When I was six years old, I remember my mother talking to me about the importance of dressing nicely wherever I went. “You must look neat at all times,” she would say. “People will be looking at you because you are blind and because you are Japanese. They will judge you on both counts. So you must look sharp and be sharp. Maybe some day you could grow up and become a school teacher.”
Both Mom and Dad were committed to making sure that my brother, Mike, and I would grow up and become a success in life. They were committed to doing whatever it took to see this happen. In my case it meant enrolling me in a residential school for the blind 400 miles away from the time I was 4½ years old until I graduated from high school. For nine months out of the year I was far from home and family. We missed each other, but their vision to make sure I had the best possible chance to succeed overrode their desire to keep me home.
As students at the school for the blind we knew we were different; we were not in a school with “normal” (sighted) kids. Therefore our definition of success became very clear – work hard, get through school, marry a sighted person, get a job and have two children. Our norms were driven by the popular TV shows of the day: “Father Knows Best,” “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “Leave it to Beaver,” and “The Donna Reed Show.” How times have changed!
Today a good portion of our work is devoted to helping organizations examine how they can get the different generations to work together in order to reach organizational success. We help participants identify different key values that drive how each generation approaches their jobs. That is, how they view work and how they view success. We have learned that the group known as Boomers (born between 1945 and 1964) grew up with a strong drive to succeed, a value passed on to them from their parents, the Veterans (1922 – 1944). In contrast, as stated in our previous newsletter, we determined that Generations X and Y are more interested in becoming people of value or significance.
So what does it mean for someone to become successful? Webster defines success as “the achievement of something desired, intended, or attempted; the gaining of fame or prosperity; or one who succeeds.” In contrast, I like to define it as “moving steadily toward your goal day by day.” It’s an ongoing process that allows for different definitions of success. In my own life I have sometimes strived to be famous and rich, sometimes had specific desired or intended outcomes, and have learned to understand the complexity of attempting to achieve different objectives.
Underneath the spoken or written definitions of success are some unspoken expectations of what it means to be successful. You are good at what you do. You feel good about yourself. You need to stand out from others in your group. You acquire some form of status or prestige in what you do and who you are. There are some people who equate becoming successful with being “perfect.” This can be overwhelming and virtually impossible to achieve.
Women, people of color and people with disabilities have some other factors to contend with on their road to success. They are always being under the microscope; their every action is constantly being observed and often scrutinized.
An African American may hear “my, you are so articulate” but underneath this comment is a bias that perhaps African Americans can’t be articulate and thus are a surprise when they reach a pinnacle in their careers as leaders or speakers. People with disabilities are often told how “inspirational” they are, again a surprise when they far exceed our expectations of them. In both cases, these comments are intended as a complement, but the impact is that people don’t believe that they can do what they do.
It may be difficult for some to think that women, people of color and people with disabilities want to advance. The belief may be that they should be thankful and satisfied they even have a job. Many are satisfied with just that, but what about the ones who want to advance? An effective intervention by progressive managers is to develop a solid mentoring process so individuals who have the desire can develop themselves for promotional opportunities. Do they need a different kind of assistance for advancement? Probably yes, and maybe no. It really depends on the climate of the organization, the individual’s knowledge and awareness of how systems work, and the recognition that statistically we see very few people of difference at the top of our organizations.
While we are becoming more successful in getting different people into the marketplace, the next challenge is to create the possibility that these different people also can lead our places of work successfully. Some of the barriers to personal and organizational success they face include:
Low self esteem which can surface when constant feedback that “you are not suited for leadership positions” becomes internalized. The individual begins to believe that what managers and peers say about them is true without knowing that they could develop the competencies to perform the job.
Family and friends who want the best but don’t think it’s possible
Lack of commitment to appreciate differences. Fear of the unknown may be one of the possible explanations why people will not attempt to appreciate differences. Issues of competency and power surface and the individuals who are afraid of difference are really afraid of their own ineptness to embrace difference as an asset.
No process in place for professional development and mentoring
In order to overcome these barriers, some of the methods to helping individuals and organizations become successful include planning and preparation, discipline, focus and aligning personal goals with organizational direction.
While playing with the Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson understood how to align his goals with the organizations success. He realized that in order for his team to make it to the championship, the Lakers needed additional talent. They had reached a salary cap and were not able to get the player/s they needed. He approached the front office and offered to give some of his salary back to the organization so they could obtain the help that was needed to reach their goal. Magic Johnson also had the ability to help individual players increase their skills and receive individual recognition. This boosted the morale for the entire team.
Has the definition of success expanded for you? What do you need to do in order to achieve personal and organizational success?
Steve Hanamura, president of Hanamura Consulting, Inc., and author of I Can See Clearly: A Different Look at Leadership, has 30 years of experience working with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to regional not-for-profit institutions. He is widely sought after in the areas of leadership development, building effective teams, leading diversity initiatives and managing generational differences.
He can be reached by phone at 503-297-8658 or by e-mail at sh@hanamuraconsulting.com
