So often leaders evaluate a project or initiative based on whether it went as planned and whether they hit their goals. Even the best strategic planners will tell you that no plan is perfect. Rarely do we hit our goal exactly when and how it was strategized.
Unfortunately, this very rigid analysis can cause us to believe that we have failed in our attempts. However, if you consider that sometimes in spite of our best efforts there are other factors we cannot control, it might broaden our definition of success. COVID, supply chain disruptions, or inflation are examples of things beyond our control that we strive to navigate. These present huge obstacles which we cannot always overcome to the full achievement of our goals.
What is a leader to do? First, planning is essential in being prepared so when there is an unexpected challenge we know how to pivot. We have information and strategies that can be revised and updated. It is far easier to go to Plan B if we initially had a Plan A at the start.
Secondly, we can assist our teams in understanding the true nature of success. A leader once said that if you look back at a situation and can say that knowing what you did at the time, you would still have made that decision, that is the best you can do. We always have 20/20 vision afterwards. At the time we must make the best decision we can with what we know.
Finally, we must realize the value of the process. When we go through a difficult process, we learn more about how to overcome obstacles. We gain insight into how things might work or might not work in the future. We build new skills to navigate the next obstacle or change that is needed. No one wants to admit when things do not go as expected, but the reality is that it happens more often than not. We find that there were things not accounted for in the original plan, or certain assumptions were incorrect.
True success is defined by what we learn, the effort and innovation we brought to the process, and how that informs our next steps. Let’s redefine success and continue the journey!
