Inspiring Women, Episode 25: Defining Success – Does It Have To Be The C-Suite?
Defining success, says “Inspiring Women” host Betty Collins, is more than just the destination. Success is tied up in your effort and how much of yourself you give to the journey. “Inspiring Women” is presented by Brady Ware & Company.
Betty’s Show Notes
So many people think success is they’ve made it to the C-suite.
The C-suite is not the only success that is out there in your career in business, so I want to talk about that in this episode.
What might be a better definition of success? How about this (not mine, but well worth sharing) – “Put your heart, your mind, your intellect, and your soul, even into every small act.”
That is a secret of success. Anything that you do in life, give it 110 percent.
My idea of success has changed a lot over 55+ years. Success depends upon the season you’re in. Your 20’s are different than your 30’s, and different than your 40’s, and different than your 50’s. Every season has been different for me (and will be for you), so success looked different in every season (and will be for you).
I enjoyed my career more, I think, because I wasn’t always shooting for being number one.
Being number one is not for the weak. It’s a tough place to be. I still had success because I had a different impact, and influence, and most importantly, I enjoyed and seized the moments in my life outside of the corporate four walls.
I’ve listened to Will Ferrell’s 2017 commencement speech to USC several times.
USC is where he attended. He talks about his success, of course, with all humor involved. He talks more about his 16-year marriage, his boys, his charity. He talks very passionately about the USC family, but he really talks about his journey getting there.
He doesn’t start out by saying, “I was on Saturday Night Live.” He doesn’t talk about, “I’ve made all these movies.” He’s just happy with other things besides being the number one, and all the different things that come along with that.
We can’t all be in the C-suite.
Many of us, first of all, are not meant to be there; we’re not leaders. The good news is you can enjoy success outside of the C-suite.
By the way, top leaders need followers. We can learn from them, and probably we have similar characteristics.
How do we learn from those in the C-suite?
Ask yourself “What does a C-suite person do? What is their success?”
They prioritize. Because when you are number one, you cannot do everything. We can do that (prioritize) in any situation. They get to the point. They drill it down. They make a decision. They go forward. They probably ask a lot more questions. They get a lot of good advice from all around them.
Decisions have impact, so those in the C-suite have to make good ones, because there’s a lot of people relying on them. Trust is at the core of everything with a successful C-suite person. If you don’t have that team and support, you can’t do it.
We all have different career goals to achieve success. There’s nothing right or wrong, and success is measured differently by all of us.
Unfortunately, we tend to obsess over our goals and our career. Most of us do. All the career goals and the success you have, whether you’re in the C-suite, or you’re just going to occur in your own world. All of those goals are valid. So, no matter where you are, focus on yours, and stick to yours, and not to others.
Here are some definitions of success that you should not ignore.
- Success is always doing your best.
- Success is learning that you sometimes have to say no and really being careful when you say yes.
- Success is learning.
- Success is understanding you cannot keep what you don’t give away.
- Success is overcoming fear.
- Success is being loved and loving back.
- Success is standing your ground when you believe in something.
- Success is not giving up.
- Success is never letting a disability hold you back and understand that you control your destiny.
- Success goes way beyond the C-suite.
Ultimately, you define success, and you enjoy it. Have a good journey, and don’t be consumed in the destination, especially to the C-suite.
Betty Collins, CPA, Brady Ware & Company and Host of the “Inspiring Women” Podcast
Betty Collins is the Office Lead for Brady Ware’s Columbus office and a Shareholder in the firm. Betty joined Brady Ware & Company in 2012 through a merger with Nipps, Brown, Collins & Associates. She started her career in public accounting in 1988. Betty is co-leader of the Long Term Care service team, which helps providers of services to Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and nursing centers establish effective operational models that also maximize available funding. She consults with other small businesses, helping them prosper with advice on general operations management, cash flow optimization, and tax minimization strategies.
In addition, Betty serves on the Board of Directors for Brady Ware and Company. She leads Brady Ware’s Women’s Initiative, a program designed to empower female employees, allowing them to tap into unique resources and unleash their full potential. Betty helps her colleagues create a work/life balance while inspiring them to set and reach personal and professional goals. The Women’s Initiative promotes women-to-women business relationships for clients and holds an annual conference that supports women business owners, women leaders, and other women who want to succeed. Betty actively participates in women-oriented conferences through speaking engagements and board activity.
Betty is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and she is the President-elect for the Columbus Chapter. Brady Ware also partners with the Women’s Small Business Accelerator (WSBA), an organization designed to help female business owners develop and implement a strong business strategy through education and mentorship, and Betty participates in their mentor match program. She is passionate about WSBA because she believes in their acceleration program and matching women with the right advisors to help them achieve their business ownership goals. Betty supports the WSBA and NAWBO because these organizations deliver resources that help other women-owned and managed businesses thrive.
Betty is a graduate of Mount Vernon Nazarene College, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants. Betty is also the Board Chairwoman for the Gahanna Area Chamber of Commerce, and she serves on the Board of the Community Improvement Corporation of Gahanna as Treasurer.
“Inspiring Women” Podcast Series
“Inspiring Women” is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. The show is hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and presented by Brady Ware and Company. Brady Ware is committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home. Other episodes of “Inspiring Women” can be found here.
Show Transcript
So, today we’re talking about defining success, really focused in the area business, because so many people think success is they’ve made it to the C-suite, that that’s what success is … It is. Someone who can get there, it’s a great thing. But the C-suite – the CEO, the coronavirus, the CFO, the CFO, the CIO, there’s so many of them now. Generally, of course, those are the top people in the industry or in their company. We’re always driving to get there. The C-suite is not the only success that is out there in your career in business, so I want to talk about that today.
Here’s a great saying – it’s not mine – “Put your heart, your mind, your intellect, and your soul, even into every small act.” That is a secret of success. Anything that you do in life, really, if you give it 110 percent, whether it’s how you cleaned your car, or how you clean the house, or any of those types of things, if you really did a great job, and you put everything into it, perfect. If you have a podcast, and you put your heart, and your mind, and your intellect, and your soul into even just the details of that podcast, that’s success. It’s why I was drawn to that saying.
My idea of success has changed a lot over 56 years. Success depends upon the season you’re in, right? My 20s were all about getting a degree, getting married, getting the first house, having kids. All those things were part of the 20s. Isn’t it funny how that’s not part of the 20s, today? My 30s were all about, then, surviving the kids, and pushing my limits, so you could have the second house, and move, and have that … It was always a fast pace in my 30s. My 40s, though, were a decade of “A-ha moments.” Massive changes in my mind set, in my direction.
In my 50s, all the sudden, I became very focused on college tuition. That’s a big thing. Two kids in school at the same time was pretty tough. I was focused, too, on transitioning, and realizing that my kids were- it was time for them to launch and go. So, life changes. I realized, too, I had a venue, and a platform that I had to use wisely. I don’t know about my 60s because I’m not there yet, so we’re not going to talk about those, but every season has been different, so success looked different in every season.
The one constant, through all those seasons and through all it, was that I was in public accounting, I was a CPA. My career, it was the provision for all those challenges, and goals, and things that you’re striving for. Whether it was college tuition, or diapers, it was the provision. So, my career had to be done well. By always pushing myself, I always wanted to go forward and upward. We can’t think in any other way. Focus, though, was never being at the top. I always was moving in that direction, but it was not where my destination was.
It’s kind of a contradiction, almost. Here I am, I’m in this career trying to have success, always wanting to go forward, but I never saw the C-suite as the success. I never saw that that part of the destination was where I was going to have that. Again, it’s kind of a contradiction. I knew, though, it was not in my best interest to run up a side of the mountain, while I was climbing already, way too much. I knew and watched the number one. I watched the C-suite people around me, and the stress, the pressure, the consuming … It really is. You are the number one. You’re at the top of your position in your company. Guess what? Everything really falls on you. When good times happen, you get the credit. When bad times happen, you get the credit. So, going forward and upward, yes, but not to the top, or the C-suite. I think we need to look at that that’s okay.
I started my career in food service management in Rochester, New York, and I started my career as all – you sprint, right? I’m sprinting along. I’m going … But soon learned that I was going to work 40 years, so this was a marathon. Looking back, it was a great time of transitioning from college to the real world. It was a learning experience time. I developed some amazing skills. It was the time where I figured out what I didn’t want. I did not want long hours. I did not want to be far from my family. I’m a Buckeye. I could never feel like I could earn enough money; it was never enough. No matter how hard you work, it was still you needed more, right?
I did figure out, though, that I wanted kids, and a family, and balance, yet I wanted success, and a career. I left food service – about four years of that – and I started with this very small company. I eventually became the owner, and then I merged into a larger company. I’ve enjoyed being the owner, having influence, leading initiatives, and have a platform where I get to drive certain passions that have nothing to do with accounting, but I’m not the CEO. Never have been, I’ve never been the COO. I’ve never really been the CFO, and I’m not a CIO. I did not make it to the C-suite. So, I guess I missed success …
No, I absolutely found that success was not in the C-suite for me. In fact, I look back over my career, because I did not push myself to be in that, I enjoyed my career more, I think, because I wasn’t always shooting for that number one. Being number one is not for the weak. It’s a tough place to be. I still had success because I had a different impact, and influence, and most importantly, I enjoyed and seized moments in my life outside of that corporate wall.
I’ve listened to Will Ferrell several times; his commencement speech to USC. I would tell you to play it. I’m a huge … Play things to … You listen … I would tell you to listen to it. It’s on YouTube. USC is where he attended, and he talked about his success, of course, with all humor involved. He talked more about his 16-year marriage, his boys, his charity. He talked very passionately about the USC family, but he really talked about his journey getting there. He didn’t start out by going, “I was on Saturday Night Live.” He didn’t talk about, “I’ve made all these movies,” although he did wind that all in there? He was just happy with other things besides being the number one, and all the different things that come along with that.
I always have liked that. I’ve tried to do that in my own career in business. I mean, he’s an actor. I’m not Will Ferrell … I’m glad that I worked and played hard along the way, in both of it.
By the way, we can’t all be in the C-suite. Many of us, first of all, are not meant to be there; we’re not leaders. The good news is you can have success out of that C-suite. By the way, top leaders, they need followers. We can learn from them, and probably we have similar characteristics. We just use them differently.
How do we learn from the C-suite? I looked up, “What does a C-suite person do? What is their success?” They prioritize because when you are number one, you cannot do everything. We could do that in any situation. They get to the point. They drill it down. They make a decision. They go forward. They probably ask a lot more questions. They get a lot of good advice around them; they have to have that.
Decisions have impact, so they have to make good ones because there’s a lot of people relying on them. Trust is at the core of everything with a successful C-suite person. If you don’t have that team and support, you can’t do it. Characteristics needed for all successes, though, whether you’re in the C-suite, a mom, whether you’re a teacher, or a CPA … Success in any of these roles probably include characteristics like being patient, being consistent, having an ability to adapt – not one of my strong points. Persistence: doesn’t matter what you do. Open-mindedness and self-reliance.
We all have different career goals to achieve success. There’s nothing right or wrong, and success is measured differently by all of us. Some people strive for less money and more freedom, or some just- the chance to start that own business, that thing called entrepreneurship. You can be the CEO, and in the C-suite, just by being the only person in the company. That’s okay. Maybe you like being in that whole social enterprise crowd. I know Joe DeLoss, with Hot Chicken Takeover- you should look him up and listen to his story; it’s pretty cool. You just don’t want to be in that corporate setting, let alone in the C-suite.
Unfortunately, we tend to obsess over our goals and our career. Most of us do. They’re important, but they’re not everything. Once you find your ambitious side, and you kind of wake up maybe one day and say, “Gee, I’d like to have some money; I’d like to pay my bills, or get rid of my student debt,” then, all the sudden, you’re in a different mode, and you tend to find it’s hard to understand why others around you are not focused on their careers, and their goals. All those self-help books, or brilliant podcasts, like you’re listening to …
Why wouldn’t everyone give everything to be a top executive? Who wouldn’t want to start their own business? Why does a promotion and a raise not excite them? All the career goals and the success you have, whether you’re in the C-suite, or you’re just going to have it in your own world, all of those goals are valid. So, no matter where you are, focus on yours, and stick to yours, and not to others. Your success may be that your career is something that you take a lot of pride in. You feel confident about it. Keep that distinction in your mind between that life and a job. All of those things are important.
There’s a reason why we have this thing called work-life balance. It dominates the books. It dominates podcasts. It dominates everywhere. I think it’s a lot of myth because you can’t. It’s just hard to do. There’s a lot of energy that goes into trying to balance, or there’s a lot of energy that goes when you live in chaos. They just all go hand-in-hand, but work success/being number one isn’t necessarily equated to your happiness. You’re more than a title and a set of skills, you’re a human being. It’s important sometimes just to step back and remember that. The work side of your life is just that. It’s one side.
By the way, this is a news alert, newsflash: you don’t have to make yourself miserable to be successful in the C-suite, or not. It’s natural to look back, and I do it all the time. I just get tired of thinking about some of the periods in my life; the long days, and the overtime, and the excessive hours; the new clients, all that; maintaining them; having a bottom line that’s really good. Sometimes, all that has consumed me. Success is just not about working hard. It’s also about working smart.
When I was a single mom – I did that for a period of time in my life – I was driven to make sure that my kids would have some comfort and fun. I wasn’t into excessiveness, but also that they would go to college; that they would get to be on a campus and do the whole game. It was one of the best four years in my life. So, I had to be successful for them. How was I successful? How did I work smarter, not harder?
Well, I bought a house right in the middle of the middle school, high school, and my office. It was this easy triangle of driving to school, to home, to work. I did it all the time, all day long. I was intentional about living in that area. I still live there because I like it. It’s my home, but it was intentional. It was a part of a decision in working smart and raising and enjoying kids. There was no time to prioritize it. I had to be the CEO. Yet again, I was enjoying success on my terms.
I’m not quite sure who decided what the definition of success is – there’s tons of it – or what it entails, but there are too many people in existence to make sure one size fits all for achievement. There’s nothing wrong with having no common ground with the person that sits right next to you. It’s okay to succeed on terms and do it in your way. We all prioritize people, material items, family things, dreams, jobs in different ways. The C-suite may have been something we were told we should be because it’s the top, it’s the number one, it’s at the end of the career. It’s just not for everyone. Either way, it’s all about your happiness and your balancing on your terms.
So, I end this podcast on a very positive note. I wanted to talk about definitions of success that you should not ignore. In fact, you need to choose your own success definition. Success is always doing your best. It’s properly setting goals. It’s having a place to call home. It’s understanding about need and want. It’s believing that you can. Success is remembering to balance work with passion. You’ve got to focus on what you like. It’s taking care of your needs. Remember, you’ve got to put your own oxygen mask on before you assist others.
Success is learning that you sometimes have to say no and really being careful when you say yes. Success is learning. You have abundance in your life, and you’re thankful. Success is understanding you cannot keep what you don’t give away. Again, how many people have brought you along in your success? Success is overcoming fear. It’s learning something every day. It’s learning to lose a few battles, so it can help you win a war. That’s okay. Discussion … Differences, arguments should not be about the victory, but the progress.
Success is being loved and loving back. It’s standing your ground when you believe in something. Critics will be in your life, whether you’re in the C-suite or not; criticizing and doing assessment is part of your success. Success is certainly not giving up. It’s all about your effort and not others. It’s yours. Celebrating small victories … Success, to me, we look at the end game, like the C-suite is an example of that … If I had to lose 52 pounds, it’s just easier to look at it one pound a week than 52 pounds. So, celebrating small victories as you go along and having a perspective that gets you there.
Success is never letting a disability hold you back and understand that you control, obviously, your destiny. Success goes beyond the C-suite. For some, the C-suite is success. I applaud people that get there. I need a good CEO in my life. So, success goes way beyond the C-suite. For some, the C-suite is the success, and we applaud anyone who gets there for sure, especially in today’s world. We need some top leadership. It’s a big void. For some, just define your success. You define it, and you enjoy it, and have a good journey, and don’t be consumed in the destination, especially the C-suite.
