An Illustrated Guide to Succeeding Where So Many Leaders Fail
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An Illustrated Guide to Succeeding Where So Many Leaders Fail
Leadership May 2, 2024

An Illustrated Guide to Succeeding Where So Many Leaders Fail

Failure happens. What can we learn from it?

Michael Meier

Based on insights from

Sanjay Khosla

Summary For business leaders, failure can be hard to talk about. And for good reason: failure stings. It puts a dent in our egos, exposes us to criticism, and leaves us feeling vulnerable. According to Sanjay Khosla, having the courage to acknowledge failures—and the humility to learn from them—is essential for top executives. In this clever illustrated comic, Khosla offers five lessons leaders can take from common leadership failures.

For most business leaders, talking about their failures may not come as naturally as trumpeting their successes. And for good reason: failure stings. It puts a dent in our egos, exposes us to criticism, and leaves us feeling vulnerable.

But according to Sanjay Khosla, a senior fellow and adjunct professor at the Kellogg School, having the courage to acknowledge failures—and the humility to learn from them—is essential for top executives. It’s why, as part of his executive leadership coaching, he asks his clients to share their biggest professional failures.

In this comic drawn by Michael Meier, Khosla lays out lessons that you can take away from five common leadership failures.

Featured Faculty
Sanjay Khosla

Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Marketing

About the Writer

Michael Meier is an illustrator based in Kassel, Germany.

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