Advisory Board Discourse: Maintaining Momentum: Strategies for Prolonging Lasting Achievements in the Educational Sector
Struggling with maintaining progress towards your personal or professional goals? Don't fret, it's a common issue many of us face. Whether you've lost a coveted contract, seen engagement scores drop, received criticism about your leadership, experienced a financial downturn, or simply find yourself moving further away from your vision, it can be disheartening and leave you feeling disillusioned about starting all over again. Fortunately, there's a proven formula to prevent backsliding from success.
The Formula for Sustained Success
Here's the magic trick to sustained success: strategy + execution with consistency over time equals results. Let's break it down.
Strategy
The strategy is the route you've chosen to reach your desired outcome. Maybe you've developed a forward-thinking plan or honed a distinctive competitive advantage in your industry. Whatever it is, stick to that strategy.
Execution
Execution means executing the strategy effectively. It's not just about doing the work, but doing it well. Are you giving your all to your daily tasks? Are you delivering high-quality work consistently? Keep pushing towards perfection, even when it feels tough.
Consistency
Consistency is crucial for maintaining progress. Are you consistently following through with your chosen strategy? Are you doing your best work on a regular basis? Make a commitment to being consistent, regardless of whether it's daily, weekly, or monthly.
Over Time
Change takes time. Stick with your strategy, execute it well, and maintain consistency, and eventually, your hard work will pay off. Embrace the fact that success might take a lifetime to maintain, but with persistence, it's achievable.
Results
Once you've established a clear goal, a thoughtful strategy, disciplined execution, unwavering consistency, and a solid commitment, the results will follow.
A Case Study
Let's look at a real-world scenario to see the formula in action.
The Backslide: You've received negative feedback about your leadership from your team.
The Better Way:
- Strategy: Commit to improving your relationship with each team member, one-on-one.
- Execution: Leverage face-to-face meetings to actively listen to your team's perspectives.
- Consistency: Schedule quarterly one-on-one meetings with each team member to demonstrate your commitment.
- Over Time: Establish these meetings as a regular habit, making them a priority on your calendar.
- Results: Watch the dynamics on your team shift in a positive direction, as they grow closer to each other, to you, and to the shared goals of the organization.
Your Turn
Now, it's your chance to apply this formula to your own goals.
The Backslide: In what professional area do you feel like you're faltering or simply not making progress?
The Better Way:
- Strategy: What actionable step can you take to turn things around?
- Execution: How would you execute that step effectively?
- Consistency: What does consistent application of this strategy look like for you?
- Over Time: How long do you believe it will take to see the desired results from regularly executing this strategy?
- Results: What does success look like in this situation?
Final Thoughts
Success breeds more success. Use the formula of strategy + execution with consistency over time to achieve your goals and enjoy long-term success. By doing so, you can build up to higher aspirations and maintain confidence in achieving your ultimate vision. Don't worry about backsliding; by staying focused on your goal, consistent in your execution, and committed to your strategy, you'll be on the path to sustained success.
Joelle Jay, a renowned leadership coach, often emphasizes the importance of this formula in preventing backsliding from success. She believes that even when faced with challenges like negative feedback or financial downturns, sticking to the strategy, executing it effectively, and maintaining consistency over time can help achieve sustained success. Joelle recommends setting a creditline as a financial safety net, allowing for flexible funding and potentialaching opportunities, avoiding the risk of backsliding due to unexpected financial pressures. Despite experiencing backsliding in the form of reduced engagement scores, Jay was able to turn things around by consistently delivering high-quality work and leveraging her unique competitive advantage in the industry.
