A Guide to the Scientific Career

Failing forward is a concept traded by those who see failure as a stepping stone toward success, the recognition of the ways forward that do not yield success. Failure is only truly failure if you learn nothing from it and abandon your path because you did not achieve what you set out to do on the first try. Success is littered with failures, as success is ever‐changing; you must be willing to understand what has not worked in order to achieve what you have set out to do.

Winning is short‐sighted as it encompasses only a single instance overcome, a single goal achieved. Success is about excellence. The pursuit of success is predicated on having defined what it is, understanding how to measure it, adapting as it changes, and overcoming and learning from failure along the way. Were you to only be interested in winning, you would stop the moment you won; you would not overcome failure or adapt as circumstances demanded.

1 Sense of purpose. This is the motivation that drives your pursuit of success. It is shaped by what you believe and your values, which are informed by your personal code of behavior.

2 Motivation and enthusiasm. Often talked about rather than acted upon. Enthusiasm mimics motivation at times, but only because it is simpler. Motivation is what drives you, what gets you up in the morning. Motivation is more difficult and requires commitment to a cause or your pursuit of success.

3 Confidence. Belief in your ability to succeed can be difficult, as balancing unmitigated cockiness against doing too little can prove challenging. In terms of being successful, you need at least to be confident that you can follow through on the journey toward your idea of success.

4 Focus. Keeping your eye on the ball and concentrating on the details of your plan are important. Regardless of the subjectivity of your definition, it is important to have a clear and vivid idea of how you will move toward your goals.

5 Courage. Courage is often defined as the willingness to confront difficulty in pursuit of a goal. In regard to success, it is being willing to fail forward and overcome obstacles in your path.

6 Perseverance, persistence, energy, and hard work. Continuing to do what is necessary, no matter how many times you have to do it, is important in order to become successful.

7 Communication skills. The ability to communicate effectively is important to being successful. You need to understand how to communicate with others, and to understand their perspectives, in order to pursue your goals.

8 Preparation. This matters because success requires short‐term and long‐term goals. Without taking precautionary measures, you could find yourself unable to overcome pitfalls to which you might otherwise have been able to adapt.

9 Creativity. The relationship between success and creativity is bidirectional. Wilson (2017) has characterized five different levels of creativity ( Table 1.1). Table 1.1Levels of creativity.Expressive creativitySpontaneous expression of intuition (without the need for conscious reasoning) results in creation of basic and simple concepts.Productive creativityExisting concepts are efficiently and eloquently proliferated through learning skills and technical mastery.Inventive creativityExploring different aspects of existing concepts with materials, methods, and techniques.Innovative creativityThe existing concepts are improved and modified through conceptualizing skills and generating new materials and methods.Imaginative creativity (or genius)An entirely new principle or concept is created.

10 Open‐mindedness. The receptiveness to new ideas relates to the way in which people approach other views. The importance of this to success is pretty simple: in order to overcome obstacles, you might have to look at things in new and different ways.

11 Situational awareness. Situational awareness refers to understanding how the environment has changed or what resources are lacking or in excess. As conditions change relative to short‐term and long‐term goals, situational awareness allows you to understand the “lie of the land.”

12 Attitude. Generally, an attitude can be positive or negative relative to people, events, ideas, etc. Relative to success, a positive attitude is important in order to navigate the environment and situations. Positive attitudes open more doors than negative ones.

13 Disciplines and habits. Considering that the road to success is both long and difficult, having habits that lead to success, as well as the discipline to follow them, is extremely important. Self‐control takes practice, especially when failure is an option.

14 Integrity. Being honest and having strong moral principles is important as you move toward your goals. It is easy to get sidetracked from your goals if your values are not aligned with your definition of success.

15 Self‐reliance. The capacity to rely on one's own capabilities is sometimes essential along the path to success. You need to have confidence in both your decisions and any actions you take toward your short‐term and long‐term goals.

16 Executive and leadership skills. Leadership can be a nebulous concept, but as a practical skill it is important for success. The ability to lead or guide others becomes increasingly critical, even if you are approaching your idea of success alone. Along the way, you will encounter viewpoints and perspectives that might force you to adapt either your short‐term or long‐term goals. Without the ability to lead, you could be stuck working through issues that could otherwise derail your intentions.

17 Passion, energy, and persistence. Having strong feelings about your goals is important; without them, you are likely to find that your best efforts stall. The energy and persistence to pursue the goals necessary for success are rooted deeply in passion, in having intense emotions and compelling enthusiasm for your continued growth toward success.

18 Punctuality. Punctuality is the characteristic of being able to fulfill an obligation on or before the required deadline or schedule. Being able to complete what is required of you is important because you cannot achieve your goals without understanding the obligation to show up or complete a task when you need to. Punctuality has a cultural aspect as well, as some organizations treat punctuality differently. If we are speaking about personal success and the role of your short‐term and long‐term goals, punctuality is a cardinal virtue, as holding yourself accountable is paramount to moving forward.

19 Ability. When we speak of ability, we are talking about aptitudes. An aptitude speaks to competence in particular domain at a level appropriate to a goal. Ability is the development of these aptitudes toward a goal with an eye on the skills that will assist you in reaching your short‐term and long‐term goals.

20 Organization. Organization ties adherence into goal orientation, which is incredibly important for working toward success. Like any other habit, it is the persistent application of organizational skills that enables you to become more and more organized over time. Undoubtedly, it influences your thought processes and decision‐making.

21 Humility. Being humble focuses you on adapting to the circumstances along your path to success. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses provides the necessary self‐restraint from excessive vanity and myopia.

22 Sense of urgency. You will hear this spoken about a lot in corporate culture, and for good reason. In a constantly changing world and business environment, it is often very important to make a sense of urgency a priority.