If at First You Weren’t Chosen, Apply, Apply Again!

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." -- Robert F. Kennedy

The CXO Fellows Program has announced this year’s Fellows. But wait, there must be some mistake! Why isn’t your name on the list?

It’s understandable to be disappointed. The CXO Fellows Program is a valuable program for cross-functional, interagency collaboration and professional growth. There are many applicants every year and as much as we’d like to allow everyone who applies to join the program, there is a limited number admitted each year.

So, you’ve applied and weren’t chosen. Now what? Does this mean that you can never apply again? Nothing could be further from the truth! We encourage those who are not picked to apply again. If you fulfill the basic requirements, there’s no reason that you couldn’t become part of the program in the future. If anything, your tenacity proves that you have what it takes to be a CXO Fellow.

As you no doubt know, the program is designed for rising leaders with a passion to learn and grow. You’ve already demonstrated that you have that passion by applying. As a person with leadership qualities, it’s possible that you consider this a failure. Before you throw in the towel and insist that you’ll never apply again, consider these “failures.”

Thomas Edison famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” As a child he was told by his teachers that he would never succeed in life because “his mind wandered.”

Oprah Winfrey, multimedia executive who has a net worth in the billions, was fired from her first TV news anchor job for being “too emotionally invested” in her reporting.

Elvis Presley was turned down by early managers and bands because “he couldn’t sing.”

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team!

The world would’ve been a very different place if any of these icons had decided to give up at the first sign of “failure.”

Whatever the reason, this year was not your year to be a Fellow. Next year could well be your year, but there is a 100% chance that it won’t happen if you don’t try. Follow the CXO Fellows Program on LinkedIn for updates on our next application window, and apply, apply again!