Don't be afraid of failure.

Robyn Denholm (61 years old) is the Chairwoman of Tesla, the American electric vehicle giant. "I believe in this company, I believe in its mission, and I want to help Tesla achieve sustainable profitability and drive long-term shareholder value," she said upon becoming Chairwoman of Tesla.

Prior to joining Tesla, Denholm was the CEO of Telstra, a leading Australian telecommunications company. She worked for network equipment manufacturer Juniper Networks for nine years and is credited with significantly boosting Juniper's revenue. From 1996 to 2007, she held various roles at software company Sun Microsystems.

Denholm was widely regarded as a calm, reserved individual who occasionally took calculated risks. For example, as Chief Financial Officer at Juniper Networks, Denholm resisted pressure from Wall Street to cut costs and lay off employees, defending the company's decision to invest in research and development. According to some analysts, this strategy proved successful.

Recalling his journey joining Tesla, Denholm said that in 2014, Tesla had 9,000 employees, all cars were manufactured in Fremont, California (USA), and only about 30,000 vehicles were produced. By 2023, Tesla had produced nearly 1 million cars and had over 110,000 employees, with factories operating virtually across three continents.

She admitted that her career trajectory had deviated from her initial vision. In her 20s, she envisioned retiring at 45 to enjoy a leisurely life and travel . However, by her 30s, she realized this dream was unlikely to materialize and continued to build her career.

Lessons about failure and courage

Denholm made a significant career shift in 2018 when she left her high-paying position at Telstra to become Chairwoman of Tesla, despite skepticism from friends. They questioned Denholm's decision to leave a leadership role at a leading Australian company to work for a controversial and unprofitable firm.

In a speech, Denholm spoke about the risks she faced in her career, emphasizing her alignment with Elon Musk's mindset, characterized by a willingness to take bold steps even at the risk of failure.

For Denholm, fostering a spirit of learning from failure is essential. She explains that by acknowledging failure, individuals feel empowered to take risks and explore new ideas without fear. Denholm argues that while gradual innovation is an effective way to innovate within a company, taking big risks is often more valuable.

"Real breakthroughs happen when you push beyond your limits. So, if you don't expect or embrace failure, that doesn't create the right mindset in the company to move things forward," she said. Denholm's most cherished message is "keep trying, despite your limitations or outside opinions."

When it comes to courage, Denholm believes it's not about jumping out of a plane, going to the moon, or swimming with sharks. For her, it's about those unseen moments of doing the right thing, standing up for others, changing perspectives, and going against the crowd. "For me, it's about having the courage to take risks, knowing you might fail, but never stopping to learn from the experience," the Tesla president shared.

Lessons about failure and courage

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