Sometimes, Moving Forward Means Taking a Step Back
We often imagine professional success as a staircase. You work hard, gain experience, earn a promotion and continue climbing. Ideally, always upward.
But professional development rarely follows such a predictable path. Sometimes the road curves. Sometimes it takes an unexpected turn. Occasionally, the only way forward is to take what appears to be a step backward.
During his 2011 commencement address at the University of Pennsylvania, Denzel Washington offered a memorable message: “Fall forward.” Embrace risk and recognize that setbacks can be part of meaningful progress. I like that philosophy, not because I enjoy falling, but because immediate promotions, bigger titles and higher salaries are not the only measures of growth.
The Decision That Changed Everything
One of those moments came when my wife and I decided to move to the United Arab Emirates.
I was already a General Manager, with the title, responsibilities, contract and financial security that came with it. We chose to move anyway. It meant leaving my GM position and accepting an Operations Manager role. A lower title. Less money. And, on paper, a step backward.
But my wife and I were thinking beyond the next job title. We were considering the future we wanted to build together, a new environment, international exposure and the opportunities ahead of us as a family.
Falling Forward
Starting again was an adjustment. I had to demonstrate my capabilities in a new country, a new organization and a different professional environment. I focused on understanding the business, supporting the team and delivering results.
Within a few months of joining as Operations Manager, I was appointed General Manager again in the UAE.
The move that initially looked like a backward step had opened a new chapter of growth. It reinforced a lesson I still carry with me: A job title describes the position you hold today. It does not determine the professional you can become tomorrow.
Direction Matters More Than a Straight Road
A long-term vision gives us direction; it does not guarantee a predictable path. The route may involve uncertainty, compromises and unexpected opportunities. Sometimes progress means stepping away from a position we worked hard to achieve.
This brings me back to phronesis, practical wisdom: interpreting circumstances and making sound judgments when no single indicator tells the whole story.
Our decision was not the most attractive on a short-term salary or title comparison. It was the decision we believed was right for our family’s future.
Beyond Titles
My journey subsequently expanded from General Management into hospitality development and asset management. Operations taught me how experiences are delivered. Leadership taught me about accountability and people. Development taught me how the decisions made before opening shape an asset. Asset management brought an owner’s perspective to value creation, commercial performance and capital investment.
Today, I see a career shaped not by an uninterrupted series of promotions, but by choices, risks and lessons. Fall forward. Sometimes the most rewarding destinations are reached by taking the least obvious route.
Your Captain,
Nicola Mandolini