Welcome to The H-Files: 5-in-5, the weekly dose of distilled insight from healthcare leaders — in five minutes or less.
In this episode, I reflect on my conversation with Dave Taylor, CEO of Valley Diagnostics, who's navigating the hard road of building a medtech company from scratch.
We cover five key lessons — from funding dilemmas and NHS barriers, to vision, values, and health economics plus one action step you can take right now for each.
Whether you’re an innovator, founder, or investor , this one’s for you.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in leadership? The fear of failure. And guess what? It’s not just affecting leaders - it’s holding entire teams back.

Too many businesses get stuck because their teams are terrified of making mistakes. Perfectionism leads to delays, stress, and, ironically, more failure.

In this Five in Five, I break down five key takeaways from my conversation with Cas Rix, a leadership expert with nearly 30 years of experience in strategic thinking, team dynamics, and guiding leadership teams through critical transitions.

We explore:
✅ Why fear of failure kills innovation
✅ How perfectionism leads to business stagnation
✅ Why failure should be embraced, not avoided
✅ How leaders can set the tone for a culture of resilience
✅ Practical steps to build a high-performing team that fails fast and learns faster

If you’re in healthcare, startups, or leadership, this one’s for you!

🔥 Hit play, drop a comment, and let me know—what’s one failure that taught you a valuable lesson?

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