Think about the journey, not the final destination

Introduce yourself in a few words…

I am Radoslav Tsonov, a doctor of business management and regional director at Ascent - a technology business based in London.

How would you describe your career in a few words?

Gradual development in the context of the objective circumstances and the opportunities provided to me at the respective moment.

What was the most important choice that shaped your path?

The first step. Everything that follows it is details. For me, it was the decision to embark on my professional path without thinking about its final destination. Everything else would probably have stressed me unnecessarily.

What would you have liked to know at the beginning of your career that no one told you?

Patience is one of the most important qualities for achieving sustainable good results, and I imagine it would be harder for an impatient person to achieve something truly significant. In any case, we have the resources to cultivate this quality within ourselves even when it is lacking to some extent by birth.

How can a person understand which profession is suitable for him?

Probably the safest way is to approach this serious question quite scientifically, to thoroughly explore one's strengths, and to decisively take the next steps. An entirely emotional career choice is an adventurous approach, the final result of which does not always meet the expectations and needs of the grown individual. 

Which skills do you think will be key in the next 10 years?

It seems to me that this is already obvious to everyone – the ability to work well with the most intelligent machines and algorithms we have access to. Those of us who avoid adapting to the changes that various artificial intelligence solutions offer and refine for us will likely face more serious problems in their professional journey.

How to build a network of useful contacts without appearing interested?

There is no perfect sense in building interpersonal relationships in a format different from win-win (I win, you win). Maintaining such relationships afterwards is the real challenge that requires a more in-depth approach.

What is the biggest mistake you have made in your career, and what did you learn from it?

I strive to avoid any display of arrogance in my relationships with people. The most serious challenges often arise from underestimating the damage that arrogance can inflict on interactions with others.

How to recognize a toxic work environment and when is it time to leave?

According to the Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler, all problems are problems of interpersonal relationships. In this sense, a toxic environment is a product of interpersonal issues. If we manage to get to the core of our discomfort, we might find the courage to attempt to overcome it. Only then would it be appropriate to reflect on whether to leave or if there is another path. Rarely are the entrance and exit of a room in two different directions.

What would you do differently if you could start over?

I try to do what is objectively possible, as well as to avoid making significant mistakes in my path; but if that does happen and I start my professional adventure over again, everything else would probably also be completely different.

How to maintain our motivation in times of stagnation?

We must not forget the primary motivation we had when we made the choices we made. The biggest challenges are precisely on the days when it seems like nothing is happening. It is during those times that it is most important to keep moving forward and confidently follow the direction we have chosen for ourselves.

How to achieve a balance between professional and personal life?

By strictly fulfilling only our tasks both in the office and at home. Without trying to solve tasks for other people and without giving more importance than necessary to one of the two groups of tasks at the expense of the other.

When is it time to change our career, not just our job?

When there is no other life choice before us but to do just that.

If you had to give just one piece of advice to people who are seeking success, what would it be?

Be happy!

In his “Little Gidding,” the English writer T. S. Eliot poetically hints that the path ahead is actually a return to the starting point, which is already different for us as a result of our journey to it.

Since ancient times, it is precisely in the repetition of certain tasks that are useful for us and others, - for example, plowing and sowing, - that we can count the good results of our work, - the good harvest at the end of summer. Without misfortune, however, we would not be able to fully recognize happiness, and only after a bad year can we fully appreciate the rest. Because only the struggle of opposites can create the fundamental energy in nature that moves everything in the world forward.

Nevertheless, the brilliant Dostoevsky insightfully notes that “a person loves to count his troubles, but does not count his happiness,” reminding us that it is up to us to choose which of the two we will focus on.

What is your definition of a “successful career”?

A successful professional path is one that is dedicated to creating useful value for both ourselves and others. God created people as social beings, and it is through our interaction with others that we can find our personal and communal happiness.