Best Career Mistakes

Many of the most successful people didn't have a straightforward or easy path to the top. They made big mistakes, missed big opportunities, and suffered harsh setbacks.

What distinguishes them is the way they responded. 

LinkedIn recently asked more than 60 of its influencers what their "best career mistake" was — something that seemed like a disaster at the time that ended up being incredibly beneficial. 

For example, Asana co-founder Justin Rosenstein failed to get an early version of Google Drive off the ground because he didn't push hard enough for the project. "Larry [Page] was so successful and smart," he said. "I just didn’t have the confidence back then to do what I wish I’d done in hindsight." But that mistake has made him a better leader today.

When Vivian Schiller (Chief Digital Officer at NBC) started in the media industry, she was told that she should choose either the creative or business route, but she was interested in both, so she never chose:

"I loved the creative side — developing documentaries, editing scripts, constructing story narratives. However, I also loved the business end. I made distribution deals with foreign broadcasters, worked with ad sales on sponsorship packages and marketing extensions. I took some interesting detours: licensing and merchandising for Captain Planet and the Planeteers; marketing the Golden Globes for TBS. It was a rush. So I kept deferring the decision about what I wanted to be"

When starting her career, Rita King (EVP at Science House) wanted to move to California to become "the ultimate modern gonzo journalist," but her car broke down in Albuquerque, New Mexico along the way. Here, she heard about a job opportunity with America Online and decided to stay for the job. That's when her "education in the complete spectrum of human behaviors" began.

At the time, King thought it was a mistake to stay, but years later, back in New York, she was able to pitch her story to the Village Voice. It eventually became the cover story called "Terms of Service: Sweaty Scenes from the Life of an AOL Censor":

"Not only did this serve to launch my career as a journalist, but it also created an unexpected side-effect. I became a specialist in understanding identity shifts in the digital realm, as well as the role of corporate culture in society. I've continued to work on digital identity on projects around the world."

In 1995, Inge Geerdens (CEO CVWarehouse) had just started her first job at a recruitment company. At the time, investing in IT was still a new thing and when her boss said that she didn't think the company would be investing in "expensive IT," Geerdens communicated her disappointment and was fired a few days later:

"I started my very own tech-savvy recruitment company. Not to prove [my boss] wrong; I just felt very strongly about my vision on the future. In just 5 years I built a strong brand and I sold it soon afterwards, focusing even more on the opportunities the Internet has on offer with a new company and my very own online recruitment solution.  Looking back on this episode, I’m even grateful. It's amazing how things turned out. Every mistake and every choice you ever make has an influence on your path in life. Nothing is written, but I truly believe it is worth following your guts. I fell and stood back up stronger. What I learned? Nobody is too young to have a vision for the company."  Read more: