If you scroll through social media, one person might recap an exotic vacation, another a grand achievement or a new purchase. But these images reveal only a small slice of their lives, and they’re often curated to present an idealized version of success. As a result, we feel pressured to keep up with the Joneses.
Yet this winner-takes-all mindset can make us feel less satisfied, even if we achieve our desired financial, professional and social outcomes. The problem is that we’re using the wrong framework for judging our success. It’s not enough to simply focus on a job or a hobby or to give to charity or work for the family—it takes a holistic approach to identify and prioritize multiple goals that will lead to true, lasting happiness.
The best business leaders think beyond a single goal and take into account the complexity of human needs and desires. They anticipate that the pursuit of their business goals will lead to conflicting desires, from seeking out more market share to creating a positive impact on society or nurturing the relationships around them.
They find a way to satisfy these competing goals and deliver on their long-term vision for the company. But it’s not easy to do, especially for those with a natural predisposition toward a particular career path or type of lifestyle. These individuals are often the ones who find themselves overworked and unsatisfied in boom times, or who are burned out by a constant stream of disappointments during downturns. Ultimately, these high achievers need a framework for understanding what real success actually looks like, and how their idea of success can change over time.