Reflections on Bear Grylls’ keynote at the Gartner Symposium Barcelona 2025 — exploring how failure, fear, fire and faith shape the way we lead, grow and endure.
Regarding the article's perspective on resilience, I find the re-framing of it as a personal covenant exeptionally insightful. The point about failure being a doorway rather than an end, presented without embellishment, resonates deeply. It is a powerful analytical approach to an often oversimplified concept in business.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response.
The idea of resilience as a personal covenant struck me as well.
It isn’t a new concept.
Stoicism has carried that wisdom for centuries, but Bear’s framing feels far more suited to the realities of the modern age.
We talk about resilience so much in business that it can become abstract, but when you strip it back to how we respond in the moments that genuinely test us, it becomes far more human and far more honest.
I’m glad the framing of failure as a doorway resonated, it’s one of the few concepts that feels universally true, whatever role we sit in.
In your life or career right now — which pillar feels most alive for you?
Failure — learning and adapting
Fear — facing what’s next
Fire — keeping the spark alive
Faith — believing when outcomes aren’t clear
Which one word resonates with you right now?
Regarding the article's perspective on resilience, I find the re-framing of it as a personal covenant exeptionally insightful. The point about failure being a doorway rather than an end, presented without embellishment, resonates deeply. It is a powerful analytical approach to an often oversimplified concept in business.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response.
The idea of resilience as a personal covenant struck me as well.
It isn’t a new concept.
Stoicism has carried that wisdom for centuries, but Bear’s framing feels far more suited to the realities of the modern age.
We talk about resilience so much in business that it can become abstract, but when you strip it back to how we respond in the moments that genuinely test us, it becomes far more human and far more honest.
I’m glad the framing of failure as a doorway resonated, it’s one of the few concepts that feels universally true, whatever role we sit in.