Thank you for this. I’ve been trying harder to change my mindset from the bottom line/gross profit/the $$ and I think part of it for me is the business I’m in (professional services) only measures a good/bad year by our financials. Recognising this isn’t what I want to define failure/success by - and also recognising this isn’t what drives and motivates a team has been a bit of a game changer. There’s plenty more naval gazing to come but I think more than ever I want to define contentment and satisfaction by things other than the $$
Yes. What I find often is people are locked in to the concept of “industry.” Industry benchmarks, standards, comps, KPI’s. But what you find is that industry can be so broad, and even when it narrows, it still can have so little relationship to what you’re doing - if you are actually trying to differentiate your services/offerings, then by definition there should be few industry comps. In a way, that measuring stick becomes your KPI.
I loved this so much. It made me think about how often we try to build scaffolding out of tactics instead of principles. Tactics shift and crumble under pressure. But principles (if you do the work of getting brutally clear on them) actually hold.
Your story captures that so perfectly. It reminded me of times I thought I was “persevering,” when really I was just clinging to broken systems instead of getting honest about what I was really optimizing for.
Special shoutout to the idea that success is you’re living by your own criteria for meaning. It sounds so obvious written out like that, but in real life, the drift is constant. This was a powerful reminder to re-anchor.
I’m curious , when you first wrote your three principles, did you wrestle with what not to include? Or did it just pour out easily because the moment demanded it? I ask because we often start with design principles in my work, and what not to include is as important as what to include. The rule of 3, but which 3. From 10 to 5 is easy, from 5 to 3 is difficult.
Thank you for this. So smart all of this makes me think more. To answer your question, yes it poured out- but it poured after 23 years in business at that point. We had had hundreds of meeting of “goal setting; branding; mission” etc. But 2020 forced the understanding that this wasn’t just business it was our life. And once that became so clearly intertwined the principles poured out.
Thank you for the reminder. I’m a professional artist and often “success” in my mind gets clouded by $$$ or lack thereof. In spite of all of my professional achievements that label me a “success” in others eyes, losing a sale or commission often overrides the accolades and recognition. Mental reset time. Again.
It’s crucial to know for yourself what constitutes success—or failure—and to remember where you set that bar when everything around you wants to raise it, and celebrate when you achieve it. I’m in a totally different industry but I love watching you apply the standards I aspire to in yours.
Thank you for this. I’ve been trying harder to change my mindset from the bottom line/gross profit/the $$ and I think part of it for me is the business I’m in (professional services) only measures a good/bad year by our financials. Recognising this isn’t what I want to define failure/success by - and also recognising this isn’t what drives and motivates a team has been a bit of a game changer. There’s plenty more naval gazing to come but I think more than ever I want to define contentment and satisfaction by things other than the $$
Yes. What I find often is people are locked in to the concept of “industry.” Industry benchmarks, standards, comps, KPI’s. But what you find is that industry can be so broad, and even when it narrows, it still can have so little relationship to what you’re doing - if you are actually trying to differentiate your services/offerings, then by definition there should be few industry comps. In a way, that measuring stick becomes your KPI.
I loved this so much. It made me think about how often we try to build scaffolding out of tactics instead of principles. Tactics shift and crumble under pressure. But principles (if you do the work of getting brutally clear on them) actually hold.
Your story captures that so perfectly. It reminded me of times I thought I was “persevering,” when really I was just clinging to broken systems instead of getting honest about what I was really optimizing for.
Special shoutout to the idea that success is you’re living by your own criteria for meaning. It sounds so obvious written out like that, but in real life, the drift is constant. This was a powerful reminder to re-anchor.
I’m curious , when you first wrote your three principles, did you wrestle with what not to include? Or did it just pour out easily because the moment demanded it? I ask because we often start with design principles in my work, and what not to include is as important as what to include. The rule of 3, but which 3. From 10 to 5 is easy, from 5 to 3 is difficult.
Thank you for this. So smart all of this makes me think more. To answer your question, yes it poured out- but it poured after 23 years in business at that point. We had had hundreds of meeting of “goal setting; branding; mission” etc. But 2020 forced the understanding that this wasn’t just business it was our life. And once that became so clearly intertwined the principles poured out.
Thank you for the reminder. I’m a professional artist and often “success” in my mind gets clouded by $$$ or lack thereof. In spite of all of my professional achievements that label me a “success” in others eyes, losing a sale or commission often overrides the accolades and recognition. Mental reset time. Again.
It’s crucial to know for yourself what constitutes success—or failure—and to remember where you set that bar when everything around you wants to raise it, and celebrate when you achieve it. I’m in a totally different industry but I love watching you apply the standards I aspire to in yours.