Category: diversity and inclusion

Experiences Not Titles

On October 19, I spent my Saturday morning at an iEmpower event that started with a panel discussion and ended with Harriet Dominique speaking about her experiences, what she learned along the way, and how she values experiences over titles especially in the context of career development and professional growth.  Her conversation  was thought provoking and I reflected on an experience where I failed, but I learned from it.

I was privileged to work in ecommerce operations during the rise of the dotcoms of the late 90s.  The company I worked for had the stereotype benefits that the news broadcasted at the time—ping pong tables, huge bonuses, beach days, etc.  I gained experience implementing, training, and using SAP, Oracle, and other Internet based systems.

Fast forward to the early 2000s, I interviewed with a multinational (MNC) headquartered in Mexico.  The MNC was undertaking a big project of migrating from their homegrown ERP to SAP.  I completed my first and second rounds of interviews.  I made the final shortlist—it was going to be between me and another individual.

I tried my best to speak only in Spanish, but I failed. 

When I showed up for the final interview, I was greeted and then told the interview will be in Spanish.  I went into the interview where I was asked many questions for which I knew the answers.  I tried my best to speak only in Spanish, but I failed. 

I walked out of the interview and I was informed that although they liked me and could use my experience I was not selected.  In retelling this story, I have been asked why it was important to speak Spanish if the site was in the U.S.  My response is that many of the management was brought in from Mexico, so it was vital that the individual speak Spanish.  I get it—I currently work for a Danish MNC and we have many Danes filling roles here in the U.S. albeit they speak English.

I moved to Texas in 2006 and I began to practice my Spanish more albeit not in a professional setting. I was using conversational Spanish with people I encountered in retail stores, while buying groceries, and filling up my vehicle’s gas tank.

In 2017, I was lucky to introduce a colleague into my team whose first language is Spanish.  I informed him that I wanted to have all our meetings in Spanish.  Additionally, I asked him to correct me if I used the wrong word, phrase, or grammar.  He agreed, and so we did.  He thought me business terms, corrected my Spanish often, so I kept learning.

In December of 2107, I interviewed for a role in Argentina.  The interview was in Spanish with the CFO from Argentina and eventually the America’s CEO.  I discovered that I was the only one interviewing who was neither born nor raised in the Latin America.  What chance did I have?  I got the role.  Of course, it was not just my ability to speak Spanish that got me role, but it helped.

I had a couple of hiccups, but I was forgiven because I speak very good Spanish for a Yankee

I was fortunate to have a leadership role that allowed me to live and work in Latin America—leading operations in Argentina and Uruguay for my organization based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  I had a couple of hiccups, but I was forgiven because I speak very good Spanish for a Yankee.  When I held my first leadership meeting, I voiced how hot it was by stating how hot it was but what I said translated to how horny I was.  Some of the ladies in the leadership team, called me over and corrected me while their faces turned red.

Since moving back to the U.S., I have worked on, and continue to work on projects that involve Latin America.  Today, I am coordinating activities between the United States, Chile, and Argentina so I still get to practice my Spanish.  This morning I was on the phone with our colleagues in Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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…start considering those who have high potential, not just top performers

The title of this post is takien directly from HBR’s Hire Leaders for What They Can Do, Not What They Have Done. Josh Bersin and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic recommended three questions to help determine whether you’re considering the right peron:

  • Does the candidate have the skills to be a high-performing contributor or the skills to be an effective leader?
  • Can I really trust this candidate’s individual performance measures?
  • Am I looking forward or backward?

My point is not to summarize the article (the link is above), but to highlight an individual who this made me think of, Jennifer Ruiz, FMP, SFP and take a moment to brag about her and how lucky I was to have worked with her.

I met Jennifer when I was recruited to help guide the operation through change.

The operation I took over was part of a legacy team from a 2007 acquisition that after several years was resistant to change, and was not aligned to the organization’s mission and vision.

Jennifer joined the organization 2011, and after some time in the corporate office decided to transfer to operations in early 2015. She was welcomed into the operations team, but was relegated to the status of junior member who had to prove her worth to the team because of her lack of operational experience. For some reason, her lack of experience was the first thing that was brought up in discussion regarding opportunities for Jennifer–yet I never heard efforts to help her gain experience.

When a leadership role opened up reporting directly to me, I interviewed several people who were recommended by the senior leaders reporting to me. There was nothing wrong with them, in fact they had many years of experience in facility services, and many years with the company, they new the local market, and intimate knowledge of our clients. I also saw that they were being recommended because of their past performance and success.

I also knew that the individuals who were being recommended did not have working MS Excel knowledge, could not read a P&L, and were apprehensive about taking initiative and making a call. I knew that the organization was changing and the aforementioned skills were vital to future plans.

Jennifer did not have the many years of facility service experience, but she can dole out a spreadsheet in seconds, she has an accounting background so she knows a P&L. She was in the procurement department so I can trust her to read a contract. She is also a former teacher so she can present in front of customers, employees, and colleagues, and teach/coach her team.

I promoted Jennifer and did not regret it. She exceeded my expectations and continues to amaze me. In addition to successfully running her account, she sits on the board for the San Antonio Chapter of IFMA where she is chair of Professional Development. She is also on the board for Prospanica San Antonio. She does all that while being a mother to her daughter and wife to Dr. Ruiz.

I don’t know how many times I have had someone ask me how is Jennifer able to be everywhere all the time. Well, let that be a testament to her organizational skills and ability to prioritize effectively.

Rounding this back, I have to ask myself the questions with which I started this post:

  • Did Jennifer have the skills to be a high-performing contributor or the skills to be an effective leader?
  • Can I really trust Jennifer’s individual performance measures?
  • Am I looking forward or backward?

I have not had one regret promoting Jennifer, and I see great things in store for for her in the future.

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She’s Not the One

While working on the backyard, I listened to this episode of HBR Ideacast podcast, “The Surprising Benefits of Sponsoring Others at Work,” and it had me thinking of the different individuals who I have mentored and most importantly sponsor at work. I previously read an article about the benefits of mentoring someone that to summarize stated that mentoring someone can help the mentor see different perspectives and offers opportunities to learn too (there are many out there and I cannot find the original one I read).

I make it a practice to mentor and coach others wherever I have worked, and sponsor some of them. One person stands out is Jennifer. I met Jennifer at the start of a new leadership role with a new organization. I make a point of meeting members on my team, and when I get the chance I ask them what they would change if they could.

At this point, I am going to digress a bit. I was recruited for the role because the operation was made up of employees from an acquisition that took place 9 years before. The operation was resistant to chance and was not aligned to the company’s mission and vision. The operation and its leaders still referred to themselves by the acquired company’s name and kept notepads, pens, and equipment labeled with the old name.

They wanted things to remain the same and wanted someone to protect them from corporate intrusion and their attempts to move them in the direction of company.

Jennifer had been in the operation for two years, and transferred there from the corporate office. She was genuinely looking for an opportunity to gain some operational experience in hopes of developing her professional career. She was seen as an outsider by the rest of the team, and relegated to someone that did not have enough experience nor knowledge to advance.

Jennifer was honest and expressed how she wanted the operation to resemble how the company looked in marketing material, social media, and the company’s website. I told her that I would do my best. In talking to her, I discovered that she transferred from the procurement department, and that she also was an accountant and a school teacher in the past. Oh, and she was a TCU graduate.

She’s Not the One!

Some time had passed and an opportunity for an account manager role managing a large regional account became open. I asked Jennifer’s immediate supervisor (the Director of Operations) what she thought about Jennifer for the role–it would have been a promotion. The response surprised me! The Director of Operations mentioned that she was not the right person for the role–that she lacked experience and know how and that up until this point she had only managed a portfolio made up of small local accounts. She offered the name of one of Jennifer’s peers as someone she thought was perfect for the role.

I thought about the person for a second, then replied that I disagreed. I mentioned that although her recommendation was a hard worker, dedicated, and the customers loved him, he did not have the P&L knowledge and did not seem to show interest in learning the skill during our training sessions. Additionally, he did not know MS Excel, and usually needed someone to resolve conflict. I told her that I disagreed with her and that I was going to approach Jennifer about the role.

I was surprised to find out that Jennifer did not believe herself qualified to take on the role. I actually had to convince her that she was a perfect candidate. I told her that she had ops experience to manage the day-to-day; her accounting experience translated to P&L knowledge; her procurement experience would allow her to read the contract and determine the deliverables, and negotiate with vendors and the client; her teaching background would help her coach and develop her team. I told her that the best part would build her team and make sure it matched what she saw on social media, marketing material, and company website. Jennifer was convinced and accepted the role.

She reiterated how she lacked experience...I made a mistake

I informed the Director of Operations and immediately she began telling me how I made the wrong choice. She reiterated how she lacked experience, and underscored how I made a mistake. News got around before I made the formal announcement, and the Office Manager met with me in order to echo the Director’s concerns. She too emphasized how I made a terrible mistake and that it was going to have a negative impact on the client relationship, service delivery, and morale as a whole.

Professional Development

Jennifer took helm of the account and immediately started to have an impact. I’d like to say that I guided her throughout the whole process, but the reality is that she was a natural. Jennifer came to me with situations for which she used me as a sounding board, but her ideas and direction were sound and I agreed with most. She was a natural, like I said–when I say natural I really mean that her combination of experience, knowledge, and education prepared her for this. She just needed some encouragement.

During this time frame, I offered and encouraged my leadership team to sign up for an Emerging Leaders Series course offered by the San Antonio Chapter of Prospanica (formerly the National Society for Hispanic MBAs). Jennifer was the only one to sign up.

I invited my team to attend a Texas LEAD event in Austin hosted by the Austin Chapter of Prospanica. This is a one day event of professional development with distinguished key note speakers and presenters. Jennifer was the only one to sign up.

Credit Where Credit is Due

I should have prefaced that the account Jennifer took over was running at a loss–taking a 12% loss at the close of the fiscal year. I in turn took over the whole operation also taking a loss so turning around this large account was an important part of my strategic plan for the operation.

The account started to generate a profit under Jennifer’s direction and finished the fiscal year with a 12% margin. That’s a 24 point swing! My other initiatives were having positive impact too and the operation closed the fiscal year with a positive margin for the first time in a couple of years.

Jennifer taking over the account, allowed me to focus on the bigger picture. I truly believe that had it not been for Jennifer stepping in to tackle the account I would have been too involved in the account to effectively navigate and transform the whole operation. I was congratulated for the turnaround for which I in turn mentioned that it was a team effort and that Jennifer along with others helped me achieve my goals.

Reputation

Jennifer has since developed into a confident leader who gains loyalty and trust from her team. She now sits on two nonprofit boards, and has received two professional credentials. Additionally, she volunteers for roles within company projects–in reality she agrees to those roles after I tell her that I threw her hat in the ring when speaking to other senior leaders.

I was speaking with someone from corporate yesterday, and when I mentioned Jennifer’s name they mentioned how well liked she is at corporate. I am very proud of Jennifer and I am genuinely excited for her professional future.

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Why Am I Not Latino?

This was an interesting video to watch. Growing up, I heard various terms to describe me throughout the years from Mexican, Chicano, Hispanic, Latino, and now Latinx.

Ultimately, I grew up using Latino and Hispanic as interchangeable words to describe me. Of course the word Mexican was always in the mix, but that one depends with whom I am speaking. For example speaking to non Hispanics I can describe myself as Mexican. I can also use the word to identify myself with other Hispanics as long as they are not Mexican citizens. I am not considered Mexican by Hispanics born in Mexico.

Early this this year I moved back to the U.S. after living in Buenos Aires working in Argentina & Uruguay. I was shocked to discover that I am not considered Latino in Argentina, Uruguay, and throughout Latin America. I am considered a Yankee. Growing up in the U.S., I heard Mexican nationals call me Gringo, but I assumed it was jokingly–now I know they genuinely called me a Gringo.

I began to ask how it may be possible that I am not Latino. Sure, I was born in the U.S. but my first and last name are Spanish and my family was originally from Jalisco, Mexico. The replies were all the same. I am not Latino because Latino refers to someone born in and who grew up in Latin America. I never once heard the term Hispanic in Latin America, but even then they acquiesced in agreeing that I am Hispanic.

I have come to accept that I am Latino in the U.S, but outside the U.S. I am an American/U.S. citizen/estadounidense of Mexican ancestry, but not Latino. I did not hear the term Latinx in LATAM. So, my question now is, “Am I Latinx only in the U.S.?

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Coming Out has Nothing to do with Work

This week I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and listened to Phil Bohlender speak. I previously met Phil at another event hosted by iEmpower, but we only exchanged names. Well today, I discovered that Phil has a 35 year corporate career holding numerous leadership and consulting roles with international experience.

I consider myself a champion of diversity, but in all honesty, I did not truly understand how someone’s sexual orientation was relevant in the workplace. I don’t recall ever asking nor worrying about someone’s sexual orientation neither in the workplace nor outside of it. So, my reason for attending was a genuine desire to listen, learn, and understand.

Phil started out by sharing personal experiences that started in the 80s. His presentation included a 2018 Harvard Business Review article by Trau, O’Leary, and Brown–7 Myths About Coming Out at Work. Most of the myths made sense, but I quietly thought to myself that #3 Coming out has nothing to do with work still did not make sense to me aside from dealing with individuals who may be prejudiced and/or closed minded.

What does Coming Out have to do with work?

What I loved about the event was the level of interaction by Phil and the audience that quickly allowed participants to share their experiences and ask questions. As I sat there taking in all the information, digesting ideas, an attendee spoke about the very myth that I did not truly understand. He stated that Coming Out does have to do with work. He mentioned that most companies have work functions where employee take their significant others or share stories about their families. So in his words, of course it matters.

That was my aha moment. wow

I thought of the many company Christmas parties and events that my wife attended with me. I though of the many internal contacts, mentors, and sponsors with whom I shared stories about my wife and kids. I thought of the many personal development events that encourage us to be authentic in the workplace, encourage professionals to gain exposure within your organization in order to climb up the ladder. I imagined someone who cannot be themselves at the workplace, cannot talk about their spouse or significant other.

I started to understand. Happy that I am still learning

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