Yardsticks of Success

Abstract

Ours is a culture of achievement. Many of us focus on proving our success in concrete terms, so that we can quantify how well we are doing, comparing ourselves with our neighbors or friends and family, our work colleagues and our bosses. And in research, this is no different. In this chapter, I would like to explore some of those yardsticks, but also try to emphasize that for the most part, they can be misleading. Indeed, the ultimate success of your work is not its implications today or tomorrow next year or even in the next decade. It is the very long-term consequences of what you do that actually matter.