Hey there! If you're here and investing your time to read this, then, allow me to say thank you directly for taking the time to get to know me a bit more. Whatever you've got going on, it's likely quite a bit to do and so, I am humbled and appreciative; no matter whatever brought you here. I hope to do this personally via phone and/or face to face sometime soon, but, for now, this will have to do.
Anyway, if you didn't know by now-- my name is Juan and what I aim to do here is simple: I aim to reach across or through the screen, and give you a bit of colour as to who and what I am as a person.
I've lived a pretty difficult life in a pretty rough household, to put it bluntly. Spanish-born, but we moved around and lived in 3 continents by the time I was 6 and 6 different countries by the time I was 8 or 9. In fact, by the time I was 9, I had already seen death, had almost been killed multiple times, experienced abuse, assault, kidnapping, been homeless, theft, racism, discrimination, bullying, depression, isolation, and more that I really don't care to expound upon because I think you get the point. Truthfully, by that age, I was on my own, and I knew I was all alone. It was soul-crushing, and I felt bereft of humanity. I didn't know much about the world, but at the same time, I felt like I knew too much about it to be able to process it correctly. Something about it all was just wrong with how things progressed in totality-- that much I knew.
I don't know what your reaction is behind the screen right now, but I generally surmise, and hopefully we can agree, that this is a pretty awful existence at any age; let alone 9, 10, or 11 years old. I'll spare you the sob story and trade you a spoiler-- because, unfortunately, life didn't really get much better. By the time I was 21-- I had experienced homelessness twice more, famine, violence from family members and those around me, the military, combat, illness and more life-altering events that I really do not wish upon the worst of people.
In this crucible of life, in where life itself seemingly waged war on all things, it bestowed upon me gifts. Gifts that shimmered akin to light amidst the abrasive grime and crushing gravity of darkness. Perspective, persistence, resilience, discipline, motivation, strength, vision, and guile are some of the offerings that hardship wove into my very fabric, forming a large part of my tapestry, and a large part of my success until now. The unwavering commitment to the goals, the unyielding attitude of “all grit, no quit” tempered with an indomitable spirit pretty much gave birth and rise to what I am today.
Notwithstanding, the most crucial gift of them all of that I am most thankful for?
Perspective. Perspective. Perspective.
Perspective is undoubtedly the font and the mother-gift of them all. It is the wellspring from which everything else is borne from. I am not just talking about the vapid, empty platitude of glass half-empty or half-full. I am talking about having the self-awareness, ingenuity, and wherewithal to know where you stand, and the ability of discernment to look, not at things, but in and beyond things to derive understanding, meaning, methodology, and foresight. It is the ability to see beyond the initial layer, think quickly, think laterally, and then rapidly plot a course of action to then always be ready to adapt, adjust, and overcome while staying humble and ravenous for opportunities.
Consider the situation illustrated above. Envision yourself in it. I won't entirely speak for yourself or anyone else, but we can agree that it is less than ideal, right? Few would survive or turn out better for it, or even transform themselves by seeing the opportunities emerging from it. Throw some people into the water, and see that there are two undoubted outcomes. Some sink and fail. Some swim and survive.
Not having a lot is informative as to how you approach things. Sometimes, in order to learn to have, you learn to navigate going without and maximising the little at your disposal. In Japanese business culture, that is called the Kaizen principle-- something that I have ascribed to by sheer nature of my circumstances. Similarly, although from a different cultural parlance; this sort of worldly education has also imprinted the concept of ''Lagom” or the Swedish principle of “just enough is all we need'' tinged with the slight sprinkling of ''Janteloven'' or ''the Law of Jante'' that encourages practising humility, modesty, and reticent restraint.
In truth, I am thankful for the blessings of constant hardship.
Now, I am not saying that I have succeeded in everything I have been faced with nor have I beaten obstacles with ease and grace. Such an assertion would be fallacious and folly; a dishonest assessment, without a doubt. Lessons aren't learned by sitting idle in relative comfort, expecting to never feel sweat emerging from your brow or to feel the painful sting of suffering. To suffer, is to grow. To grow is to be great. Suffering is learning greatness for those willing to suffer for it. It is life itself. Perspective is survival. It takes perspective to wrangle a poor, perilous predicament, use what is little available and manufacture a positive outcome out of it.
The challenging situations I've faced — they're not unique, but the response is. In the professional arena, it translates, as I have already said, to resilience, quick thinking, lateral problem-solving, and a perpetual readiness to adapt. Above all else, leadership. Leadership that understands the human element of living, and is willing to serve the team in order for everyone to succeed. Not one person nor a few. All.
Life taught me greatness through suffering, and perspective is not just a survival tool but a guide to thrive in any professional endeavour. I have held important offices and positions throughout my career. Never once have those positions been linear, static, streamlined roles. Every single one of them has required cross-trained dynamicism, versatility beyond the job description, and a stern dedication to details and excellence. Essentially, it is distilled down to a phrase: one role, many hats. My body of work within the confines of my roles has had me handling anything from sales, human resources, operations, communications, finance, legal, research, marketing, projects, and even acting as interim CEO when our CEO stepped down as we were facing imminent failure and turned things around, for starters. Moulded into a Swiss Army Knife, I can confidently say I can do anything that is required of me and not just do the task at hand, but seamlessly thrive in multi-faceted, complex, layered, simultaneous roles and positions all at once. One key, many locks.
I have developed a trophy closet of modest accolades, and while I am grateful for them, overall I am proud of the teams, people, and cultures I have impacted along the way. I am proud in that I know I have become someone that can make a difference in any capacity, who is ready to win, ready to fight, ready to lead, and ready to do what it takes.
That being said, the journey is not over and the work is never over. There is still much to do; far too much to simply rest on one's laurels and hang one's hat.
All grit, no quit.
Let's get to work.