Don’t let Dr. Rory Howlett discourage you. Back in 1992 Dr. Howlett, then an associate editor at Nature magazine sent a polite, but firm rejection letter to Dr. Peter Ratcliffe turning down his article on the mechanics of genetic responses to hypoxia.

Fast forward to 2019. Last week, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Dr. Ratcliffe and his colleagues Dr. William G. Kaelin Jr. and Dr. Gregg L. Semenza, for unlocking the secret to how cells sense and adapt to changing levels of oxygen. While I don’t know much about cellular biology, or genes and their absorption of oxygen, the Nobel Prize committee does. And contrary to Dr. Howlett, they thought that Dr. Ratcliffe’s insights were quite revolutionary.

Now, I don’t mean to pick unfairly on Dr. Howlett. Perhaps Dr. Ratcliffe’s initial work was unclear or not substantiated adequately. What is important is that Dr. Ratcliffe went back to the drawing board – or in his case the laboratory – and continued his work. And twenty-seven years later he was awarded the world’s most prestigious academic prize.

There are many lessons that can be gleaned from this story of rejection, but I think two are particularly pertinent to how we run our businesses.

· Stay Focused on Your Vision – There is nothing as critical or fundamental as knowing your goal and continuing to move towards it. Dr. Ratcliffe received his Nobel recognition twenty-seven years after his initial article was rejected by Nature. The Nobel Prize may not have been in the forefront of his mind, but I’ll bet that in his heart he knew he was onto something in his research. Over the years he kept at it, collaborated with and learned from others, and made ground-breaking discoveries. 

· Learn From the Experience – The scientific process embraces failure. In business, we should do the same. No business is perfect, and every time we fall short can be a learning experience, as failure helps us identify where improvements are required. Dr. Howlett’s rejection letter provided comments from two academic referees and he wisely advised Dr. Ratcliffe to consider those comments in future revisions of his manuscript. No doubt Dr. Ratcliffe learned from his rejection, as evidenced by his upcoming trip to Stockholm.

Don’t let the Dr. Howletts in your world discourage you. If you experience rejection or failure, remember to keep focused on your vision and learn from your experience. You may not win the Nobel Prize, but you’ll be well on your way to success.