“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. when you become a Leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch.
This post was written in the beginning of 2010, and I didn’t post it because I was busy thinking of how I was going handle this situation and re-emerge into our community with a new outlook and a sharper focus on the work that needs to be done.
and so I share this story of personal growth….
Saludos…
I Recently had the opportunity to curate and event that would allow me to create a new space to have the conversation about how Latinos should organize and collaborate in the world of New Media. As a content creator who predates terms like Blogger and Social Media, I felt I was in a great position to take on such a task.
From one day to the other, I switched gears to make the event happen. Promoting and connecting with people all over the country who were excited at what I was proposing them…it was needed in our community and long overdue.
During the process leading up to the event, I neglected to really get control over the logistics of the actual day, trusting that the people who commissioned the project had it all under control. I simply continued to be an Ambassador for this event blindly and made promises that at some point, no fault of my own, I was unable to keep. So the day comes and like any event things go wrong. We do what we can to make things go as smoothly as possible but for people who attend these types of events regularly, the gaps were very obvious…We did not have the event that we should have had.
There were many “supporters” that congratulated me, told me that I did a good job, told me that it would get better, be bigger and stronger as time went by. There were some who were disappointed, wrote me up in their “books” as a failure and probably deleted my contact from their Smartphones as they whispered to their colleagues how nonprofessional my event was.
Most people fell into these categories…but then a woman appeared, I can see she was not happy and almost appeared to be cringing at some of what was being said. I recognized her as motivational speaker, Mariela Dabbah. I was so nervous as I watched her body language but somehow worked up the nerve to ask her if everything was okay.
Para que fue eso? I was not ready for her answer.
She very candidly pointed out that she believed were significant gaps in the quality of the event, which were very accurate. In my mind I was about to respond and defend it by saying things that we sometimes say to feel better when things go wrong:
If we had a bigger budget…
That was not my fault…
(fulano de tal) was responsible…not me
This is only our first time but things will get better with time
I walked away with myhead down and deflated…..
I was devastated, she was a “star” in my eye; when I saw her name on the RSVP list prior to the event I thought to myself ” If Mariela likes this event, maybe she will come on as an advisor, maybe a key note for a future event”. All of that was shattered with the sharpness of her truths being thrown at me .
After the event, when I assessed everything that went wrong and I replayed my conversation with Ms. Dabbah, I realized that those justifications I accepted were simply unacceptable. Budgets do not make great events, careful planning and partnership with the right people, with the right resources do.
I even went as far to email her and apologize to her and kind of recapped that painful conversation, she gave me some more feedback and suggested someone that could assist me in the future, if I should ever decide to do an event like this again.
It was my fault, I used my reputation to sell an event to people who respected me. I should have ensured that I had all the authority to fully “own” the event. Only then, can I promise and deliver what the people want.
This is only our first time BUT it was my responsibility was to make sure that it was the best event I have ever curated….so that it can be self sustaining within our community.
I fully recognize that if there wasn’t such a need for what this event promised, the event’s brand or my reputation could have never survived this. Now I must still work twice as hard to get my credibility back.
With all that said, I want to thank Mariela Dabbah giving me “un jalon de orega” (for pulling me by the ear).
I want to thank her for telling me what I needed to hear to be accountable to myself. and what I promise and present to our community. Anyone who truly knows me , knows I have good intentions, but Mariela’s advice made sure that put more thought into me…my brand and that I strive for great results.
I feel like I have a Fairy Godmother or “Titi Madrina” in our community, in Mariela Dabbah.
UPDATE
I just had the opportunity to chat with Mariela Dabbah in the past two weeks. I thanked her for this and let her know that as hard as it was to hear her thoughts…is as great as it is to know that I turned her feedback into realistic goals that would help me grow as a professional.
I say all this to say: Listen to the feedback from those around you (good bad or indifferent), read the body language, take accountability for the things you can control, understanding that everyday you will have new teachable moments…embrace them.
(jumps off soapbox)
GT
About George Torres
