Success

One Thing

Life is less complicated when there is one key to success or one thing that causes a negative result. We can focus on the one thing and either amplify or suppress its consequence. But rarely does one thing take the headline and all the influence on results. For example, if we can prevent lightning from striking forests, then all wildland fires would cease. If all planes had parachutes, there would never be another aviation disaster. If all athletes were tested daily, then no one would be seduced to take performance-enhancing drugs. If all roads were one-way, head-on vehicle accidents would cease to exist.

All these statements feel suitable at first read, but reality is more complex. Nature and human behavior have demonstrated that evolution and adaptation happen, and new events take their place.

Are you focusing on one thing that will guarantee success or avoid disaster? If so, are you sure that one thing is everything?

Archeology

If we participate in archeology, gaining a spotlight for our work is formidable. We are as remarkable as the people/objects/history that preceded us and occupied the space where we excavate. If we find something never cataloged before, we can draw much attention. However, our site and work can diminish in significance when an older or more preserved version of our find is discovered elsewhere.

If we are committed to doing the work that matters, we may need to be comfortable making meaningful contributions rather than generating headlines. If we are in it for the glory, then we must be willing to sacrifice long-term gains for short-term attention.

System Constraints

What is the constraint on your system? Where is your point of failure? Do you lack sufficient inputs? Is there not enough time? Are you not fast enough?

Once our system reaches a significant constraint, it fails to grow. We can accept the failure as a ceiling or retool and evaluate options to circumvent the constraint.

How we handle constraints and respond to system failures adds depth and dimension to our work.

Different Peaks

We are not climbing the same route. We might be mountaineering in the same range, or even ascending the same peak but from different approaches. When we compare ourselves to the progress of others, it is extraneous. Our focus and decision-making are best directed to wayfinding on the terrain in front of us. Keep climbing and once we summit, there will be another mountain to climb. Our goal is not to repeat what has already been done in the exact same order, but rather to find new combinations, unique approaches, and immerse ourselves in new experiences.

Summit Proximity

Are you more impressed by a climber who is a few yards from the summit or one who has just left the trailhead? Human psychology gives preference to the person closest to the summit. When I am cycling and see another rider in the final minute of a long ascent, there is shared comradery that is not as palpable for the cyclist tackling the initial slopes.

How do we equate the perspective that timing matters? If we climb sooner or later in the day, we encounter other participants in different stages of their journey. Our desire to assign value based on a real-time assessment benefits from a broader picture. Strava creates a virtual leaderboard for cyclists and runners (among others) that can be filtered by day, week, year, or all-time (among other options). We might achieve the best time within a small window, but land pages back in the search of all-time best times.

How might we understand that our current location might impact our value assessment?

Your Finish Line Might Differ

Competition provides a framework for scoring and usually consists of a start, middle, and finish. When we compete, we understand the expectations. If we assume an infinite mindset, we may advance a cause for a leg of the journey but ultimately not serve long enough to see the enterprise reach the finish line. In reality, the finish line is often stated in our cause’s vision. Finishing means fulfilling the vision and probably requires substantial course adjustments and/or the realignment of the organization. Staying in the race may be the most formidable work.

Cowboy Songs

Cowboy songs are easier to sing when out on the trail while riding one’s favorite horse. They are more challenging to belt out when sitting in a corporate board room while wearing a suit.
A sense of place impacts our mindset and effectiveness.

Ask a team to engage in a brainstorming session or blue sky thinking after everyone has spent sixty minutes going line for line through a proposed budget, and the results might be less than remarkable. Going offsite and walking in the woods before gathering in a comfortable place to think generatively may be a more productive course of action.


How might we set ourselves up for success by putting ourselves in better locations?

Uncertain But Willing to Ride

I have not ridden this section of road before, and I am not sure it connects to the next trail I intend to ride. If the route does not exist, I must return the way I came. If the trail is rideable, I am uncertain it will take me to the next valley where I have previously adventured and know the landmarks. But I press on, uncertain but confident that I can find my way or reach a vista that provides context for the journey.

Improvements Coming

Sometimes pending improvements are visible but take time to be realized. At some point, the new bridge will replace the eroding wooden bridge just below the site of the new construction. What challenges our mindset is when the new thing is visible but not ready for use. What if the completion date is made visible, allowing future users to exchange uncertainty for anticipation?