I’ve been a gamer since I beat Qbert at our local arcade. With my children, we play FPS (first person shooter), puzzles, sandbox, sims and strategy games.
Within the puzzle genre, each level has a different goal. We often discuss how important knowing the goal — how success for that level is defined — is to beating the level. If you play the puzzle thinking that you’re striving for a different goal, then you are much less likely to beat the level.
Of course, life isn’t a puzzle or even a game. However, if I were forced to assign a video game genre though, life would be a sandbox game.
We get to define the goal. We get to decide what quests we will undertake and how success will be defined.
Leaders define success, for themselves. They also define success for their broader team. This point is critical. As a leader, you will also be a follower. Your team is nested within a larger team or organization or community or country.
As a leader, you must seek leaders to follow who share your definition of success.
Who are you following? Who is following you?