When I was a child in the heat of the summer of every 4th year, my grandmother would let us come in from the sweltering heat and watch the Olympics while sitting in front of a fan. We all dreamed of being gymnastics, divers, swimmers, track stars and more. It was a moment of pride to watch the athletes who had dedicated themselves compete for Olympic gold. Â All the neighborhood kids felt like they knew each competitor and their stories.
We still hold these athletes in high regard today but sometimes neglect to think what is going on behind the glamour. These individuals, their families and coaches commit themselves, make sacrifices and difficult decisions in all aspects to master their crafts. They work with teams and coaches to develop their talents. They have concrete and focused goals and visions.
If you stop to think about your career as your personal “quest for the medal”, there is a correlation to how we all develop our careers. There is no easy or straight path to attain career success and we all need to individually define it. At times, we need to step out of our comfort zones and push ourselves hard to reach our goals. Along the way, you rely on your team to support you. You need advocates, mentors, sponsors and coaches.
But I would ask, do you have a clear vision of what your personal success goal and/or vision is? Is it a position of stature, an opportunity to serve, work of purpose and meaning, financial stability, a creative outlet? The more you define your success and create a plan for it, the higher the probability of achieving it.  We all need to take time in our careers, in our days to define personal and professional success and then work toward it.
Many organizations we work with want their teams to be successful and provide resources to help them do so. Take time to discover yourself, learn what motivates you, work with a coach, take an assessment, and ask for feedback. Mostly, make sure you make time to evaluate your decision and reach your “gold.”
About the Author: Adrienne Mollor, Senior Partner
About MCG Partners
MCG Partners a woman-owned, Greater Boston-based consultancy specializing in executive coaching, leadership development, talent management, and organizational development solutions. We help businesses optimize success through the entire management life-cycle. MCG Partners is also a Predictive Index® (PI®) certified partner.
To learn more about MCG Partners’ services or The Predictive Index®, contact John Griffith at [email protected] or visit mcgpartners.com.
