In an exclusive interview with Aurelien MANGANO, the strategic mind behind DevelUpLeaders, we explore the transformative lessons learned from setbacks that reshaped his leadership journey. Reflecting on a defining moment as a business analyst in IT, Aurelien discovered the critical importance of stakeholder communication and prioritizing genuine value over perceived urgency. Join us as he shares his evolved approach to risk-taking and fostering a culture where failure is not just a hurdle, but a launching pad for innovation and success.
Interviewee Name: Aurelien MANGANO
Company: DevelUpLeaders
The Interview
What inspired you to start your journey in this field, and how did it all begin?
Aurelien MANGANO : What inspired me to start my journey in this field was discovering that while I understood technical aspects well, my true strengths lay in project management and bringing initiatives to completion.
As I evolved professionally, I recognized the crucial distinction between management (the art of getting things done) and leadership (the art of inspiring others to realize a vision).
I found that I naturally excelled at envisioning the future and effectively communicating those possibilities to others, and I realized these leadership abilities were my strongest asset. I discovered that inspiring people created far more engagement than simply directing them, which shaped my understanding of how I could best contribute.
What makes my leadership approach distinctive is that I’ve always preferred to lead from behind the scenes as a “silent leader,” focusing on results and team success rather than personal visibility. My journey hasn’t been defined by a single moment but rather by continuous improvement and learning throughout my career.
This self-awareness about who I am and how I can best serve has shaped my professional path and leadership philosophy.
Can you share a failure that significantly impacted your perspective as a leader?
Aurelien MANGANO : A pivotal moment in my career came during my time as a business analyst working alongside an architect in IT. We shared project management responsibilities, but the lines of authority were blurred as we often worked in parallel.
Our company was transitioning to agile methodologies, though we still maintained a predictive approach with customers.
We had mapped out deliverables for the entire year when, just two months in, a key stakeholder requested an “urgent” feature. We naturally reprioritized and delivered this feature within a month. However, we failed to properly communicate to our stakeholders how this change would delay other promised features.
The failure became apparent when we missed the next key delivery date. Senior leadership was understandably frustrated, and significant pressure was placed on us to deliver the previously promised critical features. Our team ultimately recovered the delay within three weeks through extra effort and longer hours.
This experience taught me two crucial lessons. First, stakeholder management and communication are paramount—when you manage expectations effectively, your project will be successful because you’ll naturally focus on the highest ROI components.
Second, urgency shouldn’t automatically dictate priorities. The “urgent” feature we rushed to implement was barely used afterward, reinforcing that we should focus on what’s truly important—what delivers genuine value to customers—rather than what seems urgent in the moment.
What was the most important lesson you learned from that experience?
Aurelien MANGANO : This experience taught me two crucial lessons. First, stakeholder management and communication are paramount—when you manage expectations effectively, your project will be successful because you’ll naturally focus on the highest ROI components.
Second, urgency shouldn’t automatically dictate priorities. The “urgent” feature we rushed to implement was barely used afterward, reinforcing that we should focus on what’s truly important—what delivers genuine value to customers—rather than what seems urgent in the moment.
How do you approach taking risks now compared to earlier in your career?
Aurelien MANGANO : Early in my career, I was very risk-averse. I respected the hierarchy and deferred to those with more seniority and experience, believing they knew the right way to make things happen.
As I navigated through various positions and organizations, I came to realize that political interests play a much larger role in companies than I initially thought. This realization pushed me to take more risks to ensure things were done correctly for the organization’s best interests and vision.
Now, as my own CEO, I’ve embraced an entrepreneurial mindset that’s actually all about managing risk effectively. I take calculated high risks daily to move things forward, and I’ve learned how to navigate these situations to ensure that the ups outweigh the downs in my risk-taking. It’s about finding that balance where you’re willing to take necessary risks while understanding how to mitigate their potential negative impacts.
How do you foster a culture where failure is embraced as a growth opportunity?
Aurelien MANGANO : This is a funny question because if I had taken into account my manager’s behavior after my failure during that miscommunication mistake, I would have never embraced a failure mindset. He continued to bring it up during performance reviews (even years after) even though I had successfully recovered from the situation. Mistakes simply weren’t accepted at that time.
As a manager or leader, I believe you need to actively accept failure and ensure that mistakes don’t repeat by capturing lessons learned. You should actually reward strong lessons learned because they help avoid similar problems in the future.
I once heard a story about a salesperson who lost a major contract and was called to the CEO’s office. He was incredibly stressed, thinking he would be fired. Instead, the CEO told him, “Why would I fire the most valuable person in my company? You just learned from this mistake and will never make it again. I spend big money for you to fail, and you want my competitor to benefit from it?”
That’s how I think we should embrace failure. We need to create an environment where people can fail safely, learn deeply from those experiences, and avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. This approach ultimately makes the entire organization more successful.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone struggling with setbacks in their career?
Aurelien MANGANO : Don’t focus on the day. Remember the mistakes you made younger that brought you where you are today. Imagine the setback of today where they will bring you tomorrow. Focus on doing your best, learning from your mistakes and building stepping stones for your future you to become the best version of yourself.
Leaders Perception magazine would like to thank Aurelien MANGANO and “DevelUpLeaders” for the time dedicated to completing this interview and sharing their valuable insights with our readers!
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