MasterClass CEO David Rogier has sat down with hundreds of successful people, from tennis star Serena Williams to former Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, to learn what sets them apart from everyone else. Rogier’s top takeaway: Some common myths about success need dispelling.
“I think we have this myth that, if you just work hard, things will be OK [and] you’ll be successful,” says Rogier. “That’s not true.” Hard work, while essential, is just one necessary ingredient of success alongside pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, making mistakes and learning from those failures, he adds.
Within that advice is another common myth worth debunking, Rogier says: the idea that you shouldn’t be afraid of failure. “I think that’s bulls---,” he says.
A healthy fear of failure is what drives people to strive for success, and the key is to overcome those fears by taking necessary risks, says Rogier. Successful people tend to push ahead while accepting failure as both a potential outcome and a learning opportunity, he says. It’s an example of the so-called “growth mindset” that is a hallmark of many successful people, psychologists often say.
“I’d be scared of somebody who’s not afraid to fail,” says Rogier.
