Brownies And Success, Who Knew!

I love brownies! My kids go crazy every time my wife makes them!

There’s just something about them … Maybe it’s the fact that when you eat them – straight out of the oven – they just melt in your mouth. Maybe it’s the conversations we have with those you are experiencing the same moment. Or maybe, it’s the memories of times gone by, memories of our childhood, memories that make up the canvas of our lives.

Brownies can also be an inspiration for, and a key to, success. Brownies don’t just happen, there’s a recipe that needs to be followed. Success just doesn’t happen. There is a recipe to success – and that recipe is different for everyone.

Take the following brownie recipe (from AllRecipes.com):

Ingredients
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 3 tablespoons butter, softened
* 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

I am not a cook, but I think I could make these brownies.  It’s simple right: gather the ingredients, measure the proper amounts, stir the contents, pour contents in an 8 inch square pan, place in oven and 25 to 30 minutes later … we have brownies.  Simple enough, right?

When it comes to orchestrating your success, regardless of the endeavor, there is a recipe. You need ingredients – your relationships, your team, our product, your vision, etc.  Your ingredients will be different than mine and that of your neighbor.  Bottom line however – we need ingredients! We are all different and we all bring something unique to the table. In the end, our collection of ingredients, provides us everything we need to be successful.

But here’s the thing …

When you are baking your favorite brownie recipe, there is one thing you can’t change, speed up or modify.  Take a look at item #3 in the directions for the brownie recipe: Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook. You can’t double the temperature or shorten the baking time and expect the same results.  It just doesn’t work!

The same things hold true for success.  You can’t fast track success.  You can modify your ingredients – add a little more vision, perhaps a modification to your product and/or marketing strategy – but you can’t achieve success by “increasing the heat” and shortening the “baking time.”

So here’s the question …

When have you tried to short circuit the “baking time”?

Was it worth it?