Entrepreneur, philanthropist, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Ambition & Solutions, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, mayor of NYC, father, grandfather, and data nerd.
44 years ago this week, I was fired from the only full-time job I’d ever had, when Salomon Brothers merged with another company. I had started as an entry-level clerk and worked my way up to partner. It was a great firm and a place where I might have spent my entire career. But after 15 years, I was told: That's it. The morning after my last day, I started the company that became Bloomberg. All of us have failed, and failure is often the great catalyst of growth and success. If you've had a point of failure that had a profound impact on your life, please share it in the comments below.
Mike Bloomberg An amazing story. Serendipity? What was the most important factor in your success?
What I say to wonderful humans I get to talk to whose position was eliminated is this: You have made a difference in this place and now you're meant to make a difference somewhere else.
I am reminded of the great film, 'The Shawshank Redemption'. Red (Morgan Freeman) has been in prison for 20 years for murder and he comes before the parole board. He gives a convincing performance that he is rehabilitated but is rejected. 10 years later he come before the board again and the same scenario plays out. At 40 years, he couldn't give a damn, is cynical and is flippant. This time he is paroled. I applied to become a magistrate (a part-time lay judge in the English criminal courts) and I had the blessing of my boss at the time, the author of this post, Mike Bloomberg. I applied and was rejected. I applied a year later, was short-listed but still did not succeed. I applied a third time. I came before a panel and, including a Lady So and So. She spoke in plumb English tones. 'Mr. Seeff, this is your third application, are you not despondent?' I thought that was a very stupid question. No longer fearing rejection, I flippantly answered as follows. 'Lady So and So, if I were despondent, I wouldn't be here, now would I'. Of course I wanted to add another few choice words, but I refrained. On that occasion I succeeded and was appointed. I went on to have a 20-year, very fruitful, part-time career in the magistracy.
Great story
Such a great example of finding opportunity within unexpected change.
should’ve been fired a while ago.
You call it is failure with 10M package to start your own company!
Truly inspiring
Founder & CEO, Gifftid Ltd. Scale SMEs AI, Data, Intelligence enabling access to Growth/Impact Finance and Supply Chain. 1x Exit, Tech/Impact Investor, AI/Tech Entrepreneur, UK Global Talent Visa Recipient
1 周Mike Bloomberg I’ve only experienced reality each time I failed. A full life means having many doses of failure - that which teach us lessons. Then it transforms and grow us.