In the summer of 1996, the England team were playing Germany in the semi-finals of the European Football Championships. The English side were confident, having just beaten Spain on penalties in the quarter finals. But after extra time, England and Germany were locked at 1-1. The result would be decided on penalties. The sides became locked in a nail-biting shootout that saw them tied at 5-5. England's Gareth Southgate stepped up to take the sixth penalty, but it was saved by Germany's Andreas Köpke. Köpke's teammate Andreas Möller then stepped up and won it for Germany, sending them to the final. Southgate was left to reflect on one of the most difficult moments of his career.
Failure is something most people experience at significant points in their lives. For many, it is a disappointing and isolating experience — one to be avoided wherever possible. But understanding why failure happens, and what to do with that knowledge, can lead to genuine growth. Failure is not the opposite of success. In many cases, it is a necessary part of it.
A Story About Table Tennis
Matthew Syed is an author and speaker who specialises in high performance. In his previous career, he was a table tennis player — the number one ranked England table tennis player for almost a decade.
Syed's father was a supportive figure who encouraged him to take risks: risks that would push him out of his comfort zone and help him reach his full potential. His father also instilled a strong sense of self-improvement, self-reliance, and tenacity.
In 2000, the Olympics was hosted by Sydney, Australia. After four years of sustained preparation, Syed was ready to attempt to take home a medal for Team GB. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and everything had been engineered for Syed to peak at this precise moment.
His first match was against the German player Peter Franz. Syed felt confident. His preparation had been ideal — a holding camp on the Gold Coast with two sparring partners who played in a style closely matched to Franz's.
Just before Syed entered the arena, the venue manager informed him that the BBC would be airing the match. He could already see Union Jacks being waved in the hands of the spectators waiting in the stands. Before he walked out, Syed's coach reflected on what lay ahead: the next 40 minutes would determine whether the last four years had been worth it.
Those words were intended to motivate and inspire. But Syed's early shots were deeply disappointing. He missed the table repeatedly and could not connect with the 80 mph ball to return it. It was a classic case of choking — a sports psychology term for performing well below capability under extreme pressure. Within 20 minutes, he was out of the tournament and out of the Olympics. He had lost 29-2.
Syed was lost and thoroughly disappointed. In that moment, he reflected on what had happened and felt that the sacrifices made to reach the Olympics had been a waste of time.
Adopting a Growth Mindset and Re-building After Failure
After two weeks in the doldrums, Syed's thinking began to shift. He considered whether learning more about why he had failed could help him perform better and develop a healthier relationship with failure. It was time to read — and he read widely.
Syed explored the psychology of stress and the brain patterns associated with high-pressure performance. He drew lessons from aviation, the military, and other sports where stress and failure are not just common but are actively studied and learned from.
What he discovered was that the way a person interprets failure is fundamental to how they respond to it. Interpreting failure as evidence of inadequacy — as confirmation that one simply does not have what it takes — is destructive. Interpreting it instead as an opportunity to learn, adjust, and improve is the basis for genuine development and progress.
Syed's growth mindset helped him go on to become English champion in 2001. In the same year, he also won the men's singles event at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in Delhi. He was also a member of the England men's team that won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002.
Making Failure Part of Success
Returning to Gareth Southgate: after that defeat in 1996, he did not allow the experience to define him negatively. Adopting a forward-looking mindset helped him to continue developing as a professional and, ultimately, to become manager of the England football team — leading the side to successive tournament finals in 2021 and 2024.
Success is not the absence of failure. It is the willingness to engage with failure, to understand it honestly, and to use it as the foundation for what comes next. The professionals who develop most consistently are not those who never fail, but those who respond to failure with curiosity and determination rather than avoidance.
How Professional Academy Supports Your Journey
Building resilience, developing a growth mindset, and understanding the psychology of high performance are all themes that sit at the heart of effective professional development. Whether the goal is to progress within a current role, move into management, or develop a broader skill set, Professional Academy offers a range of qualifications designed to support that ambition.
From CIM marketing qualifications to CMI management and leadership programmes, there is a pathway to suit professionals at every level. Use the Qualifications Navigator to find the right fit, or book a call with the team to discuss your options.
