by David Kong
Early in my career, I spent a great deal of time wondering why others seemed to be advancing faster than I was. I watched colleagues with less experience become General Managers while I remained an F&B Director. Some appeared to possess more confidence than competence. Others seemed particularly skilled at self promotion. Like many ambitious professionals, I found myself comparing my progress to those around me and questioning whether the organization saw something in them that it failed to see in me.
Eventually, my opportunity arrived. Unfortunately, it was hardly the assignment I had envisioned. I was given a small hotel that was struggling and badly in need of renovation. It was not a glamorous property, nor was it considered a stepping stone to bigger opportunities. At the time, it felt less like a reward and more like a consolation prize. After years of waiting, this was the opportunity I had received.
Looking back, it was one of the most valuable experiences of my career.
The reason is simple. The traditional playbook rarely works when a business is struggling. A successful hotel can often thrive by following established practices and refining proven processes. A struggling hotel requires something different. We had to become creative. We had to identify overlooked sources of business and pursue opportunities others had ignored. We had to innovate out of necessity because doing more of the same was not going to change the outcome.
More importantly, the experience taught me that leadership is highly situational. What works brilliantly in one environment may fail completely in another. The same principle applies to people. Different team members require different leadership approaches depending on their strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and circumstances. The challenges of that property forced me to think differently, adapt more quickly, and develop a broader set of leadership tools than I otherwise would have acquired.
At the time, however, I was focused on a very different issue. I was comparing my career trajectory to that of others. I was measuring success by titles and promotions and paying far too much attention to who appeared to be ahead of me. With the benefit of hindsight, I now realize that I was measuring the wrong thing.
Many professionals view a career as a sprint. Others describe it as a marathon. I have come to believe it is more like a cross country race. Some runners start fast. Some encounter easier terrain. Others face steeper hills and more difficult conditions. Over time, however, the course changes. New obstacles emerge. Different skills become important. The qualities that help someone secure an early promotion are not always the qualities required to sustain long term success.
One of the realities of business is that career progression is not always fair. Some individuals receive opportunities before they are fully prepared. Others wait longer than they deserve. While those moments can be frustrating, they can also be unexpectedly valuable. The assignments we least desire often teach us the lessons we most need. A thriving business rarely teaches resourcefulness. A struggling one demands it. A comfortable assignment may build confidence, but a difficult assignment often builds capability.
Today, I no longer wish I had received the glamorous assignment. The struggling hotel taught me adaptability, resilience, creativity, and the importance of tailoring my leadership approach to the circumstances at hand. Those lessons proved far more valuable than any title I might have received a few years earlier.
At the time, I thought I was being overlooked. Looking back, I believe I was being prepared. The hotel that few people wanted to manage became one of the greatest classrooms of my professional life, reminding me that what appears to be a setback in the moment may, in fact, be preparation for something much bigger ahead.