What failure teaches you that success never will
Failure rarely feels useful in the moment but it’s often where the real learning begins.
Most people measure success by what they achieve, but what if the real lessons come from the moments when things don’t go to plan?
In the latest episode of When Shift Happens, Saray Khumalo speaks to Louis Carstens, a business leader, psychologist and mountaineer, and Director at Partners in Performance, about the kind of setbacks that force you to rethink how you approach both life and work.
Carstens has summited some of the world’s highest peaks, including Everest. But it was his repeated attempts on Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain, that shaped him the most.
I learned more about the requirements for success from failing on these mountains than probably what I did from summiting these mountains.
For him, the shift came when he stopped looking outward for reasons and started looking inward.
Owning your decisions
“In life, you’ve got to own your life. You’ve got to take accountability. You can’t outsource critical decisions to other people.”
That thinking carries into his work, where he helps organisations and leaders improve performance under pressure and navigate complex change.
ALSO READ | LISTEN: The climb that changed everything: Saray Khumalo’s story
Stepping into change
Change, he says, is not something to avoid. It’s something to step into.
The conversation also touches on what it takes to adapt over time, whether that’s moving into new roles or reassessing how you show up in your personal life.
Setbacks are not the end of the story. They are often where things start to shift.
Listen to the full episode at the top of the page, or directly below.
About Louis Carstens
Louis Carstens is a Director at Partners in Performance, part of Accenture, where he leads the Financial Services practice in South Africa. He specialises in performance improvement, working at the intersection of business and psychology to help organisations, teams and individuals operate more effectively.
With over 30 years of experience, his career spans senior executive roles including Chief Strategy Officer positions in listed financial services, retail and manufacturing businesses across Southern Africa, as well as consulting roles with Monitor and Gemini Consulting.
He holds five degrees, including two master’s degrees and a PhD in organisational psychology, with a focus on stress management.
Outside of business, Louis is a high-altitude mountaineer. He has summited four of the world’s 8,000 metre peaks including Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Manaslu, and completed the Seven Summits. These experiences continue to shape how he thinks about leadership, accountability and performance under pressure.
Meanwhile: What will your leadership legacy be?
In the previous episode, Saray Khumalo speaks with Zureida Ebrahim, Group Chief Operating Officer at Old Mutual, about the moments that reshaped how she defines success.
Her reflection is simple: leadership is not only about what you achieve, but what you leave behind in others.
Listen to that conversation here.
About Saray Khumalo
Saray Khumalo is an award-winning mountaineer, business executive, speaker and author. She made history as the first Black African woman to summit Mount Everest and has also completed the Seven Summits challenge, climbing the highest mountain on each continent. Beyond mountaineering, Saray has built a successful corporate career and is the founder of Summits With a Purpose, an initiative that raises funds and builds physical and digital libraries in disadvantaged African communities. Through her partnership with Jacaranda FM, she now brings her leadership insights to audiences through When Shift Happens, a JacPod Original podcast dedicated to helping others navigate change and realise their potential.
Missed earlier episodes of When Shift Happens? Explore the full podcast series here.