How I Failed My Way Forward | Mathew Isac | TEDxSJIM

Quick Overview

The speaker, Mathew Isac, shares his personal story of overcoming setbacks, including failing the IIT entrance exam and later being diagnosed with lung cancer, by choosing to redefine his status quo, embrace disruption, and focus on continuous reinvention fueled by passion, which ultimately led him to success as an entrepreneur and coach.

Key Points: Mathew Isac failed the IIT entrance exam (scoring 82%) and was rejected from a private engineering college, opting instead for a BSc in a Tier 2 town. His first major setback involved a low rank in his second attempt at the IIT entrance exam (Rank 3376) and subsequent failure to get into the desired B-school (IIM), leading him to accept a job in an unfamiliar territory (Delhi). He experienced a significant personal setback in 1989 when his father, a BSE-educated man, was diagnosed with lung cancer, forcing him to rush back home. The speaker advocates for the principle that 'Extraordinary = Ordinary + Extra,' emphasizing the need for extra focus, integrity, responsibility, ethos, courage, and passion to move beyond the ordinary. He advises leaders to use disruption as an opportunity to reinvent, thrive, and inspire by adopting the ACT framework: Accept setback, Choose resilience, Try again. The speaker emphasizes that reinvention is continual, requiring continuous upskilling and finding a purpose larger than oneself, rather than trying to be a 'superstar' competitor.

Context: This TEDx talk, presented by Mathew Isac at TEDxSJIM, is a personal narrative detailing the speaker's journey through significant academic and personal failures, culminating in his decision to embrace disruption and continuous reinvention. He outlines the mindset shifts and actionable principles he adopted, derived from his experiences with academic rejection, career pivots, and a major family health crisis, to achieve success and impact.

Detailed Analysis

Mathew Isac delivers a motivational talk centered on overcoming failure and embracing continuous reinvention, encapsulated by the theme 'How I Failed My Way Forward.' He begins by detailing his early academic failures: failing the IIT entrance exam (scoring 82%) and subsequently failing to enter a desired B-school after his BSc, which led him to a job in Delhi where he hated the work (auditing/finance). A major personal turning point occurred in 1989 when his father was diagnosed with lung cancer, forcing him to return home. This disruption led him to realize that his career path, dictated by others' expectations (like aiming for IIT/IIM), was not his true calling. He describes the second major setback in 2009 when his status quo shifted, leading him to quit his role as an FP&A manager in a global company to join a startup in an unfamiliar domain (EdTech in Hyderabad). He cites the example of his father's friend, Chandran, who, despite academic excellence, failed to get into his desired field and later struggled with the same challenges, illustrating that external validation like status quo is insufficient. Isac stresses that 'Extraordinary = Ordinary + Extra,' where 'Extra' stands for qualities like Focus, Integrity, Responsibility, and Ethos. He concludes by presenting the 'ACT' framework for dealing with disruption: Accept setback, Choose resilience, Try again. He asserts that reinvention is continual, requiring leaders to redefine their roles, upskill, and find a purpose larger than themselves, rather than competing in their existing niche.