn’t feel successful.

Having influence. The participants want to be viewed as confident and credible. They want others to seek their counsel based on their talent, expertise and insight. This enables them to influence an outcome in a positive manner.

Making a difference and having an impact. The participants voiced their interest in making their mark. They want to touch something and walk away knowing they added value. They want to know they left things better than they were before.

Being fulfilled. Doing something that’s rewarding is important. These leaders are all goal-oriented. Gaining a sense of accomplishment by achieving what they set out to do, and feeling good about it, is vital. Without feeling fulfilled, it’s simply not success.

The late Alan Watts, philosopher and writer said it best in his video What If Money Was No Object. “If you say getting the money is the most important thing you will spend your life completely wasting your time. You’ll be doing things you don’t like doing, in order to go on living. That is, to go on doing things you don’t like doing.” He advises, forget the money. If you really like what you do you can become a master at it and earn a good fee as a result.

This group of leaders felt the same way. They looked at material possessions as the reward for the fruits of their labor but not success itself. To quote one participant, “I would love to live in that multi-million dollar house and drive a Ferrari. I wouldn’t turn it down but that’s not all that life has to offer.” This is not to say financial security isn’t important. It is. And each of these leaders wants to be compensated for the work they do but the difference is the trilogy of elements must also be present to feel successful.

And it was unanimous in our discussion. Success doesn’t have to be something big; but rather it’s the small things we do every day. By having an impact, in our day-to-day lives, we feel fulfilled and we demonstrate our influence in everything we do.

How do you define success?

Sage Alliance, a Leadership Performance Company, provides coaching, teambuilding and assessments, workshops and speaking on topics including; leadership development, empowering teams, communications, lasting impressions, personal branding and building a coaching culture for executives and high-potentials – for both team and individual leaders.

Contact us today to discover how your organization can get the most through improved productivity, efficiency and direct impact to your bottom line, while leaders gain powerful insight, crystallize opportunities for growth and fine tune their strengths, enabling them to make the greatest impact. You can contact Shelley Hammell directly at shammell@thesagealliance.com.