I was standing there at this Peruvian restaurant in New York City...
the chill of December and the spirit of Christmas shining through the windows.
My cousin, my brother, Luis was giving a speech at his company Holiday party.
I am not 100% sure, why I was there.
I don't work for him, or do business with him.
But, I do LOVE him! And, family was part of the celebration.
As he spoke... I heard him say, "Just a couple of weeks ago, my partner gave me the news, we broke $100 Million dollars in sales!"
I smiled deeply.
Just last Wednesday, our company had just surpassed the $100 Million dollar mark also... a "HUGE" milestone!
I remember the days when Luis and I walked the streets of New York City as boys. It was probably about 35 years ago. Our eyes looked up at the sky, our hearts full of passion, our minds full of dreams...
We talked about life, about business, about what life and success could feel like...
I also remember dreaming of $100 Million dollars with my colleagues and partners 10 years ago, and it felt like a far away dream.
We actually named our conference room, 10^8... 10 to the 8th... 100 million that was our goal...
It was our goal, more than anything because it seemed unreachable, but worth striving for, and because it meant that we would have to do all the other stuff required to grow... to develop and execute on some type of worthwhile strategy... to make it come to true.
It was such a stretch.... It felt so impossible... And,
Like many goals in my life... I said it out loud. I wrote it down on paper. And, I didn't fully believe I would ever get there. I just focussed on the day, on the issues of the moment, and tried to help steer us into tomorrow.
100 MILLION... for EMG... and for WTS...
It amuses me that my brother Luis and I reached $100 Million dollars in sales about a week apart, building two completely different businesses, in two different industries and largely from two different continents.
I had stood in front of my company, last Saturday and shared the same comments... And, we had all cheered about $100 Million.
And, then Luis said...
"but you know, $100 Million is just a number, it's just money". I couldn't agree more. While hitting the goal had been a rush, the goal itself seemed empty and misguided (or perhaps better yet, mis-represented.
Luis spoke about the fact that his company employs 15,000 women in Peru. He spoke about the fact that the work that they do employs thousands of people in factories, and that is why he and WTS must keep going. Because he has a responsibility to them... to keep reaching.
YES!!!
In my conversation with my company just 5 days earlier, I had spoken of the "magic" at EMG. The thing that makes EMG special and meaningful is the people. The fact that 90+% of people offered a job at EMG take it - because they see and feel something special. There is a shared desire to take care of each other, to help each other, and to succeed together.
To me, the experience that our 600 employees have at EMG IS why we are there. Providing opportunities for them to live better lives, and their families, and the countless clients that depend on our work.
We measure money, because it's EASY to measure.
We measure money, because, kind of like English is the global language, money is the global currency of success...
But, deep down inside, it is so clear to me. It ain't about the money. Sure, we all want to provide for our families. And, I am no exception. I want to travel, to experience life fully, in all ways, and money helps...
But, money is not why I work. Money is not what motivates me to grow our company, to become better at what we do...
What motivates me... is creating a strategy that creates differentiated value.
What motivates me... is helping create a culture in which people are joyful and grateful to be a part...
What motivates me... is having a hand in making lives better... in making the experience of LIFE better for me having played a part...
And, it makes me smile, that I am not in it alone... and that my brother Luis, is living the same dream... and that by being a part of his life... my life is more joyful.
$100 million... CHECK...
Now, I start looking at $200 Million, or maybe at $1 Billion... who knows... it's just money.
What matters... is ALL that it will take to grow, to expand on who we are, to improve doing what we do, so that MORE is possible...
MORE opportunity for more people for more joy...
600 joyful teammates... that is my goal... it is far greater than $100 million.
It feels unreachable, but possible.
I don't know if I can ever get there...
I will just focus on today, on the issues of the moment, and try to help steer us into tomorrow.
And, at some point,
I will look up,.. smile... and wonder how we got here...
in harmony,
Nestor