How we define success and relevance affects how we show up. It often a subtle thread weaving through our thoughts and behaviours. If we define success as winning and winning as having more than the other that has an impact. Perhaps it’s about being famous, being known, being on the cover of a magazine, winning an award, and so on. However, if we define success as being the most generous, it too has an impact.

This is true of individuals and of organisations. However, the ‘definition’ isn’t found in the vision, mission, values documents, it is found in the organisational culture. Additionally, performance reviews also tell us what is deemed successful.

And this is relevant to data because when engagement with communities does not feature in the above, the idea of enabling communities to have access to the data about them will seem foreign and irrelevant.

When success and performance is judged on benefit to the organisation, not those we seek to serve, it impacts what we do and how we do it.

Photo by Rob Wingate