I work in a world of start-ups. We know the odds are against us. We understand how difficult the climb is. With our knowledge, we push ahead, believing in our vision and our ability to get there. When success comes, at any step, we celebrate!
As I watch the celebrations I wonder if those celebrating know why and how they achieved success. In sports there is no choice but to analyze. Without a blunt and candid analysis, there is no way of accurately knowing the formula and taking the actions required to repeat the process.
In business, accurate analysis is often secondary to celebrating and moving on. We fill the shoes of those in an old psalm; “We laughed, we sang, we couldn’t believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations – ‘God was wonderful to them!’” (Psalm 126.2).
My top three actions are the following.
Why? As exciting and energizing as it is to celebrate, while enjoying the moment, it is good to take the steps required to understand the why. Being lucky is fantastic, however there is an awareness that it is difficult to repeat. Achieving success because of the action of others is nothing to be ashamed of. One should remember that this kind of success always has strings.
Explore the connection between your success and the response of others. Rarely is success something achieved in a vacuum. Customers, partners, and collaborators are often integral to making the achievement what it was. Without clients, there is no revenue. Without partners and collaborators, the challenges would rest fully and completely on you. Understanding how everything came together opens the door to repeating the process.
Success always has a context. Unless one is retiring, the question of the next step sits waiting to be answered even as you wrestle with the invitation to celebrate! Ignoring the future is never a good response to success if one wants it to last.
With today’s sunrise, I hear a call to act on yesterday’s lessons. There is more mountains to climb and celebrations to be had.
