This is the twelfth article in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties, and this time we’re talking about how failure can sometimes be a good thing. We all make mistakes from time to time, but one of the things that defines us is our ability to learn from them. In fact, many would argue that success can’t be reached without a few failures along the way - we shouldn’t think of ‘failure’ as such a negative word. All it means is that we tried something that didn’t quite work, in order to find out what does work. Even science is built on this very premise.

Oliver Simpson
Recent posts by Oliver Simpson
2 min read
How to turn failure into success
By Oliver Simpson on 13 February 2018
Topics: Accelerating your career
2 min read
How commitment can impact your career
By Oliver Simpson on 08 February 2018
This is the eleventh article in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties, and today we’re talking about commitment. In other words, always following through on promises and finishing what you start. The last thing you want to do is gain a reputation for being a ‘non-finisher’. As you get on in your career, you’ll find that this reputation becomes increasingly hard to shake off, so don’t start down that road. This doesn’t necessarily mean giving up all of your free time to finish a task because you’ve over-promised - it’s more about being open and honest with yourself and your colleagues.
Topics: Accelerating your career
3 min read
How to use communication to get ahead in your career
By Oliver Simpson on 06 February 2018
This is the tenth article in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties, and this time we’re focusing on the art of communication. Communication skills are vastly underappreciated in most workplaces. Many of us get through day-to-day work life without really thinking about how we communicate, but it really does penetrate every aspect of who we are and what we do. Whether you’re sitting at a desk typing emails, making phone calls or working face-to-face with people in a group, how we put ourselves forward can have a huge impact on our careers.
Topics: Accelerating your career
3 min read
How to make your strengths and weaknesses work for you
By Oliver Simpson on 02 February 2018
This is the ninth article in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties and it's all about analysing your strengths and weaknesses. We all want to perform well in our roles at work. If you’re a twenty-something trying to make your way in a busy working environment, you should absolutely use your initiative and play to your strengths wherever possible. At this stage in your career, it’s okay to make mistakes so long as you can rectify them and learn from them. However, a big part of knowing your own strengths and value lies in understanding your weaknesses.
Topics: Accelerating your career
3 min read
How to develop your own leadership style
By Oliver Simpson on 30 January 2018
This is the eighth article in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties and it's all about leadership. There are no doubt people in your workplace that make leading look easy. Those managers and supervisors who can effortlessly direct projects and motivate people to meet deadlines. That’s because part of being a good leader is acting well under pressure and being able to handle the responsibility of crucial deadlines. Chances are, these people in your company have been honing these skills for decades, so where does that leave you as a twenty-something who’s still relatively new to their job? Here’s a secret: you don’t need to be in a superior position of authority to be a leader.
Topics: Accelerating your career
2 min read
How being a team player can really benefit your career
By Oliver Simpson on 25 January 2018
This is the seventh article in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties and it's all about playing well in a team. In past posts we’ve covered networking, thought leadership and the importance of good planning, but none of this matters if you don’t have the collaborative mindset to work well in a group.
Topics: Accelerating your career
2 min read
How to plan and set goals for your career
By Oliver Simpson on 22 January 2018
We’re now up to the sixth in our twenty-part series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties. Last time we focused on the importance of thought leadership and how it can help you carve out an identity and stand out among your peers. This time we’re focusing on something that even career veterans still struggle with from time to time - planning.
Topics: Accelerating your career
2 min read
How to become a thought leader
By Oliver Simpson on 18 January 2018
Topics: Accelerating your career
3 min read
How to take your career to the next level with networking
By Oliver Simpson on 16 January 2018
This is the fourth post in our series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing lots of useful tips and advice in these articles to help you master the early stages of your career and rise quickly through the ranks. In this post we look at how to network and why it’s important.
Topics: Accelerating your career
2 min read
How to commit to your career (and prove it)
By Oliver Simpson on 12 January 2018
This is the third post in our series on how to accelerate your career in your twenties. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing lots of useful tips and advice in these articles to help you master the early stages of your career and rise quickly through the ranks. This week we look at the importance of commitment.