It's easy to measure success by the number of dollars spent or by the number of programs initiated, without having too much regard for what was bought and how useful it was to the people who need it - the war fighter and the analyst. ↗
The word of the mouth is a very powerful thing and you can say something about someone that is not necessarily true, but people will believe it and it will become a constant reminder and every time that your name is bought up, that will come up. ↗
I bought a piano once because I had the dream of playing As Time Goes By as some girl's leaning on it drinking a martini. Great image. But none of it worked out. I can't even play Chopsticks. But I've got a nice piano at my house! ↗