Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/571090
August 31 - September 21, 2015 14 Working World l WorkingWorld.com FEATURE ARTICLE by Nathan Jamail S uccess can be defined in a number of ways. If you look up the definition you will find several that you may agree with; the accomplishment of one's goals, the attainment of wealth, position, honors or achieving your goals. All of these definitions are correct— and none of them are. When it comes to success, there isn't a set in stone definition because of two reasons: • It depends on whom you ask • It is ever changing In order to 'obtain' success, you need to know what success looks like for you. Without having your personal definition of success, how do you know what to shoot for? When you fail to clearly define success, all goals and activities remain fuzzy and unclear—making them more difficult and in some cases impossible to achieve. John Langcuster, a Vice President with a Fortune 500 insurance company who leads hundreds of people in daily operations, feels that "Success is achieved by having a great leader. One who knows how to recruit, practice on a regular basis, execute and most importantly achieve results. Both the leader and team rely on a "teamwork" approach with a very strong belief system that a goal can be achieved. Also, consistent behavior breeds success." Ken Smith, Vice President with Georgia Pacific, states that "Success in the professional world is when you build a winning culture. Without having the right culture, strategies break down or lose every time. As I once heard, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." If the question, "What does success look like?" were posed to you, right now, what would your answer be? Would it look like a cookie-cutter definition from a dictionary? Would it look similar to these successful executives? What factors contribute to your answer? Work? Family? Personal? All of the above? One way to look at success is to wake up in the morning feeling inspired and excited and to go to bed feeling content and grateful. Your definition of success might not change daily, but the sense of achieving success can change as fast as the weather in Texas. A bad day, a good morning or a great phone call can take you from one side of success to the other. With that being said, much like happiness, success is a state of mind more than a destination. It may look different for many people and may differ in achievement based on personal or business definition, but to achieve your desired success there are 3 key principals that you must implement. 1. CULTURAL LAWS Like Ken Smith says, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." A person must have cultural or personal laws that support their goals. The word law is important because we must view all behaviors and beliefs that contradict our definition of success as breaking the law. The greatest enemy of achieving success is allowing those that don't agree or support that belief to break the cultural laws. Many times these What Success Looks Like A State of Mind vs. a Destination In order to 'obtain' success, you need to know what success looks like for you. Without having your personal definition of success, how do you know what to shoot for?