success Archive - This Moment Counts

Your definition of success

As the CEO, if you and one or more board members disagree on the definition of success, you need to have the hard conversations to reach alignment.

If you don’t, you’re going to have to constantly battle it out.

It will slow everything down and consume energy that’s better spent elsewhere.

It will confuse the team and have a toll on their confidence.

It may cause frustration as projects are shut down over disagreement but with unsatisfactory justification.

In other words, if you and (parts of) the board are not on the same path, figuring the path out becomes your prime concern.

If you shy away from that conversation, it will become your only concern.

Until it becomes the exit.

Have you had difficult conversation with the board?
How did you approach it?

—

PS: If you need support, reach out!

Success

How do you measure the success of your talk?

There were standing ovations?

There were no questions?
There were many questions?

Your boss liked it?
Your colleagues liked it?
Sam liked it?

You came through without a glitch?

You closed a deal?

A crowd gathered around you in the coffee break?

Someone praised you?
Someone got angry?

No-one pulled their smartphone out of their pocket?
Someone used their smartphone to take a photo of one of your slides?
Someone posted a photo of a slide on LinkedIn?

A year later, someone bumped into you recalling your core message?

You got an email from someone thanking you for how you changed their life?

—

What’s your measure for success?
How did your last talk measure up?

Wait, is this really it?

Some of us are happy. Some of us are successful.
Not all of us are both, happy and successful.
They don’t always come together.

For example, some of the most successful people ask themselves: “Wait, is this really it? Is this what success looks like? Is this really what I’ve been dreaming of achieving? Is this the reward for all of my hard work?”

Anyone looking from the outside would think they’re a successful person. And yet … somehow … for them … it doesn’t feel that way.

The worst part is when they can’t even put their finger on it. Something’s off. But what exactly?

Somehow, life and circumstances wrote their story. They’ve stumbled into this. As their ambitions rose, their responsibilities rose. As their team grew, the little fires everywhere grew. As their time got scarce, so too did their joy.

None of this they chose consciously. It somehow just happened. Life wrote their story. Not they themselves. In a way, they’ve become the victim of their own success.

That’s why, for them, it doesn’t feel like success. At least not in the way they dreamed of when they started.

If you’re looking for a more meaningful definition of success that brings you more joy, you might be interested in a free webinar I’m giving with my friend Shane Cradock. We’re going to explore where that mismatch comes from, how to find clarity on what really matters for you, and how to take action towards that.

The webinar will take place on June, 22nd and there are still a few seats available. So grab yours quickly: http://crowdcast.io/e/flipthescript/register

The surprising diversity of success

I’m lucky enough to count some of the most successful people among my friends and family.

One of them is running a hidden champion.

Another one is helping startups become unicorns.

Another one is spending most of her days in the garden, nurturing and enjoying the beauty of nature.

Yet another one is a teenager turning time with her friends into moments to keep.

Success is a strange concept as it can take on so many different shapes. I’ve met vastly successful people of all ages and at every income level. Each of them had their very own, rather distinct definition of success.

What they all have in common is the fact that they decided to grab the pen and become the author of their own story of success. They have taken over their inner script and they seek out the activities and environments that contribute to this story.

A master in that domain is my friend Shane Cradock from Ireland. He has taken control of his own inner script when he was in his twenties to overcome a heavy depression. Today, 20 years later, he’s helping ambitious leaders take control of their inner scripts.

Why would leaders need that? Because, well, it turns out that what looks successful from the outside doesn’t sometimes feel that way from the inside. I’m sure you’ve met quite a number of people who from the outside appear to have it all and yet from the inside feel like they are lacking enormously.

I’m pleased to announce that Shane and I are launching a new program dedicated to finding clarity about the story of your success, flipping the script towards a more meaningful story of success, and taking action towards it.

It’s called Flip the Script and on June, 22nd we’re discussing some of the concepts in a free webinar. Just click the link to learn more and register.

But before you do so, you might be interested in what Shane has to say about success. I’ve asked him three crucial questions:

1. What’s success, anyway?

Success is a funny word because it can mean very different things to people. I think success very much is determined by the person themselves or should be.

Without realising it, a certain definition of success is conditioned into us in terms of what we believe we need to achieve or have in order to be seen as successful.

For me, success is living an authentic life in line with my values and highest aspirations as a person. Success is being true to myself in all aspects of my life. Within that, for me, a key measure of success is my sense of aliveness, my sense of playfulness and lightheartedness.

I’ve worked with many people who are seen by society as incredibly successful but they are seeking my help because they feel stuck in a way. These are all people who climbed the ladder of success, got to the top and then didn’t like the view.

2. What’s holding people back from trusting in their own definition of success?

What’s hindering people I think is a lack of belief and possibility.

It’s too easy to fall victim to your limiting beliefs and maybe you have given up on creating ‘better’ for yourself in various areas of your work and life.

For many, there’s also the issue of how to explore what success really means and where to start. Key is understanding your inner world and how vital clarity in that space is.

3. Is there a small shift that anyone can easily make to find better balance in their life?

Yes, there are things you can do to create better balance in your life. You could start today by looking at your phone less. Deliberately spend less time in email, have a set time to start your work day and a clear time to end it. Be more consistent with exercise – in particular weight resistance training as it has an incredible impact on your wellbeing.

These are just some very practical things that make a difference but there are more significant shifts available to everyone if they’re willing to go deeper – deeper into exploring how to get the best from yourself.

That’s why I’m excited about doing this new program, Flip The Script, with you, Michael – to be able to work with people who are open and keen to explore a different approach.

Part of my work over 20 years has been helping people to identify the limiting stories they’re telling themselves and then help them to create new ones that are more empowering and full of possibility.

I’m very much looking forward to helping you find clarity about your own story of success. Reserve your seat for the Flip the Script program. Or join us in the free webinar.

Champions keep playing until they get it right

Both aspects here are crucial:

Champions keep playing. And they want to get it right.

They don’t quit. Not after the first failed attempt. And not after the 50th. They keep playing.

And.

They want to get it right. As opposed to being right. They tweak and adapt their technique until they get the result they are looking for. They keep playing until they understand how that move works, why the competition managed to win the pitch, why the team misunderstood the decision. They try new things and push the boundaries until they find something that works.

Over and over again.

Practice. Tweak. Repeat.

They won’t stop until they get it right.

If you do only one of those, it’s likely not going to work.

About coaches

There are two kinds of coaches. Those who give you answers and those who give you questions.

There’s a place for both but it’s likely that only one is a good match for you.

The one who has the answers tells you what to do to achieve your goals, the other one helps you figure this out for yourself.

In the first case you trust the coach to have the experience to know what’s best for you, in the second case the coach trusts you to have the ability to know what’s best for you.

In the former case the job of finding the right question is yours, in the latter case it’s the coach’s job.

It pays to become conscious about which one you need before hiring your coach.

(And if you’re a coach, it’s just as valuable to understand your approach in this regard.)

Interview: The principles of organisational excellence

What an inspiring story Kathy Letendre shared with me in the newest episode of the “Leaders Light the Path” podcast. In 2020, she decided to donate massive amounts of her time to enable healthcare organisations to make the leap from in-person to tele-health care. She literally spent every waking minute helping these organisations — pro bono — to face one of the biggest challenges that most of them have experienced in their lifetime.

There are really only a handful of people I know who are as passionate, competent, and at the same time generous as Kathy is.

So much to learn here about organisational excellence and what success really means in today’s world.

Join Kathy and me to learn more about her fascinating journey: https://michaelgerharz.com/the-principles-of-organisational-excellence

Benchmarking your speech

When you give a speech, how will you know it was a success?

When you get standing ovations?
When you close the deal?
When there are no questions after your speech?
When there are a lot of questions after your speech?
When you’ve made it through to the end?
When the CEO praises you?
When someone from the audience praises you?
When someone from the audience is angry at you?
When no one looked at their smartphone during the speech?
When someone tweeted a photo of a slide of yours?
When, a year later, you bump into someone who recalls your core message?
When, a year later, you receive an email of someone thanking you for how you changed their life?
When you get asked to speak again at the next occasion?

The benchmark you set for your speech influences your attitude towards your audience.

What’s your benchmark?

Posts in Tag: success

1. What’s success, anyway?

2. What’s holding people back from trusting in their own definition of success?

3. Is there a small shift that anyone can easily make to find better balance in their life?