How Do You Define Success As a Leader?

If someone tell you that you competed in various events at the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics and won a gold, silver, and a bronze medal, most people would be in awe of the accomplishment both in terms of the longevity as well as the success with three medals. Is there any doubt in your mind that the person’s career would be considered a great success??

Matthew Emmons started out as a successful junior rifle shooter and won several world shooting champions and was world record holders for 50 meter rifle event. In the his Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games, he won the gold medal in prone position even though he had to use a borrowed rifle since his own precisely tuned rifle had been mysteriously sabotaged right before the games. Two days later in the three position competition however, he was less fortunate. He had a commending lead until the last shot when he misfired at another competitor's target. He not only lost a gold, he ended in eighth place.?

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Emmons again showed his prowess with a seemingly unsurmountable 3.3 points lead before the final shot. He only needed a 6.7 out of 10.9. Yet again, his finger “twitched“ and hit the trigger prematurely. He scored 4.4. He again not only lost a gold and dropped to fourth place.

During an interview after the game, he was quoted saying: “Life is too short to dwell upon the negative. There is nothing I can change about the past. I can only move forward.”

Moving forward, he did. He overcame thyroid cancer in august 2010, made the 2012 Olympic team again and earned a bronze in the three position event.

Some will always remember Emmons as the one who lost two gold medals but he reminded himself that he was the one who “won an Olympic medal of every color!”

Life is sometime?serendipitous. You do not always get what you selected on the menu in life, you get what you get. However, you have to know what you want, what is important for you, and what success means for you as a leader. Only then, you can chart your own path, make purposeful decisions, and make your own choices on what to hold on and what to let go with grace as a leader.

Book Update: I need your help for my pre-order campaign

Second day of pre-order campaign for my book The Odyssey of Self-Discovery: On Becoming A Leader! The campaign is an opportunity for you to join me on my journey as I move into editing and marketing my book. Thank you so much for those who have ordered my book! Greatly appreciate your support.

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