Name: Agustin Ramos

Title: Coach and Mentor for Managers and Entrepreneurs

Organisation: agustin-ramos.com

A Head of Innovation and Research & Development with 40 years of expertise in inventing, developing, testing, and launching new products and the transformation of existing business lines through strategic planning, organizational development, restructuring internal processes, and the use of new technologies within FMCG Manufacturing. After retirement, he continues to follow his true passion of helping people grow and develop their skills and satisfaction to achieve their dreams.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Agustin's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Dealing with people’s reactions to the consequences of my decisions. When I made decisions that had positive consequences, I found many more friends and supporters than when the consequences were not so good. On the other hand, it is in moments of crisis when the true character of people shows up.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

In my first job position, fresh from University, I was given the responsibility to lead two teams of fifteen people in total. I made it clear to them that I knew less than them, and my role was not to do better than what they were doing, but to make sure I could help them to get what they needed to do better. This principle worked for this and my future assignments, as I got promoted to positions with a higher level of responsibility. I read a lot and attended many training courses on leadership, but I can say I became a leader by leading and learning from my mistakes.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I decide the one, two, or three things that I want to achieve at the end of the day, and I take the rest easy. I simply focus on what matters the most to me and fill the free time in between with activities of lesser importance. This, of course, works when there are no unexpected crises, but if the schedule is light, even crises can be accommodated.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

In matters of authority, there are vested rights. That is not the case of leadership. Authority is conferred. Leadership is earned with each new action.

A few days ago I had an engagement that I did not prepare well due to lack of time. My (real) friends made me realize that I had not lived up to my standard, which is much higher. A great lesson in humility and a reminder that what I have done does not give me the right to lower my attention.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

“The 7 Basic Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. An impressive reference book about focusing on discovering your goals, and achieving them by performing your tasks with excellence AND without losing attention to the individual and social aspects of a working team.

Thank to this, I discovered that fun and empowerment are the best allies for results and performance.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Discover your passion, connect with your environment and never stop failing. Fail early, fail lightly, and learn from your mistakes.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

The story of Ayers Rock. One of my great coaches taught me how to move it with the tip of my finger, as an example of the huge company we were both working for. The first thing to do is decide in which direction we want it to move, because then, due to its huge inertia, it will be very difficult to change it. Then we must put it in a bath of mercury because the rock will float on it, just like a ship does on water. Finally, you just put some pressure on the rock with the tip of your finger, consistently and persistently, until the rock eventually starts moving.

Mercury represents the individual and social processes happening while executing the task. A leader devoting time to managing these two processes is not wasting his or her time. S/he is simply doing a better job on the task.