Last night I attended a unique event in Louisville called The Moth StorySLAM, a show that allows everyday people to go on stage and tell a 5-minute story to a live audience. The theme of last night’s show was hunger, and the folks who participated spun stories about being hungry for a number of things, including attention, recognition and of course, actual food.
This made me think about things that I’m personally hungry for, including success. For me, success involves having enjoyment in the work I do each and every day and working towards a future goal. As the Editor of Club Solutions, I’m lucky to say that those opportunities are presented to me each and every day.
But how do others define success? I asked a couple of my coworkers to share their thoughts. Our operations manager, Sarah Wallace, said, “Being happy, challenged and like I’m always working towards something.”
Heather Hartmann, one of our staff writers, said, “Personally, success to me is overcoming. Sometimes, you don’t meet your exact goals, but if you have tried your best and striven to excellence, success is there. To me, success is not money nor fame nor happiness; it is braving challenges and becoming a better person in the process. Success isn’t always tangible; however, it is always worth the obstacles to overcome.”
As you can see, definitions of success can vary greatly from person to person. That is why I implore you, as a leader in your organization, to think about how your definition of success differs from your employees’. If the definitions aren’t aligned, both your happiness and that of your employees may suffer.
Don’t know how your employees define success? Ask them, and then have an honest discussion about whether or not they feel they can achieve success within your company.
And feel free to share your definition of success in the comments.
Rachel Zabonick is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
