The Impact of Falling: Janja Garnbret

In last week's Scholar Spotlight, Amélie Coulon, a Laidlaw Scholar at @EPFL, reflected on her leadership journey. In her spotlight, Amélie expressed her admiration for the professional rock climber Janja Garnbret. Amélie explained her respect for Garnbret, stemming from her blend of strength, confidence, skill, and persistence, which shows what sustained effort can achieve, also reminding other women that ambitious goals are worth pursuing. Her achievements prove that high-performance arenas are not limited by gender, a message that resonates far beyond the sports world.

This week, we reflect on Garnbret's perspective on the importance of falling over and over again, which ultimately leads to success:

Janja Garnbret: "99 percent of my training is falling. Training for climbing means falling over and over again".

Janja Garnbret achieved success early in her  twenties. At the age of just 18, she topped the World Cup in lead in 2017, as well as in 2018, 2021, and 2022. In 2019, she achieved the unthinkable at the Bouldering World Cup season, winning all six events. She won a Gold medal at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021, and again in Paris. She is undoubtedly one of the most successful climbers in the world, as well as the top female climber. Garnbret discovered her passion for climbing early in her childhood, when she wanted to be "the best in everything." However, as she realised she couldn't be the best in everything, she chose to focus on just one thing - climbing.

Garnbret loves everything about climbing: most of all, the training, the process, and the progress that comes with it. Her love for her discipline remains steadfast, even when 99 percent of it consists of falling over and over again.

Leadership Rooted in Persistence

Garnbret's words remind us that success is often achieved after trying over and over again, failing, and bouncing back. Often, the most successful individuals not only aim for the end goal, but are satisfied with the process: the journey to success is a marathon, not a sprint.

Garnbret's approach aligns with the Laidlaw value of being #Determined and the Oxford Character Project Leadership Virtue of #Drive. Being determined means accepting a journey of falling over and over again before you reach your goals. Drive means working passionately and with grit, whatever your discipline.