FitFlop Founder Marcia Kilgore on How to Bounce Back From Failure

As the founder of the FitFlop shoe brand — and multiple beauty and wellness companies including Bliss Spa — Marcia Kilgore is a study in fortitude. “I fail every day that our numbers don’t hit our targets,” she admitted. “I bounce back because there is always another day. I like to think that I am never failing; I am either winning or I am learning. And all that learning eventually makes me better, and closer to winning.”

In terms of the day-to-day, Kilgore recommends that female leaders follow her “80/20 rule,” devoting 80 percent of their time to the tasks they excel at and using the remaining 20 percent to learn how something else works. “You’ve got to understand the whole ecosystem to be really effective,” she said.

And having a mastery of the entire organization is also beneficial when it comes to negotiating for your next raise or promotion, Kilgore advised.

“Make yourself really valuable. Be the person the organization can’t live without. Don’t just do your job, do your job and a half. Know the whole system. Be impressive. Offer more than anyone else at your level,” she said. “It will be returned back to you when you ask for a raise.”

And rather than seek out a specific career mentor along the way, Kilgore recommends that women dive in and constantly ask questions of colleagues and supervisors in order to learn from failures and successes.

“Life is your mentor. Work is your mentor,” she said. “And with the additional discipline of deliberate practice — being careful to not repeat mistakes — you can really develop your skills and your career.”

A version of this article appeared in the June 3 print issue of FN, as part of the “Women Who Rock” special section. On June 5, FN and Two Ten Footwear Foundation honored these women at a live event in New York City.