Hi, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right YouTube channel. One of the main goals of every leader is to be successful. Success comes in many forms.
Completing a big project, helping an employee improve, hitting a budget target, meeting customer needs, or implementing a new procedure within the given parameters are all forms of success. There are also many other forms and definitions of success depending on your situation.
What Is The Definition of Success?
One important aspect of success is that success is in the eye of the beholder. What one person sees as failure may be a complete success for someone else. Likewise, the opposite may be true as well.
I’ve seen many cases where one person is successful in a specific way and that causes the next person to feel they have to have the same success in the same way to be as successful. Don’t trap yourself with this mindset. Your skills and abilities are different and unique to you. And, your situation is often different and unique as well. Therefore, you should not determine your success based on the successes of others. Since each situation is unique, Success is unique to each situation and circumstance.
Success Starts with Expectations
Success is dependent on expectations. When you reach your expectations you feel successful, but when you don’t, you feel disappointment.
So let’s consider expectations. Expectations must be set correctly. Sometimes we set our own expectations and sometimes others set them for us. Regardless of who sets them, to be successful they must be based on YOUR abilities, not the abilities of others. When expectations are set by others, do everything you can to manage those expectations so they are accurate.
It All Relates to Goals
Success and expectations all relate to goals. Our goals are created because we have specific desired outcomes, or expectations. If we reach that outcome we feel we are successful, but if we don’t, we feel we are unsuccessful.
For example, if someone sets the goal to be a millionaire, it is probably because they have the expectations that they won’t have to work as much, they can buy that fancy car, they will have more peace of mind, or there will be some other benefit. If they reach that goal, they feel successful. If they don’t reach their goal, however, they are disappointed because they didn’t meet their expectations.
My Experience with Goals, Expectations, and Success
Just like everyone else, I have always had expectations for myself and goals to be successful. During each phase of my life success looked different from previous times because the situations and circumstances were different.
I have also had goals and expectations set for me by others. Sometimes they were realistic and gave me a great deal of happiness, while other times they were frustrating.
What’s important is that we do everything we can to embrace our goals and expectations to make them a reality. I am a firm believer that no matter how hard the task, there is almost nothing that if you set your mind to it, you can’t accomplish if you work hard, have the appropriate resources, and give it your best shot.
The Story
When I was in grade school all the way through high school, I struggled with reading and was never the smartest student in my class. My grades were just average. As I got older, however, I realized my two biggest strengths. They were my work ethic and intense focus. I realized I didn’t have to be the smartest person, instead I could work hard to make my goals a reality.
When I started college, I set two goals for myself. The first was to earn a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA, and the second was to maintain straight A’s in all my classes to graduate with a high GPA.
High Expectations
Now these were high expectations because I barely got into college. And, if I got less than straight A’s, I would’ve felt disappointed.
To reach my expectations, I changed my behavior and daily activities. These goals required me to dedicate my life to school and do all I could to perform well. I couldn’t take my education lightly since I wanted to get straight A’s. I knew I had to give up time with my family and friends, but I felt these goals were worth my time and effort.
With that in mind, I began to work hard. One semester after another, I continued to make sacrifices. I also spent long nights at school at times.
Success
There were only a few times when I was working for my engineering degree and MBA that I didn’t quite reach my goal of getting an A. I was pretty disappointed those times, but I felt a great resolve to improve and do better.
Overall, I felt like I was very successful in college. My main two goals were to get straight A’s and finish both the mechanical engineering degree and MBA programs and after years of study, I completed both programs and had almost all A’s.
Wrap-up
In life, although we may not complete every goal, if we do everything we can to meet our expectations and be successful, we will much better off. There is a common saying to “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” In order to be successful, set big goals and properly align your expectations. By setting hard to reach goals, you may fail a time or two, but you will be much better off.
Conclusion
I’d like to finish off with a few viewer questions. What is your definition of success? Are you reaching your expectations and being successful? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Well, thanks for watching this video. If you enjoyed it and would like to watch more great videos just like it, please subscribe to the Leadership Done Right YouTube Channel and check out LeadershipDoneRight.com. Also, please like the video and share it with others! Until next time, go and be the best leader you can be!
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