Article by
Vijay Samuel Benjamin,
Leadership Coach.
The road to Success is a journey of achieving our goals over an extended period of time. Too much focus on the long-term will blind you to the present day opportunities & the need to fine tuning the course. Perhaps this is why many fail to reach the desired levels of growth. Focus on long term alone can also make it very depressing & frustrating. Short-term successes are hence critical to making the next move and preparing for those long-term aspirations.
This is one of the many things that the HR function can do to enable profitable business growth. As the conscience of the organisation, HR is instrumental in creating, developing, and building the most appropriate organisational culture that is best suited for growth.
Success is not reaching the destination. It’s about enjoying the journey – every step that you take, knowing well that you are making progress. Again, success does not simply happen to people. People make it happen by making choices, taking critical decisions & managing them along the way.
Progress is about knowing that you are in the right direction, while celebrating the fact that you are gaining ground consistently.
Here are some ways to build your long-term goals using short-term success’s:
- Play to your strengths. Do more of what you do best. While it makes sense to try a bit of everything and push to improve in areas of weakness, there comes a certain point, when it’s better to focus on your strengths. This way, you open yourself to enjoy some short-term success, which also provides the required motivation to get better!
- Brand your potential. Choose & get involved in activities that develop the image you want to convey. Stretch the potential of your strengths at work, home, & social get-to-gathers. For example, volunteer for a school building committee or organizing an event, if you’re good at managing projects. For those who are good orators, offer to give free lectures if possible. Stills others can coach the younger ones in the respective skill. Do what you like but gain broader experience and ways to promote & reinforce your capabilities at work.
- Create the context for success. Winners do not wait for the right time or opportunity. They create t for themselves. Surround yourself with people you need to do your work well. Recognize common values and goals & invest in these relationships. Help others to grow along with you. Develop your own eco-system for success.
- Celebrate Short-term Success. Finally it is important to celebrate the small successes. This provides the positive environment for going ahead. Celebrations create opportunities for ideation & involving others who have or can make a difference. It also fosters accountability in relationships that is so very crucial to working on long-terms goals.
