Thoughts

There are always lessons to be learned from difficult times. I remember that not many years ago, someone said something along the lines of: “Albert, you are a genius, and people like you are not suited to leading teams. So it is better for someone else to manage your team and for you to devote yourself to what you do best: thinking and creating.” I must admit that this damning verdict hurt me deeply at the time, although I know it hurt the team even more, as they saw it break up and move into other departments under different managers. The worst part was that, coming from someone I respected, I came to believe it. When I embarked on the adventure of this company and faced the prospect of building a team, that statement began to haunt me again and stirred up the fear of what would happen if it were true: I would not know how to manage my team. Over time, I learned to see the positive side, and I certainly decided not to take any chances. I chose a team that did not need to be managed: an effective, self-managed team, accountable for its work, efficient and responsible. I am grateful to the person who, while trying to hurt me at the time, unwittingly helped me. Truly, if I had had to manage it personally, nothing, absolutely nothing, would have been possible. A new year is now beginning, a year that will be difficult, although perhaps we have already been through the worst, or perhaps the worst is yet to come. I do not know, nor will I stop to worry about it. In our particular case, I believe I have found the ideal formula for maintaining sustained organic growth based on results. We will continue working with the modesty that defines us, delivering confidence and results without grandstanding or demagoguery. It is true that lately I have somewhat neglected social relationships, as well as activity on this blog, Twitter and Facebook, but it has certainly been a year of tremendous work, and I am proud to say so. But the great Borges already said:

Let others take pride in what they have written; I take pride in what I have read

In truth, if I want to be remembered for anything, it is not for what I have written, but for what I have done.