Defining Success - (Reason To Step Into Leadership, Write 5x More but Write 5x Less, etc...)

Savvy Saturdays (9/25/21)

Sep 25, 2021

Savvy Idea: Setting clear goals and outcomes for a project will ensure taking the best actions that align with success.

Last week, I was talking with my principal engineer over a new system we were testing in preparation for the holiday seasons (which has the highest traffic that can break our systems), and one thing we talked a lot about was what would define success?

This system we were testing was not like the usual services we had, and so it was important for us to define success differently.

If we define success correctly, we would have a smooth holiday season and be at peace.

If we don’t define success correctly, we would end up testing the wrong thing, get a false positive, and not be prepared for when the real-life situation showed up.

In the same way, whenever starting a project, running a new initiative, or making a decision, it is important to think about what success is.

Laying out the correct requirements ensures that the result is expected.

It ensures all actions taken will align with success.

By defining success correctly, there is greater confidence, clear direction, and more likely peace with the results of decisions that are made.

Questions to ponder: 🤔

What initiatives do you have or are wanting to start?
What would defining success look like for these initiatives? Do you need to redefine what success looks like for an ongoing initiative?

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Weekly Collections

A collection of resources for you to enjoy… 📰 🎬 🎙️

Reasons to step into a leadership role (and the reasons not to)

5 good reasons to seek a leadership role:

Desire to have more impact
An opportunity to build different skills
Interest in watching others grow
Desire to improve the environment
Act as a Role Model

5 bad reasons to seek a leadership role:

Do it for the money
Do it for the power
Do it for the fame

Write 5x more but write 5x less

The average person should write 5x more things than they do.
The average written thing should be 5x shorter than it is.

Why write more often?

Because writing helps thinking.
Because practice will make you better.
Because writing is more shareable than speaking.
Because humans are worse than computers at storing knowledge.
Because writing your old thoughts frees your brain to think of new thoughts.

Why make them shorter?

Because the shorter it is, the more people will read it.
Because of the Pareto principle: 80% of the value is in 20% of the length (hence “5x shorter”).

Weekly Tidbits

Learnings, verses, & quotes to chew on… 🧐

Verse of the Week

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

—Psalm 34:8 ESV

Challenging Quote

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

—Mary Oliver

Weekly Update

Personal life stuff… 🔔

Hello friends,

Greetings from Austin! 👋 Let’s jump right in!

This past week has been quiet tiring.

There isn’t more things to do, but the things that need to be hashed out seem to take more energy out of me.

I’ve had to cancel bookings I had prepared for podcast interviews, as I was slammed with many different meetings and events throughout the weeks, and it wasn’t easy to admit that I had overloaded myself and needed to pause before burnout.

Fortunately, I got to spend a bit of time reflecting and even redefining some success (sounds familiar 👀) for my podcast and other initiatives, as well as let go of control of the rush of completing tasks.

Speaking of completing tasks, I submitted my first two orders on Fiverr for someone to create a podcast cover art, and a podcast intro viral jingle! Looking forward to the results on that!

Anyways, here are several pictures from this past week: 📷