TI CEO Podcast · episode 15
What does success actually mean to me?
1-minute summary
In this episode of his CEO diary, closing a week about big goals, Christoph Standl asks a simple question: what does success actually mean to him? Entrepreneurial success can of course be measured in revenue, profit, headcount, number of customers or company value. For him, however, it begins somewhere else: with a satisfied customer. A company exists because it solves a problem and creates benefit. That's why at Tourismus Interaktiv the decisive question is not whether a technology sounds impressive, but whether it helps customers – whether automation makes something easier and whether artificial intelligence really adds value. Technology alone is no success; success arises when a customer says: this works, this helps me. Added to that are good employees, reliable partners, trust and an economically healthy company that can invest and develop. And finally the personal level: what good is success if no time remains for the people who matter, health suffers or you can't enjoy the journey? That's why exercise, sport, family, friends and personal development are part of it for him. Success is perhaps not one single number but several things in balance – with the satisfied customer at the very front. His question: what does success mean to you? Those who don't know may chase a goal for years that was never their own. Big changes often begin with small daily steps.
Description
What does success actually mean? After a week about big goals, visions, ambitions and discipline, I want to take a step back at the end and ask myself exactly this question. Of course, entrepreneurial success can be measured in revenue, profit, growth, company value or the number of customers. But for me, entrepreneurial success begins at a completely different point: With a satisfied customer. Because in the end a company has to create real benefit. A new technology is not successful because it sounds impressive. Automation and artificial intelligence are not ends in themselves. The decisive question is: Does what we develop actually help our customers? At Tourismus Interaktiv too, I want to keep putting this thought at the centre. For me, long-term success includes more, though: good employees, reliable partners, trust and an economically healthy company that can invest and develop. And finally, there is the personal side. Health. Sport. Family and friends. Time. Personal development. And the ability to enjoy the path to a big goal too. My definition of success therefore consists of several things: Satisfied customers. Good employees. Reliable partners. An economically healthy company. And a fulfilled life outside work too. My question to close this themed week: What does success actually mean to you? Because if we don't know what success means to us personally, we can chase a goal for years – and one day realise that it was never our own goal. Big changes often begin with small daily steps.