There are so many books and programs out there that are based on “Steps to Success”. Success for whatever you want to achieve; being a good parent, being happy, having a great relationship, being loved and admired. Just give me the steps to follow so that I can…you fill in the blank.
What is it in our nature that drives us to look for a list that we can tick off, to find contentment or success in an area of our lives that we think is out of control or unacceptable?
As I pondered this idea, it seemed when there are steps, no matter how many, we have this sense of a beginning and end. Once we have followed these steps we can dust our hands off and say we have arrived; and now things will be as we want them to be, the answer found.
In any popular step plan, the steps seem mostly doable, and there is the hook.
I can recount so many times I have met someone who has done something I admire and have asked “how did you do it”, in the back of my mind hoping it was some simple set of steps that I too could follow and achieve that goal.
Often times, even though the steps look as if they can be achieved, for whatever reason, we get stuck and are unable to complete or stick with the process. It gets hard; we have to face a stumbling block and just can’t hurdle over it. Change is hard, even in circumstances when we know our lives may depend on it.
Finding happiness or contentment isn’t packed neatly into 7 easy steps, at least not for me. The steps even if followed to the letter, often reveal more, and the more is what needs the attention. For example; a step to happiness may be to begin a daily gratitude journal, make sense, seems easy to do, right? The more that is revealed; is something that stops you from sustaining the practice day after day or, you come to a day, that for whatever reason, you do not feel grateful, now what? This is the more, and unless we have some tools to respond to ourselves when we have these stumbling blocks, our 7 steps get dropped and we are unable to sustain the results.
I am not saying we shouldn’t follow a plan, make a list, and make some changes to how we do things to achieve a more desirable outcome. What I am pointing to is what we most often don’t want to face, that which holds us back, this is what demands attention.
Our work is not on the surface but at the core.
As managers we are constantly faced with the demands of facilitating, or responding to changes in our businesses. We could begin this with a systematic, formulaic approach, but may find ourselves faced with stumbling blocks. As issues arise, to assure the best results a deeper look and an adjusted approach can be the foundation to success, especially when addressing your customers concerns. In the hospitality industry, as in any customer service business to make sure our guests don’t walk away feeling unheard or unimportant, we coach and encourage our team to listen and respond using the guidelines in place, but also take into account the individual and their specific even unstated request. The more, when responded to, is what makes the difference to us as people and ultimately the success of a business.
What can you do to help yourself, as you take the steps to find your desired success?