Dear ‘entrepreneur’:
It seems that business in Mexico is divided into two groups. On the one hand, you are with all the ‘entrepreneurs’ with enough years in the market to cloud their vision of the future; on the other, entrepreneurs seeking disruption and sophistication.
Your role has been key for the country and the goals you have achieved are undoubtedly admirable, but today you must understand that the world is changing at great speed and we need to achieve it. If your company is number one in the world I have nothing to say, but if not, then read on.
The great Mexican businessmen are part of a traditional archetype: an important relationship with the government, a conservative business model, but when looking at other latitudes what leads is innovation. Today examples of innovation that are the product of work and of this particular historical moment with ample availability of capital are beginning to emerge, but more are needed.
It is up to the business sector to help these figures emerge and also become them. Change the perception of the traditional entrepreneur, at least half of the entrepreneurs in the Forbes list of Mexico have as their main strength a solid relationship with the government in power, but if this is replaced by innovation and sophistication, the future of their companies and Mexico would be very different from what we know today.
Other countries bet on modernization and multiplier leadership and today they have the largest and most prosperous companies on the planet.
In Mexico, 85% of companies do not provide training, most because they believe that the knowledge and skills they have are adequate. Entrepreneur, wake up! I know you care about your country, because you have risked capital, time and effort. I know that you understand your role in society, in the creation of value, and that is why I ask you to remain open to innovation.
How to improve? Identifying your areas of opportunity. Understand that the commercial area and the sales force need constant and quality training, understand the value of marketing and its correct application for your company, open the doors to technology and make it part of the operation of your business, but above all have flexibility.
Because even the best are wrong and despite everything, one day something will go wrong, and it will not be a failure but a lesson. Learn to learn.
It is only possible to find new ideas if there is an openness to see things differently. As Juana Ramírez, president of ASEM, says: “We are used to hiring people who look like us, but only by understanding what the difference in voices is, we will have more criteria, as well as greater flexibility and listening capacity to have access to information”, making the right decisions has to go through listening and giving value to the diversity of ideas.
All this is clear in the richness of dialogue that takes place in forums and in spaces where intergenerational ideas, feedback and the value of mutual learning are shared. Sophistication is necessary because it is not exclusive to new companies with disruptive business models or startups, it also has a place in traditional companies, and only from different ways of doing things can we understand more and better how to improve.
It’s time to invest and it’s time to learn. Take care of your team because they are the ones that determine the course and future of the companies, seek to retain the talent that contributes and allows you to have a base of full trust, this is only possible by paying better.
An entrepreneur who constantly trains, who cares for and listens to his team, who is willing to risk more and learn from mistakes is, without a doubt, a better leader. What kind of leader do you want to be? What you have to do is turn to see the largest company and ask yourself what you need to learn to get there, what makes the person in front better than me, and respond with humility and frankness.
Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs can transform the world. Growth and constant improvement are a common goal. Only together can we advance to the level that today’s world demands and only then can we take advantage of all the opportunities of this historic moment.
PS: Remember that in the end we are the reflection of society, let’s be an image that fills us with pride every time we see ourselves in the mirror.
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Editor’s note: Jorge Sánchez García is the managing partner of Apolo 25. Follow him on . The opinions published in this column belong exclusively to the author.
