The fastest way to succeed is to fail, a lot!  This is when we learn the most and grow the most. If entrepreneurs want to navigate the changes coming from the onset of automation and the fall out of a post-pandemic economy, they need to develop a growth mindset and find a safe place to make mistakes and fail.

A culture of perfectionism drives mistake avoidance 

Most businesspeople accept that failure is a prerequisite to innovation and that a breakthrough isn’t possible if they are not willing to take risks and when things go wrong learn from mistakes. Unfortunately, though, there is often an assumption there will be a loss of esteem, credibility, and stature, which could be seen as,  embarrassing at best or damaging to our business at worst. But what if we were able to see all of our failures as a step closer to success?

This is where the power of NOT YET comes in because then it’s not really a failure it is a learning process, e.g. “I don’t understand digital marketing – well not yet” “I can’t seem to develop enough new business – well not yet” or “My email marketing campaign isn’t working – well not yet”

Fail fast, learn fast, adjust and grow

This is not just about business leaders and solo entrepreneurs it’s also about encouraging our staff in the same way. In the experiential training, we deliver we have the mantra “fail fast, learn fast, adjust and grow. To do this it’s essential to create a safe space that invites people to experiment — it feels safe to try new things.

In my experience of working in L and D for 26 years, there are two key areas that need focus if we want to encourage our employees to fail fast.

1. Vulnerability – Instead of pushing our people to be human robots where they will ultimately keep doing the same things in the same way, we need to encourage them to embrace and acknowledge their humanness, which includes emotions and flaws. You would think this would come naturally but, from a very early age, we are taught to look confident, be assertive, and in control. Being vulnerable will need to be relearnt and practiced by everyone leaders, teams, and individuals

• Creativity – Is constantly being sighted as one of the most important skills for the 21^st century yet the processes that we put in place stifle creativity through the fear of failure. Dealing with such uncertain times requires adapting to an ever-changing dynamic reality, this will need innovation and risk-taking.

Harnessing the power of not yet for you and your people

Below are some realistic and practical ideas to create a safe space for your employees and you to embrace the power of “NOT YET”

• Give prizes for the mistakes that have led to a breakthrough or improvement if you have a team or practice talking about them in a positive way to others if not.
• Recognize and thank people for going for it and failing fast.
• Practice appreciative enquiry – lead with questions about what has worked and what might be, this could even be used as a personal reflection for yourself, so you turn every one of your failures into a learning opportunity.
• Reward  and appreciate the effort as much, if not more than success
• Encourage the sharing of ideas and work early, one of the biggest reasons why failure should be encouraged is because it catches potential challenges quicker.
• Communication is key  – encourage openness, meaningful feedforward, and real human vulnerability, and put yourself out there by asking for feedback.
• Lead from the front and own up to your own failures and be willing to show your own vulnerability

As small children we learnt from playing, the young brain adapting and growing through trial and error. Getting on the bike and falling off again and again until the big moment of peddling down the road with shouts of encouragement from our parents.

Somewhere along the line we may have forgotten it is ok to fail and maybe as leaders or businesspeople we forgot to fall of the bike, pick ourselves up and have another go. The best way for us to develop a growth mindset is to normalise failure and discover the value of it. By accepting that it’s normal to fail or make mistakes, you will then learn that it is not an ending. Rather, it is the beginning. One of the wisest sayings I ever heard and I use this whenever things are not going the way I want them to is “Its neither good or bad because you don’t know the end of the story yet” absolutely brilliant!

Debra Stevens is a trainer, speaker, and the author of Stand Out: 5 key skills to advance your career, published by Pearson, priced £14.99

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No matter what the moment, he loves to learn from the vast experiences and the people who are at the top of their game.

Whether he’s discussing how to craft a comeback with Tom Brady or talking about winning mindsets with USA Olympic Champion Mikaela Shifrin, he always comes away from the experience with interesting insights.

Ronny announces for the Austrian National Football Team is the regular host for the ATP Tennis Tournament in Vienna, and has been a ring announcer for prestigious boxing matches. Not only is his voice heard by millions, but being around elite athletes at the top of their game has taught him that there’s an important mind connection to everything each of these athletes does.

Just like in his legacy coaching, he brings these same ideas to his clients, showing them how to connect more emotionally, and how to build better relationships with their audience. The mind is incredibly powerful, but there’s more than simply thinking about how to do something. There are strategies that help you breakthrough and get to the next level.

One historic event that Ronny got to host and stayed with him is seeing Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) break the 2-hour marathon barrier. It reemphasized to him that we are capable of so much more than we realize and that humans can be limitless with the right mindset. He brings this unique aspect into everything he does and can’t help but be inspired by the amazing athletes and top executives he spends time around.

When you’re hyper-focused on what you want, with a crystal-clear vision, there’s nothing that will get in the way of your passion. This goes for athletes as well as businesses, something he teaches his clients.

Once you know what you want, you can plan for it with solid strategies. Planning is only the beginning. It’s embracing your drive which will push you forward. This is how you create a legacy and build a stable of Magic Moments that leaves you proud and smiling.

Each of those athletes had to start somewhere. It was with a dream, passion, and training that they got to where they are—and pure dedication. Whether it’s about the strength of pure will, like a conversation he had with Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, the first woman who climbed the 14 highest peaks in the world without additional oxygen or discussing perseverance with ATP tennis champion Dominic Thiem, Ronny Leber’s experience goes into everything he does.

His enthusiasm is contagious, and he’s ready to share that with you. This incredibly popular announcer, keynote speaker, and legacy coach are making an impact in the world. Are you? Contact him today to learn more about his legacy coaching, and finally, grab your brass ring.

Company name: Ronny Leber (RLE Business GmbH)

Website URL: www.ronnyleber.com

Instagram URL:  www.instagram.com/ronnyleber 

The post On Dedication, Passion, and Legacy with Ronny Leber appeared first on CEO Medium.

She started out with trading like a university undergraduate, a passion that helped her hone her skills in business.

Tonya has developed a notable drive for starting up and successfully growing her businesses organically. Her inspiring entrepreneurial story has been featured on the business magazine Whoot Africa, Today’s Woman, ThisDay, Vanguard, Punch, New Telegraph, Daily Independent and several others

Upon graduation from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Tonya sought to be an employer of people by establishing the Virgin Vie Angel Limited in 2005; A Merchandising & Retail outfit. She catered for most big corporate companies merchandising and branding needs making her name in the industry as one of Nigeria’s most consistent, innovative, and value-creating brands. Today, VVA is very well-positioned and has amongst its clients GlaxoSmithKline, UBA Group, PGS Exploration, Amni Petroleum, Dangote Group, Century Group, National Open University, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Orlando, AirFRance, Pacific Drilling West Africa Limited, Airtel Nigeria, Etisalat Nigeria, Eko Hotel & Suites, Multichoice, Wood styles Limited, Bank Of Industry, NIMASA, GIABA Senegal, ECOWAS, etc.

Her passion for branding stirred her to the establishment of an advertising subsidiary in 2006– ABC Inflatables Nigeria Limited; a Specialized innovative advertising Company; Most corporate launches and marketing drives in Nigeria engage the branding team at ABC to deliver effective and targeted advertising. ABC Inflatables Nigeria Limited remains a leader in its sector and continues to demonstrate stellar performance year on year. ABC Inflatables Nigeria Limited has amongst its clients; Transcorp Plc, GlaxoSmithKline, Reckitt-Benckiser, Cadbury, UBA Group, Century Group, National Open University, Zenon (now Forte Oil Plc), CFAO Motors, Visafone, Samsung (Sim Nigeria Limited), Nestle Plc, GTbank, AirFRance, Celtel-Zain (now Airtel Nigeria), Etisalat Nigeria, Arla Foods, Leadway Assurance, Lagos State Government and several Campaign Organizations and Groups alike.

The Virgin Hospitality Company was founded in 2010 by Tonya. The need for this company came about as a result of the branding activities of VVA but this time to engage specifically in branding of hospitality businesses. Today, VHC has over 500 hotel clients. Amongst its clients are all major hospitality brands in Nigeria including Eko Hotel & Suites, Intercontinental Hotels, Transcorp Hotels, Le Meridien, Southern Sun hotels, Obudu Mountain resort, The Moorhouse, Genesis hotels, De Edge hotels, IITA, Tinapa Lakeside, Wheatbaker, The George, Amber Residence, Protea hotels, Bon Hotels, All Seasons hotels, Sage hotel, La Cour, Lilygate hotels, The View hotels, and several others

The Quick Print Shop Limited was founded to complete the value chain of all activities in the SEAL group. The group no longer outsources its printing but now provides a modern state of the art printing facility in the heart of Nigeria’s commercial Print city- Shomolu, Lagos. 

QPS is Fast growing with its loyal clients amongst which are; UBA Group, Century Group, National Open University, FMDQ, MTN, Arla Foods, Primum Fossores, Department of Petroleum Resources, Leadway Assurance, Eko Hotel & Suites, Wood styles Limited, Bank Of Industry, Ministry of Mines & Steel, British International School, Lead British International School, Credit Afrique MFB and several others,

Tonya has built many years of outstanding leadership and management skills. Her ability to grow businesses successfully to date in the unique terrains of Nigeria is applaudable. Tonya graduated with a BSc in Economics from the renowned Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She went on to complete an MBA with the Metropolitan School of Business & Management, United Kingdom. Tonya’s drive to continuously improve her leadership style propelled her to attend the Lagos Business School- Owner Manager Programme, renowned for its unique delivery of leadership and business management courses in West Africa.

Her first paper on leadership was delivered at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — a Paper to a Youth group of Entrepreneurs.

In January 2019, Tonya convened ‘The Lagos Enterprise Summit’- the Largest gathering of Entrepreneurs in Nigeria discussing jobs for the Nigeria of tomorrow through the Enterprise initiative. This world-class event recorded over 3,000 attendees.

In April 2019, Tonya convened “The HSE Summit” to create some more awareness on HSE after being moved by the several Health, Safety, and Environment disasters especially after the itafaji Building collapse in Lagos island where several children were victims.

Again this Summit which played host to over 3,000 attendees, and key stakeholders in both the Private and Public sector recorded a huge success and now tagged as a first of its kind.

As the Chief Executive of the SEAL Group, Tonya oversees the successful running of all its subsidiaries which include Virgin Vie Angel Limited, The Virgin Hospitality Company, ABC Inflatables Nigeria Ltd, Green Cottage Investments Limited and The Quick Print Shop Limited.

Tonya Lawani is very well-traveled and believes one of the ways to nourish mental growth is by exposing oneself to the world and experiencing different cultures and perspectives to life. 

Tonya grew up in Kaduna and speaks impeccable Hausa language.

An avid believer in recreation and healthy wellbeing, Tonya is a lover of the game of Squash and Golf.

Tonya is the Author of the iSucceed Business Planner, A must-have Productivity tool for the Smart Entrepreneurs and Business Managers! (www.isucceed.biz)

Follow Tonya on Instagram: @tonyalawani

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