Brand specialist | Author: Brand in the Boardroom | Helping ambitious organisations make an impact | Brand strategy | Brand identity | Brand management | Trustee at CoLab
I went to the Nexus Presents event yesterday. The subject was “Bouncing back from failure”. It was a fascinating, honest and emotional discussion about failure, and the opportunity it offers for growth. It got me thinking about failure in my career. There have been several. But what sticks with me - looking back - is not the big failures. It’s the smaller, everyday ones. There have been a LOT of these. In the early days, as a young designer, failure was part of my working day. In a team we would create designs for whatever project we were working on. At some point in the day we would each need to present our ideas to the rest of the team and our creative director. It was an unforgiving environment. Only the strongest (designs) survived. This process - selection and rejection - continued, probably over several days, until the best ideas were ready for presentation to the client. Now, as a business owner, I’m still surrounded by failure. Every unsuccessful proposal, every tender where we come “second”, is a failure. It’s a different environment, but it’s still unforgiving. After thirty years, I continue to struggle with failure. But I recognise the value it. I appreciate (now) that it’s the failures in my career - the little, everyday, failures - that have made me better at what I do. Whether it was designing logos in the early 90s, or its writing proposals for clients in 2024, it’s the rejection - the failure - that motivates me to get better. Failure is the fuel for the journey. And I appreciate now, as I navigate my career, is that it’s a LONG journey. It requires a lot of fuel. So it was great got hear those stories yesterday. The stories of failure, and the success that has followed. It helps to keep things in perspective. _____ Thanks to Sarah Bailey and Nexus Open Systems for putting the event on. And thanks to Anna Lake, John Brett, Giles Taylor and Clodagh Murphy for sharing your stories. Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko #NexusPresents #SME
Sarah Bailey
8mo
It was great to have you join us Jonathan and agree the talks were very thought provoking. Echoing what Anna has said that people talk very highly of you 😊
Providing Finance Director Services to Growing Businesses
8moResilience is the first quality of business! Leaning from failures and applying lessons to improving on the next step is an essential process. If we gave up at the first setback it would be a very short journey! Taking thought-through risks is part of making anything new happen and creating opportunities. We don't like failures, if we did we'd call them successes! We do like to improve our capabilities and what we deliver. Insightful post Jonathan, gets people thinking about perspectives!