We feel very fortunate to do the work we do. Many people come to us for training whilst others choose consultancy support for either their projects or change initiatives. Regardless of which service they go for, our values and approach are always rooted in helping people to learn and grow. That is probably not surprising for a company like ChangeQuest, but what does it actually mean in practice?
Recently a candidate on our accredited change management course missed the pass mark by just a couple of points. This was gutting especially as she was so close and I knew she worked so hard. We talked about how she found the course and the exam, her learning style, exam technique, the sense of pressure and what may have got in the way. Based on this, together we worked out what would work best for her learning style and an action plan, broken down into manageable chunks, to get her ready to do the exam again five days later.
This was quite a tight timescale, especially given there was a bank holiday in between. But she was determined to put her heart and soul into learning and do what it took to succeed. This was so inspiring! We arranged calls over the weekend and leading up to the exam to go over the course materials, exam technique and how she was thinking and feeling about it; keeping tabs on that inner voice to make sure it was helping and not hindering her. When she took the exam again, she was feeling prepared and totally focused. And she succeeded!
She was kind enough to share her experience on LinkedIn, as a reminder to others to keep going, even in the face of a challenge or when fear of failure can get in the way. You can read her story by clicking here.
This is a great example of resilience, showing grit and a growth mindset. We also like to describe it as having a ‘challenge mindset’ which leads me to a quote I absolutely love by former Gymnast and five-time Olympic gold medallist, Nadia Comaneci.
At age 14, Nadia was the first gymnast to achieve a perfect 10 score at the Olympic Games. In every competition, she was judged against others and her scores were the marker of her success.
Nadia said, “I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run towards it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your foot.”
If you feel inspired by this and want to know more about why it can be good to fail, click here to read our blog, Failed again? Excellent.
