Edgar Barroso

After many years working, teaching and consulting students and professionals from diverse backgrounds (70+ countries) and walks of life, I have learned a few lessons that I think any aspiring entrepreneur, leader, or industry veteran would find beneficial. Here are some of the ideas and principles I learned by myself or from others that have served me well in my journey as an entrepreneur and throughout my professional career. I hope you find them valuable and can learn from my mistakes and successes.

●Life is for the corageous. Thus, develop top mental and physical endurance.
●Failing is OKAY, as long as you fail forward. Failures are the building blocks and steps towards success. If you don´t fail, you don´t move forward.
●Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit are the five tenets of Taekwondo. They served me well as an athlete, but even more so in my personal and professional life.
●Always have more than one backup plan, just in case things go south. (Plan A, B and Z)
●Never give up, but if you do, make sure you have a better option.
●No matter your age or experience, there is always room to keep improving and striving for a better version of yourself.
●Learn, practice, and then TEACH others. When you teach good things, you are doing yourself and the world a great favor.
●Respect and be courteous to people on your way up throughout your career and life, as you might have to face them again on your way down.
●Develop the art and science of great communication, since it is the only way to show how much you are worth (value, talents and skills).
●Never stop meeting new people from different countries, industries, organizations, and social classes. If they are good people, they will make you bigger and better.
●No matter what you do for a living, try to be the best at least in one thing. No one pays for mediocrity. Set long term life goals and stick to them with annual objectives.
●ALWAYS have multiple sources of income, because life takes many unexpected turns and you don’t want to be tied down to one company or place.
●Never settle for less than you deserve, but make sure you deserve what you ask for.
●Always live below your means, but within your needs. Avoid debt, have 4 different financial investments, and always invest in your continuous education.
●Learn the art of persuading, convincing, and negotiating, since you will be doing it for the rest of your life.
●Every action has a consequence and implication. Your future depends on your actions of today!!
●Even when things turn dark, smile, be tough, plan, work smart, and look forward. “Most” problems have at least one solution.

Cheers to ALL of YOU, the brave, since I learn from you, students, clients, professionals, friends, family and the community every day. Special thanks to my daughter and two sons who always inspire me.

Edgar Barroso

WANTED: Charismatic Leaders | ICMCI (cmc-global.org)

By: Edgar Barroso

Publised on 1.10.2021, CMC – Global Institute Newsletter, 50 Countries

Leadership is a rare and vital trait for organizational and corporate survival. According to the study conducted by Gallup poll and research (Gallup Q12 Meta-Analysis), 82% of managers are not properly trained in leadership and do not have the skills to successfully manage a team. In the United States alone, the lack of leadership skills among managers can cost companies up to $550 billion on an annual basis, and 32% of employee turnover can be attributed to poor leadership skills. In the “State of the Global Workplace-2021 Report”, the employee engagement and emotional distress figures look even worse. The statistics for 2019 were not much better.

So how can we address this problem? Some authors such as Jr. Morris. Lonnie and Wend M. Edmonds have offered their readers insight into some of the most common mistakes among managers and people in positions of power in their book “When Leadership Fails: Individual, Group and Organizational Lessons from the Worst Workplace Experiences”. They also touch on ways to address these problems.

What is happening to our leaders? Where can we find charismatic leaders? What traits or skills do they need? From a corporate and SME perspective, we need to evaluate the real value of our leaders: politicians, CEOs, top directors, executives, and ourselves, and be brutally honest when assessing our strengths and weaknesses. Please check your ego at the door and analyze your actions, your style, your attitude, and your managerial tantrums, so that you can fully understand your own areas of improvement. If you don´t have a managing position, it is okay, you can knock at your managers’ door and show them this article, so they can ponder over the following questions:

–        Do you really have GREAT communication skills? You should, since everyone in your organization is looking up to you.

–        Are you providing a clear path to follow with clear expectations? Do you even know where you are going in order for you to have the moral authority to lead others and tell them what to do?

–        Are you authentic, enthusiastic, and motivating to everyone across your organization in good and bad times?

–        Do you roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty when push comes to shove?

–        Do you micro-manage or do you actually empower your associates by providing them with all the resources they need?

–        Do you believe in your industry and your sector? Is it in a mature or declining stage, and do you know if the end is close? With what authority can you force people to do what you cannot even do yourself, let’s say, in a collapsing industry?

–        Do you really respect the mission, vision, and values of your company or corporation, or are you stuck between your investors, the board of directors, and what the market needs from you (customer and clients)? If that is the case, think twice about what you are doing, or you will drive your employees and others into frustration and despair.

–        Are the market conditions stable enough to do what you preach, or is your organization drifting? Then, what? Will you jump ships to save yourself leaving your crew and sailors behind or will you go down with your ship if needed?

– Have you been put into a position you don’t deserve? Or, did you get to that position by means of knowledge, expertise, and experience (meritocracy)? Great leaders in one specific sector might not be good in other sectors or industries.

-Do you use power with grace? Charismatic leaders are graceful and grateful.

–     Do you sincerely smile to all your employees with admiration for what they do every day for you and your organization, the company you represent, the customers and clients you serve, your investors, and the society you depend on?

–        Do you foster mentorship across your top executives and employees? Do you enlighten people that look up to you as a source of ideas, imagination, innovation, stability, and justice? Do you honor your words?

–        Do you embrace a culture of change and digitalization? Do you form, train, and improve your skills on a regular basis in order to be the master and commander of your evolving organization?

–        Finally, do you transmit the passion and love for what you do and who you serve, while representing others with pride, with the skills of a truly charismatic leader?

A leader needs to be a groundbreaker, leading by example with his or her experience and expertise, even when sailing in uncharted waters. Lead through the greatness of your actions respecting sustainable development by means of ethics and good morals. People, customers, clients, your employees, and society as a whole will admire you for that. Be ethical even if things turn south.

Needless to say, all leaders have faced adversity in one way or another, but leaders who know how to deal with hardships and difficult times are the ones that will be most successful. Cultural differences, adverse economic and political conditions, and even different ethical standards can make the roles of management and leaders very complicated and cumbersome. So, congratulations to those who do their best every day to lead their departments and organizations across the world. But kudos to the leaders who also look outside, study the best practices, benchmark their strategies and procedures, and work diligently for self-improvement. Think of yourselves as the Navy Seals, the Legion, or the special forces of your organization and country leading an honorable mission, a cause to be proud of. Leaders from around the world should live up to the expectations, serving society to the best of their means and skills.

Thank you all for reading this opinion article.

Edgar Barroso

CMC® – Management Consultant