How Do You Define Success?
by A. Drayton Boylston
February 15th, 2006

For those of us who are blessed with the privilege of recruiting and managing volunteers it is vital for us to relate to what success means for each of them. We don't define their success, they do. The more we can pay attention to their wants and needs the more successful (as defined by each individual) we will be.

In many non profit organizations that I have been involved with over the years it seems that very few people want to address the perceived "selfish" reason that people volunteer. I take the opposite approach. I want to know what motivates each person to volunteer and what their expectations really are.

I believe that if we address these core issues with a person, upfront, we will experience greater volunteer retention and success for the organization and individual!

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The modern dictionary defines success as: to gain wealth or fame.

Early American leaders held a puritanical belief that success was a sign of God's favor. Ben Franklin wrote that "the pursuit of wealth was virtuous and would lead to success."

Andrew Carnegie believed in the pursuit of success and the making of money much like Franklin, but added the dimension of making more money for the public good- "It becomes the duty of the millionaire to increase his revenues, the more he makes, the more the public gets."

Charles Schwab, CEO of Bethlehem Steel in the early 1900's, said that "a man early in life must make up his mind to do one of two things: Either to have a good time in life; or to be successful in life. He can choose one, but not both."

George Patton defined success as "how high you bounce when you hit bottom."

Churchill said "success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm."

Coach John Wooden believes that "Success is peace of mind, a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best."

Denis Waitley suggests that "success is a process, not a point."

The definition of success has clearly evolved over the years. The questions is- What does success mean to you?

I have known many very successful people (as defined by money and position) over the years who became very unhappy when they reached a point that they earlier had defined as being successful. Is it that they changed their definition of success, or is it that they never really took the time to define what real success meant to them?

I believe that each of us needs to devote time to figuring out what success means to us and then establish ways to measure this success.

The Success Workbook (click here to request) offers some suggestions that I recommend that you review. What could it hurt? You may even find that you may be heading down a path that is contrary to what success really means for you.

Over the years I've struggled at times to define what success meant to me. As I've drifted I usually come back to a great quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson- "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."

Carpe diem!

Drayton is one of the leading Executive Coaches in the country. His illustrious career in corporate America includes experience as one of the youngest officers of a Fortune 100 company, president of one of the oldest financial services companies in the country, along with helping create and run a $100 million startup company.
While he values those experiences he is most proud of his over 20 years of dedicated community service to numerous non profit organizations.
In 1998, Drayton established The Boylston Group. He now coaches and mentors some of the leading executives in the world and is a noted author, speaker, trainer, and devoted public servant.
He can be reached at Drayton@TheBoylstonGroup.com