This week’s focus: After one of my projects publicly failed to hit its targets, a wise CEO once told me that I should worry less about what others thought of me, and should focus more on making a difference. “Stuart,” he said, “in this place you can go from hero to zero and back to hero in the space of a few weeks. Where you are in the popularity charts is irrelevant, just keep doing good work.”
Failure is an inevitable by-product of taking part and trying. It’s not failure that counts, but how you react to it. James Dyson built over 5,000 ‘failed’ prototypes before perfecting his eponymous bagless vacuum cleaner. Dyson simply kept turning up, kept trying and followed through until he achieved success.
So, whether you’ve had as good a week as Novak Djokovic or as bad a week as Rebekah Brooks of News International (well, maybe not that bad!), here’s to hitting the ground running on Monday, doing the right things, and making a positive difference to your customers and your organisation.
Off the record: That’s Life by Frank Sinatra (written by Kelly Gordon and Dean Kay)
That’s life, that’s what all the people say
You’re riding high in April, shot down in May
But I know I’m gonna change that tune
When I’m back on top, back on top in June
© Stuart Cross 2011. All rights reserved.