As a young boy, Holger Götze was very interested in people. Having grown up with a father who was able to inspire people with his stories, Holger knew as early as then that he would make it his life’s mission to help make the world a little better by inspiring others. We had a quick chat with Holger by call.
Let us begin with your story. How did you come to be the first failure coach in Germany?
This is a very important question. On the one hand, you have the word ‘failure’, which in Germany, has mostly a negative meaning. Then on the other side, you have the word ‘coach’, which means development, a surge inside yourself. I think failure is a very, very powerful word. Failure happens every day. We all make failures, we all make mistakes. Whether we want to or not, we make them. In cases where you make a mistake or failure, something happens in your mind, with your emotions. You’re angry because you’re not happy to make failures. But this is the stadium where development can increase. Where you can change your mind when something happens.
I decided to be the first ‘failure coach’ to help people feel empowered. Obviously, they will make mistakes. Mistakes are not a bad thing. Mistakes are the next step to success. You make a mistake, you fail, and you learn something about it.
If you want to develop yourself, definitely, you need to make mistakes. Next, how do you work with people? How do you deal with mistakes?
There are many different situations. It’s not about the mistake made, but how each person deals with that mistake. A lot of times, people come to me and tell me, “I’m afraid of making mistakes!” If you’re afraid of making mistakes, then you can’t create any innovation.
When you do something new, when you take a step to somewhere you’ve never been before and you make a mistake, you will learn something new. After that mistake, when you take another step, you now know better and you can avoid that failure and you can try something new. This is innovation.
When I go to companies to hold coaching sessions, especially about leadership, I let them know that it’s okay to commit mistakes. This is important to boost their confidence because confidence is essential if you want to become a great leader. It’s all about mindset.
Definitely. Leadership is important and being a leader is an important role. As a leader, you’re the guy everyone looks to for direction. You’re the one responsible for your team’s success. the most important thing that team leaders must do.
Yes, absolutely. It’s important to be able to encourage your team to never give up, and that mistakes are okay. Sometimes, when people commit mistakes, they can become angry and think, “I’m not good enough. I give up.” This is wrong, instead, people should think, “I made a mistake, what can I do better next time?” So, the next time you commit the same mistake, you can look back and say, “What have I learned?” Then, you can decide better to increase your chance for success.
So, you’re writing a book right now? What is it about?
The title of this book is, “I Have Questions and More” and it contains life’s answers. It’s full of mistakes that I have made in my life. This book is full of real events that happened, both good and not so good. I want it to be interactive. Each chapter, I ask the reader, “What’s your story? Do you have a similar story?” I want to show people what it means to fail spectacularly. I want to inspire people and show them that despite this, the world is a beautiful place and that we should always remain positive.
Thanks for sharing your life story. This is an important topic for a lot of people, especially younger people who can’t help but feel like all hope is lost. Holger Götze, you truly are an inspiration to all.
Ladies and gentlemen, the first Failure Coach in Germany, Holger Götze—coach, speaker, and feel-good manager.
To hear more from Holger, you can visit his social media accounts.
WEBSITE: www.holgergoetze.de
FACEBOOK: @goetzecoaching
INSTAGRAM: goetzecoaching
(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
