Stuart Lawson gave a lively and entertaining talk to the A and B pupils entitled “Successful Failure” arguing that failure is a great teacher and we should not be afraid of it.
His successful career in international banking as CEO and Chairman was punctuated by setbacks and he said that he was sacked five times. He declared that this developed his resilience and that now he lectured in universities and business schools around the world sharing his experiences and the encouragement to bounce back stronger and wiser.
He gave his talk directly after enjoying a lunchtime concert and recognised that by performing music the pupils regularly opened themselves up to the possibility of failure. The audience response gave very direct feedback, so the cycle of learning for a performer could be very much faster than in most careers. His audience responded enthusiastically.