The path to success isn’t a simple step from A to B. Along the way, there will always be obstacles and setbacks in your path that make the future uncertain and hard to reach. However, such difficulties can never truly stand in your way if you understand how to overcome them and find genuine success.
It’s fortunate that many tech leaders have already experienced such trials and learned enough to impart their wisdom onto others. These are the kind of people you want to replicate, and so what they have to teach you is worth more than money can ever buy.
These four lessons alone can have a significant impact on your journey to the top.
Mistakes Are Natural Learning Points
It’s easy to believe that if you learn everything there is to know about the world’s most successful tech leaders, then you’ll never make the mistakes they did. Even if that’s the case, though, that doesn’t mean you won’t experience your own blunders on the way to the top. Such errors are natural, and some believe they’re essential if you want to become truly successful.
No leader has gotten where they are today without some serious slip-ups. Take Elon Musk, for instance. Among his many failures are the explosion of his SpaceX rocket in 2016, the Roadster’s dismal reception, and even some poorly-made comments online. None of these stopped him from becoming one of the most innovative tech leaders around, though.
This is because rather than being defeated by his mistakes, he learned from them and ensured that there weren’t any repeats. Even in his current position, the man can still get things wrong and potentially face the consequences. It’s not the fact that he faces such consequences that impacts his success, though, but rather how he moves on from them.
Remember Where You Came From
It’s easy to become disillusioned on the path to success and forget where you came from. The fame and fortune can make you lose touch with reality and overlook the things you once valued most. It’s essential that you don’t let that happen.
Staying humble and remembering where you started can prevent you from making bad decisions in search of prosperity. Tej Kohli has always aimed to learn from his past and remain humble, which is why he has focused on philanthropy as he advanced and became more successful in business.
For one, he’s made waves towards eradicating poverty blindness by providing funding for thousands of corneal transplant operations. His Rewired fund is also helping to make incredible advancements in artificial intelligence, which could significantly impact recycling, renewable energy, and providing people with bionic limbs. His investments aim to help people and the planet, rather than hinder them, and that’s because he hasn’t lost sight of who he is and where he came from.
Nurture A Positive Working Environment
Working in a toxic environment doesn’t help anyone, especially when you’re a tech leader. If your employees are constantly being beaten down by negative influences, they’ll never achieve their best work. That reflects poorly on you and means that your output suffers from being poor-quality and more prone to failure.
As the CEO of Twitter – one of the most negative spaces on the internet – Jack Dorsey is aware of this. He has a tough fight on his hands, trying to curb some of the toxicity spewed online while ensuring fairness and equality on his platform. It seems that his work with Twitter, alongside his own personal rise to the top, has inspired him to be more decisive when it comes to his staff, though.
According to Dorsey, should someone be considered a toxic element in the company, they’re removed. It doesn’t matter who they are or what role they play; if they’re a negative influence, they’re gone. It has an astonishing impact on inspiring the rest of his staff to rise to the challenge, meaning you shouldn’t be afraid to follow his lead should the need arise.
Embrace Your Insecurities
You might think that to be at the top of your game, you have to banish all insecurities. Google CEO Sundar Pichai would argue differently, though.
A man who understands the importance of learning from his mistakes and remaining down to earth, he firmly believes that insecurities aren’t anything to be ashamed of. That’s because having them forces you to overcome them and prove yourself to others.
During an interview at Delhi University, he stated that if you’re comfortable in what you do, you’re not necessary pushing yourself to be the best you can be. Working with those you view as better than you can change that, though, as you feel like you have to be more on their level.
As someone who’s taken the slow and steady route to be in the incredible position he’s in now, Pichai is definitely a man whose advice you can trust. It may not be easy to embrace your insecurities, but pretending you don’t have any won’t do you any favours.
There’s so much more these leaders can teach us that we haven’t covered here. These points are definitely some of the most important to keep in mind, though.
