How often do we let the fear of failure or disappointment stop us from venturing into something — all too often, must be the answer, unfortunately.

Mr T.T. Ashok, Chairman, CII Southern Region, touched on this point when he referred to a ‘risk averse society' being one of the challenges for growing entrepreneurship in his address at the CII Regional Emerging Entrepreneur Awards.

At the event that showcased success, Mr Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, also highlighted the importance of not letting such fear get the better of us and for entrepreneurs to learn from the failures.

Sports can be a hard field that teaches the need for sustained effort, said Mr Nithavrianakis recalling a recent interaction he had with Abhinav Bindra, who bagged a gold medal in Beijing Olympics in the air rifle shooting event. The disappointment that preceded this victory had its share in shaping him for the success. Bindra had vied for the top honour in the previous two Olympics. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, his first such participation, he had been a teenager and in the subsequently Athens Olympics, as a serious contender, he had been disappointed when he had not come out on top for reasons beyond his control.

But Bindra had “learnt from failure the hard way” and this had helped shape his victory at Beijing. Business can often be much like such sporting event.

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