Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 09: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates on the ... [+] field after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Getty Images Great leaders don’t just endure failure—they use it as fuel. Jalen Hurts took Super Bowl Sunday to show how it’s done. Two years ago, Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles walked off the field in Super Bowl LVII as the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their victory. For many, that loss could have been just another setback, a moment to forget. But Hurts made sure he would never forget. He didn’t just move on—he held on. Then he moved forward. Hurts kept the sting of that loss front and center, setting a picture of himself leaving the field that night as the screensaver on his phone. It was a constant reminder, not of failure, but of unfinished business. Talking to the media about it before Super Bowl LIX, Hurts offered a blunt take on why he uses that picture as the backdrop of his phone. “I don’t need a screensaver to remind me of anything, but it’s there,” he said. “Let’s just see if it changes.” It changed alright. Hurts led the Eagles to a dominant 40-22 victory over the Chiefs, in a rematch that wasn’t as close as the score might suggest. He went 17 for 22, throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns while adding 72 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground. There was no doubt—he was the Super Bowl MVP. And in the aftermath of that performance, analysts placed him firmly among the league’s elite quarterbacks. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 09: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles and Head coach Nick ... [+] Sirianni celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Getty Images This wasn’t just about one game. Hurts had been singularly focused on getting back to the Super Bowl ever since that bitter loss two years prior. He spoke about it to the media before the season even started, making it clear that his team’s collapse after a 10-1 start last year was a lesson, not a limitation. “Everybody’s hungry,” Hurts said. “You talk about the opportunity in front of us this year. I’m excited to be back. Excited to go through this journey with everyone here. Everyone.” MORE FOR YOU Most Sophisticated Gmail Attacks Ever—FBI Says: Do Not Click Anything Sony Reveals Compensation For All PS Plus Players After PSN Outage ‘MAGA Is Unforgiving’: Trump Mocks Taylor Swift After Some Spectators Boo Her At Super Bowl That hunger—the ability to turn disappointment into drive—is something business leaders should take note of. Ryan Leak, an executive coach and pastor, understands this principle well. He often speaks to businesses about his own failure to make the NBA after a successful college basketball career, and how it propelled him to achieve greatness in other areas. “People turn their failures into their identity,” Leak said in an interview with Kimberly Whitler, a fellow Forbes contributor. “They think just because they’ve failed, they’re now a failure. But I like to remind people that failure is an event, it’s not an outfit—don’t wear it. We have to shift our perception that failure isn’t final.” For great teams—whether in sports or business—failure isn’t a dead end. It’s a data point. The best don’t just learn from losses; they leverage them. Leak puts it simply: “The lessons you learn from losses can be transferred to future wins.” As the NFL moves on to the 2025-2026 season, who will follow Hurts’ lead? Which teams and players will use their setbacks as stepping stones to success? And for business leaders—the question is even more personal: What failures are you using as fuel? Because the difference between good and great isn’t avoiding failure. It’s how you respond to it. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here. Editorial Standards Forbes Accolades