Redefining Success When the Old Metrics Stop Working
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Janine Marshall
For a long time, I thought success had a very specific look.
It was about growth. Speed. Hitting the next milestone before you had time to breathe. I believed that if the business was getting bigger, I must be getting it right. And if I’m honest, I wore exhaustion like a badge of honour because that’s what I thought leadership required.
But somewhere along the way, that definition stopped working for me.
I’m the founder of The JLT Group, a host travel community supporting independent travel agents across the UK and Ireland. Being part of a community of women building businesses alongside real lives forced me to question my own assumptions.
What I realised is this. Growth that costs your wellbeing isn’t a win. A business that looks good from the outside but drains you on the inside isn’t sustainable. And success that only works on paper usually falls apart in real life.
Redefining success didn’t happen in one moment. It came through small decisions. Choosing sustainability over speed. Choosing people over performance metrics. Asking whether the business still worked for real humans, not just spreadsheets.
Today, success looks different for me.
It’s about trust. Trust from clients, trust within the community, and trust in yourself as a leader. It’s about autonomy. Having the confidence to say no to growth that doesn’t fit, and to build working patterns that leave space for life as well as work. It’s about creating an environment where other people can define success on their own terms, not borrow someone else’s version.
Many of the women in our community don’t measure success by turnover or titles. They care about flexibility. Being present for their families. Having control over their diary. Serving clients properly without burning out. Feeling respected as professionals while still living full lives outside of work.
Those priorities used to be dismissed as a lack of ambition. I see them now as a sign of clarity.
One of the biggest internal shifts for me was letting go of comparison. It’s easy to look sideways and feel like you’re behind if you’re not scaling at the same pace as someone else. But comparison ignores context. It ignores personal circumstances, values, energy levels, and the kind of life you’re actually trying to build.
Once I stopped chasing someone else’s version of success, my leadership changed. I became more intentional with decisions. I listened more. I built systems that supported people rather than squeezing them. And I gave myself permission to lead in a way that felt aligned rather than impressive.
Redefining success doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means choosing the right ones.
For women in leadership, especially those building service based or community led businesses, success doesn’t have to mean doing more at all costs. It can mean doing enough. It can mean consistency over constant expansion. It can mean building something that supports your life instead of consuming it.
If I could offer one reflection, it’s this. Success is not what you sacrifice to get there. It’s what you’re able to sustain once you arrive.
And for me, that’s a far more meaningful measure.
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