Overnight Successes
- Advoco
- May 21, 2021
- 2 min read
In the words of Sam Walton, discussing the success he attained with Walmart, “And like most overnight successes, it was about twenty years in the making.”
In the first 25 years of Walmart, the company grew from one store to 38. The next 30 years saw roughly 3,000 new stores. So, if you had not heard of Walmart prior to that inflection point of growth, you might think they were an overnight success. But, if you think about it, most people would not have heard of Walmart when there were only 38 stores. So, it is easy to understand why so many people would think of Walmart as an overnight success. Therefore, most people would not know of the incremental changes that Walmart was going through in order to prepare themselves for their future growth.
What can we learn individually from this not so overnight success?
You should start by taking the long view when striving to accomplish your goals. Achieving greatness rarely occurs quickly, so expecting the same in your life is a recipe for disappointment.
As successful as Walmart was, it took 25 years to get everything in place to successfully accelerate their growth. Over 25 years, they learned what business they truly were in, what worked and what did not, and they learned lessons from failed decisions. Their business acumen improved, which is what allowed them to grow so well and so fast.
If you focus on the small improvements, lessons learned, and self-reflection that can occur throughout the course of 20 years, you can end up accomplishing some monumental change. Making decisions to improve yourself daily will prepare you to be successful in the role that you want to have. This growth and experience will help you achieve your ultimate goals, successfully.
Until next time…we are Advoco, make every minute count
About Colin: Colin Whitney is a Solutions Architect with Advoco and looks forward to helping others achieve their EAM goals. He is a graduate of both the University of Iowa and the University of Georgia. When he is not working he enjoys getting outside and watching college football. Questions? Send Colin an email!
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