What is success? In a seminar I recently attended, the leader divided us into groups and asked us to tell each other how we define success. That seemed simple enough to me until I actually had to start talking. I quickly realized two important points: there's no easy way to define success and we all have a different idea of what it is.

In the weeks since then, I've reflected on the question, trying to find a more coherent answer than I did when put on the spot. I realized that there are really three different types of success; short term, long-term, and life-time. Short-term success is what you feel when you finish a project, or win a contest. This sort of success can be gratifying, providing a temporary feeling of pleasure. But, it doesn't last.

Long-term success is the feeling that comes from a successful career or achieving a goal that was difficult and required time and hard work. These successes come much less often but leave a more enduring feeling.

Life-time success is different as a much longer period of time is involved. It also involves more than one particular area. For instance, it's common in some fields, especially the arts, to present a Life Time Achievement Award. But is that really life-time success? These awards usually concentrate on a single area of the recipient's life, which doesn't really capture this concept. Success over such a long period has to involve more than just achievement in a single area, even if such accomplishment covers a life time.

That's the foundation of this concept of success. Success is, quite simply, that which we think it is. Each person's definition of success is tempered by their own vision and values. Accomplishing something that doesn't relate to your vision, or that contradicts your personal values will not feel much like success. In fact, it may even seem more like failure.

I confess, this title was not made up by me. My wife saw a bumper sticker with this sentiment and shared it with me. I think the basic wisdom in the phrase is great and wish there was a way to get some managers to understand the simple logic here. Why is it that some bosses feel compelled to bark when wagging is a much more expedient way to bring out the best in people?

The barking dog is simply doing its job. The dog only knows that to defend his territory, he needs to sound off at anything that might encroach. The frequency of barking is an interesting aspect. Why does the dog bark at intervals less than about 10 seconds? Is it because he has a short memory and can't remember that he just barked? Is it because the potential invaders of his territory need to be reminded every few seconds that he is still around? Is it because he simply enjoys keeping the neighbors up all night? Is he showing off his prowess or having some kind of dog-world conversation with the mutt down the street? I think all of these things could be factors in the frequency of barking, but I suspect the primary reason is a show of persistence. The message we get from the barking dog is "I am here, I am formidable, I am not going anywhere, so keep your distance."

In the workplace, if a manager sends a signal, "I am here, I am formidable, I am not going anywhere, so keep your distance," the workforce is going to get the message and comply. Unfortunately, group performance and morale is going to be awful, but the decibel level will at least keep everyone awake.

When a dog wags its tail, that is a genuine sign of happiness and affection. You can observe the rate of wagging and determine the extent of the dog's glee. Sometimes the wag is slow, which indicates everything is okay, and life is good.

What sort of title indicates that its bearer is a leader? Certainly, CEO, Store Manager, or even Shift Leader indicates leadership responsibilities. But how about clerk, machine operator, or maybe custodian; are they leaders? Maybe not in the formal sense, but not everyone who exercises leadership has a title or position that would identify them as a leader. In fact, there are those in any organization who, though they have no title or position, exercise considerable influence. It's important for formal leaders to understand that and appreciate those informal leader's contributions.

Mark Sanborn has authored a great text to help formal leaders recognize those informal leaders and their contributions. In You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader, Sanborn presents multiple examples of people who, even though they aren't in a recognized leadership position, provide effective leadership. These are people who took the initiative to make things happen. They saw what needed to be done and took action, even if they weren't in the position normally associated with the action they took.