It’s generally better to ask forgiveness than permission. At least according to Jon Sockell, a highly successful tech entrepreneur and startup builder, and an alumnus of Owen Graduate School of Management (MBA ’12). Sockell, who has co-founded a range of venture-backed companies, including Limbix and Ensis AI, and has worked across healthcare, logistics, and artificial intelligence, believes that real success comes from being willing to jump in and take action, even when the risk of failure is high.
On this month’s episode of One Thousand Ways to Lead, Sockell offers this, along with other valuable kernels of wisdom he’s gleaned from a career spent inside the world of fast-moving startups. A career in which he’s grown just as much from failure as from success. In fact, according to Sockell, it’s a frame of mind willing to embrace failure that really fosters true leadership. Because, as he says, “Failure is the fastest way to learn.”
This is the sort of thinking that has allowed Sockell to thrive in the fast-paced world of entrepreneurial startups. But it’s not just a willingness to fail that has helped him succeed. In this month’s OTWTL episode, Sockell dives deep into organizational elements that can make or break a successful business. Things like building trust through autonomy, leaving people free to swim in their own lanes, and avoiding bottlenecks at the top, just to name a few.
Beyond that, Sockell champions the power of pursuing your own interests and making sure to maintain a decent work-life balance. Which, for him, revolves mostly around family and golf.
For anyone looking to jump-start their entrepreneurial career, or maybe just burnish the one they already have, this is a can’t-miss episode. And if you need to steal some time away from work or family obligations to listen to it, just remember; it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission. Jon Sockell says so.
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