From Sahara to Paris – the lessons of life between several countries

Introduce yourself in a few words..

Silvia Umnikova, Managing Partner for Bulgaria and International Consultant at Alexander Hughes, a global executive search and assessment company.

What does traveling the world mean to you?

Fatal for prejudices, challenging for the mind and body, enriching for culture and a way to appreciate life, the world, people, and their charming diversity, as well as their remarkable similarity – people are and remain people everywhere, regardless of their culture and differences.

How many different countries have you seen so far?

Everywhere I have been, on 4 continents and in about 50 countries, I always meet good people. This continues to give me hope that we, as a species, will survive.

The most inspiring personal story I have is related to Paris – when I was only 20 years old, a poor student from the socialist era, who stayed at the airport due to a canceled flight, without money, without shelter, without food, and without the ability to call someone for help. Then I met a person, also a student, who helped me survive for three days until the next flight. Without asking for anything in return – as a repayment, I showed him around Paris, and he sheltered and fed me. Simply, human, great kindness.

Do you like to revisit destinations? Give examples and motivation “for” or “against”?

Of course! Paris - love forever. It is so diverse, magnificent, ruthless, challenging the senses and the mind. I have other favorite cities, of course – London, New York, Rome, Florence. But since I grew up in an oasis in the Sahara, Sebha is the place I would return to again, because it would be like returning in time, to childhood, to that dry and hot daytime, but cold and frightening at night desert, where life, despite everything, continues, where everything is ahead of me and nothing scares me, where my bare feet easily endured the hot sand, where the sun shone at 50 degrees in the shade, where we played with spiders and scorpions, protected ourselves as much as we could and grew up almost alone. Childhood, like in Sir James Matthew Barrie's novel, “Peter Pan,” which has marked my life with emotions just as the dunes have shaped the Sahara.

What was your first trip that truly changed you as a professional and can be said to have changed your thinking?

I worked at HeidelbergCement Group during the transition when the industry in Bulgaria was transforming and we were bringing know-how from developed countries. I was sent to our headquarters in Heidelberg, where I met people who had such attention to quality, polished every detail of their work, and at the same time looked so far ahead, they were truly supportive and understanding. I wanted so much to be like them! And so, those values that filled and inspired me then have stayed with me forever.

What do you learn about yourself and your professional skills when you are in a new cultural environment?

That I need to adapt to the new environment, not the new environment to me. That I need to walk the extra mile towards the people in it, not they towards me. That culture is the strongest and most influential factor for success and failure. That it requires respect, understanding, time, communication. And that it is what makes us human.

Have you met people or ideas during your travels that have influenced your career?Inyour path?

All the ideas I have came through travel – in books and in journeys. What is life if not a long road? What is a career? Also a long road. I do not separate these paths, my shoes still carry me along them, ideas still inspire me, people still motivate me. From everyone, even from the most ordinary person, I learn something. And probably the most significant thing I have learned is that we all matter to someone else's life in this world.

Do you think that your travels help you expand your professional network? How?

Of course, it goes without saying. When you are in this business, people are the most important. And the more people, the more people, if I paraphrase Winnie the Pooh.

What skills do you develop the most when you travel, and how do they reflect on your work?Inyour work?

I listen a lot, I ask a lot, I learn a lot when I walk, I do not only look ahead and down, but also up, where you see things that only those who have lifted their heads see. This allows me to better analyze people and their potential, to understand better what they tell me and what they do not tell me, what is hidden behind their words and gestures, who they really are. Discovery is the most inspiring in my work. Also, that I open doors for new opportunities.

Is there a city or country that has inspired you to start a new business or project?

France – not only because it is the cradle of freedom and because “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” are its declared values. And although I notice a difference in the real values that people in France profess, France is and remains the country where there is truly a focus on each person, social services are provided for all, without exception, even for those who do not have the right to reside there. Starting a business in France is very easy, staying in it and growing it – super difficult - due to competition, taxes, culture, the need to navigate quickly and effectively in a complex and highly bureaucratic state, with an extremely high level of regulations.

When you are in an unfamiliar country, do you feel more motivated or more distracted? Why?

I feel motivated and distracted 😊 I love to “get lost” and it happens to me often, due to my poor sense of geographical orientation, but by getting lost, I always manage to find myself again. In a direct and metaphorical sense. And this gives me a sense of achievement, every time.

Are there destinations that act as a “restart” for your creativity and ambition?

All the places I have been, from dusty, late, sleepy afternoons on the promenade in the distant province, to the exalted, steroidal boulevards of global cities that never sleep, are a way to provoke myself, to invent and to motivate myself. “The world is big and salvation lurks everywhere” – Stefan Komandarev's film described with an incredible palette of colors life and our ability to invent new paths, to rediscover the old ones and to tread the untrodden. The journey is change, not just a destination.

How do you manage the balance between work and pleasure when you travel?

As I said, I do not separate these paths. I work when I travel and travel when I work. I only need the internet, a computer, and a phone.

How have travels changed the way you perceive the value of money?

Money has no value. It is a means of payment. But, thanks to it, I add value to life – mine and that of those around me. That is why I have learned to value it a lot.

Do you travel to find new ways to make money?

Not necessarily, not as an end in itself, but when my goal is to bring value through what I build, then money just happens as a consequence.

What lessons about financial independence have you learned from different economies and cultures?

The most important lesson is that financial independence makes you free, and freedom is the highest value in my ranking of values.

According to Inyour opinion, is it better to spend on experiences than on material possessions?

I would not put it that way – spending should be done by priorities. When the priority is an experience, spend on it. If the priority is a material possession, such as an apartment, a car, a computer, etc. – then spend on them. People think that those who do not have to prioritize when spending are truly lucky. Believe me, having to choose what to spend money on is a real experience, a lesson, discipline, struggle, and provides a huge sense of achievement. The other is just spending money from people for whom money is not important because they have it.

How do you see the future of digital nomadic life?

I do not see it - I have been living it for years. My work crosses borders, territories, continents, cultures. The future for me is now. And with the advent of Artificial Intelligence in every job, this will happen much faster for others for whom digital life is still in the future. 

Are there specific countries that are more favorable for work and investments?

The world is so dynamic that a country that is more favorable today may not be so favorable tomorrow. Look at what is happening in the USA – they are an indicator of how you can ruin trust in business and the environment due to colossal ego and pure stupidity. As Mother Teresa of Avila used to say: “More tears have been shed for answered prayers than for unanswered ones.” So, the fulfillment of MAGA will clearly bring many tears to the world's leading economy. Therefore, my priority has always been to make my business highly adaptive in any environment, ready for rapid, sharp changes, to add great value, to be versatile, and to create synergies.

If you could choose one place in the world to develop your next big idea, what would it be and why?

In a large, developed, global market. France, the United Kingdom, the USA. Why? Because I can bring value that is not necessarily available in these markets. The large, strong, wealthy countries often fall into comfort, which leads them to difficult situations, and the markets I mention are just that. For various reasons, but always leading to difficulties. For France, it is their inability to make reforms, the enormous debt, and the fact that Work is not necessarily a value for a large part of the society. For the United Kingdom – it is the consequences of Brexit and the bad, short-sighted management that followed. For the USA – the damage inflicted by Trump's policies. I see all of this as an opportunity. But, to break into such a market and develop a big idea there requires disruptive innovation. Something that has not been. Something that changes the environment, attitudes, perceptions, something that completely changes the model. By the way, Bulgaria is also an excellent place for developing ideas, with the caveat that afterwards, to scale an idea, you also need a global market.

What are the destinations that you would definitely recommend to be visited and why?

I wouldn’t want to give recommendations, traveling is something very personal, and, as we see, over-tourism in “must-visit destinations” has brought nothing good to Venice, nor to Paris, nor to Santorini or Lake Como, for example.

I would recommend traveling in general – wherever it is, in whatever way – in books, in countries, in dreams. I have a friend who travels constantly – in internet, when she cannot physically and physically - whenever she can.

What is the career advice you would give based on what you have seen around the world?

To say that you have been somewhere and to attach the next destination as an attribute of your belt is not traveling. True traveling begins where there is understanding, awareness, depth, transformation.

How many of those who have taken pictures at the piazza Del Duomo in Florence, for example, know that the dome of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, was built without supporting scaffolding – with a revolutionary technology involving two self-supporting domes and a crane, designed specifically to lift the bricks to such height? This is not just an architectural or engineering achievement – it is a triumph of the human mind, a symbol of an era in which human ideas and ambitions elevate him to the level of the gods. This is where lies the greatness of the Renaissance – it elevates man to the next level – where he does not need God, where he forges his own destiny, faces challenges, and achieves the impossible.

So, my career advice is – lift your eyes to see, slow down your pace to understand, invest time, emotion, and thought into what you do. Only then will it become a value that transcends titles and achievements - that of true growth.