Often quoted, “Nothing succeeds like success”, is a proverb, first put into print by British writer, Sir Arthur Helps. It appeared in 1868 in one of his many books, Realmah. Many have debated this proverb, feeling that short term successes are common and don’t necessarily lead to long term success. Personally, the concept of success seems more about individual achievement and personal goal setting in order to achieve desired results—at whatever level the individual has determined is achievement and has determined his/her satisfaction with the outcome.
While the American Heritage Dictionary defines success as, “The achievement of something desired, planned or attempted”, years ago W. Clement Stone defined success simply as “Setting goals and achieving them”. This certainly levels the playing field as one does not have to be the humanitarian equivalent of Mother Teresa, have the athletic ability of Michael Jordan, or attain the wealth of Bill Gates to declare their life “successful”. In fact Benjamin Disraeli called “the secret of success to be a constancy of purpose”.
In an article titled, “Success to Success—What is the Meaning of Success in Life?” Doug Firebaugh separates business success and life success, discussing the fact that success comes in many forms and all success is based on perspective. Athletes, physicians, musicians, actors, teachers, business executives and stay at home moms all have their own unique perspective regarding when they have reached success in their own lives and in their particular realm of the world. Ultimately, Mr. Firebaugh talks about success being “the ongoing realization and attainment of worthy desired results, concerning actions, life, business, wealth, or a worthy ideal”.
In January, 2003, a friend brought a copy of a new healthcare publication into my office. She left if with me and that evening I read it thoroughly. It was different than any other available publication and held information about the Chicago healthcare marketplace that was not to be found elsewhere. In short, I thought the publication to be a “winner”. The following day, I place a call to its editor and suggested that we have a face to face meeting to talk about their concept and what I felt our firm could do to perhaps partner with them.
February 13, 2003, that meeting took place, with Kristen Felix, publisher, and Harvey Kart founder of Hospital News in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was obvious from the beginning that these two individuals were passionate about the new publication and were willing to commit the time and resources to make it as successful in Chicago as it has been in Pittsburgh for many years. As Albert Schweitzer once said, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” It was apparent in our initial meeting, as it is today, Kristen, Harvey, and Josh, Kristen’s husband, who has now joined the team, have passion and energy for this publication. For those of you who have had the privilege of meeting these individuals, you know they exhibit the quality Theodore Roosevelt spoke about when he said, “The most important single ingredient in the formula for success, is knowing how to get along with people”. As evidence, since 2003, Hospital News has launched successful publications in south Florida and Atlanta. It is obvious they have found the formula for success.
Russ Jones is a partner at First Transitions, Inc., a corporate-sponsored career transition and executive coaching firm specializing in the healthcare field. He can be reached at 630/571-3311, 312/541-0294 or at rjones@firsttransitions.com. You can also visit the website at www.firsttransitions.com.
