Category: Pamela Ayuso

Finding Focus in a World of Multiple Projects and Distractions

Pamela Ayuso October 12, 2020

As managers, much of our daily work is problem-solving – going from one issue to the next and resolving each one. We need to approve transactions or discuss with others how to proceed with a question. This type of work requires being able to solve one task at a time and think on our feet. It may also require building consensus and teamwork. It is dynamic work and is full of activity.

There are other times, though, when we need to do a more intense kind of work. Sometimes we must do a deep-dive and research a new topic. We may have to think through an entrenched problem or start and engage with a challenging project that requires concentrated attention. Here, a different type of performance is necessary: one in which we take the time to immerse ourselves in an issue and think through it.

Starting New Projects and Managing Uncertainty

Pamela Ayuso October 5, 2020

Life is full of uncertainty. Whether we are starting a new venture, launching a new business, or confronting a new or existing health problem, any unknown path can be scary. We might have no idea of what the entire endeavor will entail, and we may not even know where to start.

Sometimes we are stopped before we have even begun – fear can prevent us from taking any action at all. We might not even consciously know it because we justify our lack of action in different ways. My go-to justification for not doing something I want or must do is that I don’t have the time.

Writing a Book: My Strategies for Overcoming Obstacles

Pamela Ayuso September 28, 2020

I officially launched my blog over two years ago. Writing has been an unexpected path for me, full of trials and gifts. I write one blog entry a week around topics I find interesting or have found challenging as a business leader.

Along the way, I have also been experimenting with different types of material as I write. I started by writing about processes and systems and have moved to other topics such as productivity and overall company management. My articles have taught me and helped me clarify my ideas.

Building Resilience to Navigate the Ups and Downs

Pamela Ayuso September 21, 2020

Life happens every day. Over time, we will experience a bit of everything – good, bad, great, sad, and sometimes, like the recent crisis we are living through, catastrophic. Our work life is no different. With the ups come the downs: in typical times, a great team player may leave the company, or perhaps a loan does not come through. It can be very frustrating and sometimes scary.

Growth is not linear; it is all over the place. To be able to work with the uncertainty, I’ve found that as leaders, we must develop resilience. If we are not feeling well ourselves, it will be much more difficult, if not impossible, to lead.

Strategies to Learn How to Make Better Decisions

Pamela Ayuso September 14, 2020

I often look to Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and Charlie Munger, vice chairman of the same company, as inspiration for my days. Both have developed a reputation as sages in the investment community and beyond. They invest in new companies infrequently and hold on to their investments for the long-term. Buffett and Munger spend their time reading, studying, and pondering and have been able to build a business empire based on this strategy of deep analysis and sparse action.

As I have been working on building my company over the past couple of years, I find myself often in constant action mode, completing one task after the other. As often happens, I find it difficult to find the time to ponder ideas and decisions. With time, I have come to realize that I must slow down to be more effective, as the idea is to take the time and learn to think as clearly as possible.

Maintaining What You Have Implemented in Your Company

Pamela Ayuso September 7, 2020

Often new ideas come unexpectedly, and they are frequently precious. When you create a new workflow or have a new idea about how to do what you or your teams do daily, the concept is often not enough. For the idea to persist, it must be institutionalized in some way; otherwise it may never be implemented. Then, even if the idea is ultimately implemented, it may disappear after some time.

At Celaque, we are encountering this problem now, as we are in the middle of systematizing how we manage the buildings we develop. Although it is not our first time managing buildings and we already have some systems in place, we are always upgrading how we do it. As a team, we come up with lots of new ideas for innovation. From keeping a book so that the maintenance staff can report anything that happened during their shift to adding bulletin boards so that residents who do not use our software platform can find out about our events and important information, we have been adding many new practices.

Build Your Schedule Block by Block

Pamela Ayuso August 31, 2020

Your schedule is what determines what you will do daily. And your daily actions are the steps that will take you to achievement. Therefore, how well you set up your schedule will define how successful you are reaching all your goals, no matter what they are. What you seek to achieve may be professionally related, but it may also be about creating more time for yourself, your community, and your loved ones.

A well-designed schedule will establish where you will spend your time and will be the foundation for your results over time. Your schedule can be supportive if you design it to be so — otherwise, it can be part of the reason you are not where you strive to be.

Finding out What Your Customer Wants and Needs

Pamela Ayuso August 24, 2020

In business, we all sell something. We may have a great product that has done well in the past but needs updating, or we may be looking for new product lines to grow. Whatever the case may be, the key to creating a great product is to find out what your customer wants and needs and make it for them.

I’ve thought about this often – producing the type of invention that will be just the right combination of features our customers need. My company is a real estate development firm, and we construct apartment and office buildings. Before we launch a new project, we tweak it and modify it until we are confident that we have the best possible design. Our customers and whether they buy it or not, however, are the ultimate judges.

How Risk Management Can Protect and Grow Your Business

Pamela Ayuso August 17, 2020

In his book, The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor, Howard Marks (public library) writes extensively about risk. As the co-founder and co-chairman of a highly successful asset management firm called Oaktree Capital Management, he assesses investment risk daily and has unique insight into how it works. Risk is variously defined as volatility and uncertainty – he describes it as the “likelihood of loss.”

Most of us do not buy and sell securities for a living, but we all face risk whenever we make a decision. The quality of our outcomes depends on how well we deliberate and manage the inherent risk in our choices. We aim to select the best possible path, but there is always a risk that it will turn out differently.

Introducing Creative Thinking for a Better Business Model

Pamela Ayuso August 10, 2020

I’m participating in a seminar, the Central American Leadership Initiative (CALI), where we commit to starting a new social impact venture – something I have always wanted to do. I also decided to take this project as an opportunity to learn new models and frameworks for how to launch a venture. As an entrepreneur, part of my daily work is starting new projects and implementing ideas. Through trial and error, I have developed a successful method, but this is a chance to learn something new and introduce improvements.

I’m at the point where I need to select a project and then research and refine it. I’m having a difficult time choosing what I want to devote my energies to because I want to work with a topic I care deeply about. It also must be something in which I have a strength and, of course, the tools to implement.