What good looks like

Before starting a project or assignment, its incredibly important to understand “what good looks like.” I remember studying for “case interviews” before going into management consulting, and one of the first question they train you to ask is: “What constitutes success?” In school, the first question kids ask is typically around the teacher’s scoring for tests. We all want to know what a “good job,” looks like. Yet, one of the things I am realizing now that I have been in the workforce, is that there are a lot of times where no one has the answer. Its in these moments where we need to trust our gut, go off pattern recognition, and use common sense. Because common sense is no longer common, we also need to be able to zone out on our own, and come up with our own vision for “what good looks like.” This vision can be an iterative one, changing based on the latest information received and new questions that arise. But its vital to still develop one. Nobody ever solved a large puzzle without looking off the box picture.