I have fallen into the trap of considering success in limited ways. At times, my sense of success was primarily tied to my career. What is the next job? How much am I earning? Am I meeting and exceeding expectations? That narrow perspective, in addition to being solely career-centric, was also self-centered. Over time I came to appreciate the need for and benefits of taking a more expansive view of my definition of success. Once I stopped looking narrowly, I realized that personal success was not limited to my job.
I found the positive feelings of success in other areas. I have always enjoyed activities that provided an opportunity to use my hands. Woodworking, cooking, and baking all brought a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. When the world was turned upside down in early 2020, I like many began baking bread – lots of bread. I have continued to bake regularly, and our local food pantry is the beneficiary of fresh loaves. Greater success, though, has come through an openness to try new approaches and making adjustments along the way. Those are two concepts that can be applied equally to work and hobbies.
How Does Your Approach Serve You?
This question might be crucial to getting unstuck. My clients often want more – whatever “more” means for them individually – and might have a blind spot around how their style or approach holds them back. This is really a two-part exercise. The first is an honest self-assessment which requires a measure of vulnerability. Am I connecting with co-workers? Where could I be more effective? The second part is to consider other approaches that help you get you closer to your goal. It will feel uncomfortable at first but experimenting with methods will build the muscles needed to use the right tool for the right situation.
Small Changes Will Keep You On-Target
Most New Year resolutions are forgotten within 21 days. The goals and changes are too big, too ambitious, and too radical to be sustained. Keep your overall goal in mind and regularly check to see if you are making progress. Track your efforts and make those small adjustments needed to course correct. Implement only one change at a time. Introducing multiple changes will not allow you to distinguish which had the actual impact. This is the idea of differentiating between causation and correlation.
In the arc of my baking these past two years, I continue to experiment with different flours and add-ins to see how they change flavor profile. I maintain a notebook with each different iteration and their results so I can make adjustments toward greater success. My success as a baker has also helped me be a better coach and mentor by keeping experimentation and calibration as keys to success.
Let me know about your hobbies or how I can help you get unstuck with a new approach. As always, you can reach me at MRiegel@AECBusinessStrategies.com.
Michael Riegel