Reggie Fils-Aimé: Disrupting Gaming & Success
Reggie Fils-Aimé is a gaming legend. He was President & COO of Nintendo of America Inc, and from his humble childhood as the son of Haitian immigrants fleeing a dictatorship, he rose…
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Reggie Fils-Aimé is a gaming legend. He was President & COO of Nintendo of America Inc, and from his humble childhood as the son of Haitian immigrants fleeing a dictatorship, he rose…
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You have to make decisions throughout your life and be prepared to accept responsibility for those decisions. There is also confidence that comes from learning a set of skills – and that confidence allows you to challenge the status quo, push back on people who may not be supporters, and really drive your own agenda in a positive way.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
I continue to go back to that same economically depressed neighbourhood that I grew up in, in the Bronx. I tell these people that I was them, 60 years ago, and they can be me as they continue their journey. I hope to continue shining that path and encouraging others as they pursue their own dreams.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
As I progressed in my career, there were always moments where I asked myself whether I was good enough for that next challenge. I was often the youngest person in the room, and typically the only brown face in the room. I took the fact that I felt I wasn't good enough as a challenge.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
My maternal grandfather was exiled from Haiti and remained outspoken, highlighting the cruelty being inflicted on the Haitian population. His experience shaped me – and shaped my own mentality of being tough, resilient, picking myself up from disappointments, and continuing to move forward. We cannot be paralysed with disappointment when things don't go the way we want.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
Innovation is a skill, a teachable skill, just like management. If you focus on a handful of key principles, you can effectively drive innovation in any type of business. Innovative companies are not afraid of failure – they're willing to take risks, fail forward, learn from missteps, pivot, and keep going.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
You have to make decisions throughout your life and be prepared to accept responsibility for those decisions. There is also confidence that comes from learning a set of skills – and that confidence allows you to challenge the status quo.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
I took the fact that I felt I wasn't good enough as a challenge. This is where I give some of my early bosses and mentors a lot of credit. They invested their time in my training and development.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
He had the grit and determination to go, to tell that story, and to tell the world what was happening. His experience shaped me – and shaped my own mentality of being tough, resilient, picking myself up from disappointments, and continuing to move forward.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
Innovation is a skill, a teachable skill, just like management. If you focus on a handful of key principles, you can effectively drive innovation in any type of business.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era
Innovative companies are not afraid of failure – they're willing to take risks, fail forward, learn from missteps, pivot, and keep going.
— Reggie Fils-AiméFormer President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era