Victory

How is success measured? Is it accolades? Being thanked for my service? Being given credit for what I create? Or is it the impact my work has on those who I serve? And, possibly, the ability to leave a place and have that work continue, even in my absence?

I work with an administrator who always talks about “small wins.” At one point, this past school year, he was having a hard time with the pressure the district leadership was putting on him to show success. No amount of growth seemed to be enough. In talking, he told me, “I just need some small wins.” It’s hard to look a passionate educator in the eyes and see the strain that this type of pressure can put on him. Especially since he’s providing fabulous opportunities for his students and staff. I asked him what he considered a small win. What took me by surprise, is that nowhere in our conversation did he ever associate the word win with himself. Everything about winning and success, to him, is about the work he’s doing and the opportunities he’s providing for his students and staff.

His victory is less about self and more about the work.

It is so easy to make victory synonymous with self. The idea of success is oftentimes too focused on us, while what creates lasting impact is the work we design and share. This work should sustain and continue even when I am taken out of the picture. It is so nice to have people like me and to know that I’ve made them feel good – but success is measured best when they are excited and empowered by the work; the things we’ve designed together and the products and experiences that they’ve created.

A recent post from The Story of Telling challenges us to redefine greatness.

…it’s possible for us as individuals to redefine greatness by changing how we measure success—by replacing our winner-takes-all worldview with one that requires us to question if we’re doing work we’re proud of. We each get to choose what it means to be great again. Moment-to-moment and day-by-day we can deliberately decide only to do the things we’ll be proud to have done and to create the future we want to see.

As the upcoming school year approaches, I would like to focus less on me and more on the work that I’m designing for the people I serve. As my friend Darren challenges in his latest newsletter (which you should 100% sign up for):

Where do you want your leaders/educators/students to go so they can feel:
engaged?
challenged?
inspired?
intelligent?
empowered?

Questions I will be considering as I continue to dive into work:

• Are you doing/designing/creating work you’re proud of?
• How is your work (not you) impacting the future, building something, and empowering others?

As the summer comes to a close and you begin to think about your students, colleagues, and the experience you will design for them, I hope you will remember to reflect on your measures of success. Take your small wins where you can and try to leave the people and places you touch better than when you found them.

I believe in your ability to affect change.

I believe in your purpose to design sustaining experiences for others.

I believe in your victory.