Not too long ago, I wrote an article about‘Losing the game, but winning the match’. The article received great feedback and overwhelming positivity, especially about my willingness to unpack a complex topic that speaks about not always winning. 

I had written the piece in my personal capacity, and I found it interesting when people asked me how the article and the attitude displayed therein impacts me as the CEO of the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN). 

Of course, as CEO, your task is to navigate the organisation through challenges and obstacles to achieve the set goals, mission and vision. 

At the same time, you must be an exemplary leader to your employees/team at all levels and understand your role as a public figure in your functions. 

One surefire way to fail in your position as a CEO is to think you cannot make any mistakes. As we teach our children, we all make mistakes. The most important thing is to learn from your mistakes, and is something that I always strive to do, though it can be challenging at times.

Sometimes we are just too stubborn and set in our ways but learn we must. If we take a ‘big picture’ view of things and examine the ‘broader idea of success’, you will realise that achieving your goals and success is harder than most people think. 

Otherwise, everyone would have been successful, every nation would have a booming economy, and the Olympics would look very different. 

Success is borne of failure, perseverance, flexibility and a vision. It is like walking through a maze; there is a starting point, and you know the way to success is there somewhere, but getting there is not a straight line. 

Over the years, I have had many instances where I believed we were on the right track as a leader of an organisation, and that if we just forged ahead, we would find success – only to be met with a dead end. 

Those are not the moments to give up; just like in a maze, you know the path to success, and you know that the exit is there; you just need to take a different turn and try again. 

The secret to this is to be agile enough as an organisation, and instil flexibility in your team so that you can change direction without ever losing sight of the end-goal. 

You can bang your head against the wall and even try to move through it, but it makes more sense to circle back a bit and take a different approach. 

For some reading this may be surprised that I am speaking so openly about mistakes and failures, but it is essential to acknowledge them, and learn from them. Continuing down the wrong path can be financially catastrophic, especially in a financial institution like DBN. 

I do not believe that acknowledging your mistakes is a sign of weakness; a sign of weakness would be to continue doing the same thing in the same way, but expecting a different result. 

My colleagues and staff are smart and if they see their CEO making the same mistakes repeatedly without trying to adapt the roadmap, they will start questioning my leadership. And soon, they will stop following me. I certainly would too. 

Finding your way out of the maze is possible; for that is where success and the exit lie. You must have enough self-belief not to quit at the first dead-end, and know that you will have to be flexible enough to adapt your plans. The same goes for achieving real and long-term success. 

*Dr John Steytler, CEO of the Development Bank of Namibia.