How Did a Setback Spark Your Success? Tell Us Your Story!
Our Catalyst series champions those whose career journeys were shaped by setbacks. We’ve covered nearly 70 inspiring stories about people who’ve turned major hurdles into catalysts for success.
People like Jamelia Donaldson, who found herself “completely burnt out and overwhelmed,” working a fulltime job while launching her passion project — Treasure Tress, a monthly subscription box service to give women the opportunity to discover different products for naturally curly hair. Despite being ?“terrified of the financial implications,” and hearing doubts and pushback from friends and family, Donaldson made the nerve-wracking decision to go all in on being an entrepreneur —?and it paid off.
Or former Amazon exec Ethan Evans, who shared his story about giving an important presentation in front of around 1,000 colleagues and his boss, Jeff Bezos that went spectacularly wrong. On the spot and in the midst of failure, Evans understood: “If you look freaked out, the audience is going to mirror your energy.” He realized the only way to recover was to own the error. Evans also got a valuable leadership lesson when he found himself at a dinner table with Bezos afterwards. He thought he was about to get chastised for the mistake but instead, Bezos said to him: “I want you to know that I’m not worried about that demo and about the product because I know you are.”
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And Patrice Banks, who, tired of feeling taken advantage of and disrespected by male auto mechanics despite her engineering background, made it her mission to shatter a major stereotype and create an army of “car savvy women.” After taking automotive technology classes, Banks launched Girls Auto Clinic, building a garage outfitted with a nail salon, that caters to women motorists, and also employs — and empowers — women mechanics.
Do you have a story about learning from a failure and using that stumble as a stepping stone to more fulfilling work? We want to know about it. Please share your story with us in the comments and maybe you’ll be featured in our series!
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1 个月Time management is of essence.. During my life experiences all my failures and success has had everything to do with Time.. As manager in different firms time was of essence in production lines .. Delivery of products and services.. I once received a call that my close relative was severely sick and was asked to rush to the bedside but it was a journey that took several kilometers .. The purpose of the journey was merely to say farewell in disguise and not to heal the patient coz I knew only God heals.. I delayed to start off .. By the time I WS half way the journey I got a call of sad news that he had passed on.. Its then that it struck me ..on the importance of time management knowing where to be and when to be there. In my Banking experience as a Banker for 7yrs I learnt that it is not the withdrals or deposits alone that created customer satisfaction but the quality of service offered how quick and efficient customers we're served by not staying on long ques for long .. It was time, speed and accuracy that led most of our clients to my till..it was not how long the que is but how good and quick the service was..
Sustainable Energy Keynote Speaker | Author of Decentralize Your Energy, coming in 2025 | #1 DC Power Evangelist | Founder and CEO of Rectify Solar | Inventor | Executive Coach | #Makethingsright
1 个月While working for big oil, by heart broke about somethings that I learned. After 4 years of working nights in search of a path out in the sustainable energy sector, and becoming intrigued by electricity, stewardship, and sustainability; and hearing "that small voice" give me the word Rectify, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I started a solar company to make things right, and named it Rectify LLC dba Rectify Solar. A few years later, after our home state phased out net metering, I again became heartbroken that I couldn't make things right anymore... Or so I thought. The second definition of Rectify from the electrical engineering perspective is, to convert AC to DC. So, in fullfillment of the name, I mapped out my first DC microgrid, handed it over in Faith. 5 years later, we created the first DC powered home in 130 years with Purdue University, and patented the DC nanogrid distribution center. Now, we are on a mission to expand our product and technology to the masses, to make things right in the energy sector, and lead the conversion back to utilizing the native source energy, DC power. All the while, to comply and be an aid with the federal government's target to make microgrids the standard by 2035.
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1 个月I have discovered that God allows setbacks to set us up for success because Breakthroughs (opportunities)are results of breaking points. Amen!!!
GenAI Sales Strategist - $1 Billion in Sales
1 个月For most of us in the past few years, it's about upskilling to the new hot in-demand #GenAI and #AI skills to prosper.
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1 个月So true education, many forms of advertising that pays while business is slow. Might be a unaware partner that helps boost your own company ambition. Nice take away.