David Rawlinson, CEO of Qurate Retail, the parent company of West Chester-based QVC, is one of just five Black CEOs heading a Fortune 500 company, writes Stephen Nartey for Face to Face Africa. 

However, Rawlinson, who is currently in charge of seven leading retail brands under the umbrella of Qurate Retail, had a brush with failure early in his career as a lawyer. This served as a great wake-up call and helped him make the right moves in his rise to success. 

There are the three main lessons he believes were instrumental in securing his success. 

He learned early that he should never be complacent. While working at his first law firm he was receiving rave reviews until he became complacent and then began getting bad reviews. 

He also realized that a defensive mechanism is an enemy of growth. He noticed that his comeback during the early years of his law career happened when he started opening himself up to the feedback and constructive reviews he had received in the past. 

Finally, he learned the importance of paying attention to context and choosing which one to belong to in each stage of his life. 

Read more about David Rawlinson in Face to Face Africa. 

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