At the end, please leave a comment below if you found these tips beneficial or you would like to include your own tips and contribute to the discussion.

1.  Bring your culture to the table.

By the time you have a seat at the leadership or management table during your career, you will have amalgamated a vast array of culture as part of your life experience. The archaic business setting calls for a robotic-like approach in leadership and management, where culture and feelings in the workplace are pushed aside for a more stern approach. However, most businesses are going through a “customer-focused” and “people-focused” shift. As a leader or manager in today’s business environment, you should feel encouraged to allow your culture to bleed through your leadership or management-style. Your eclectic personality will set you apart.

2.  In leadership and management, use “tried and true” styles as a fallback not your first option.

Your life, cultural, and professional experiences mean as much as, if not more than, the leadership or management title you obtained. The moment you receive official responsibility as a leader or manager does not mean you must change your personality to fit the mold. Experiment and determine how you fit within your team or organization, then run with it! There is no one specific way a leader or a manager must be as long as you are effective. You were chosen as a leader or manager for a reason (technical skills, people skills, etc.), so do not lack in confidence or allow any sort of imposter syndrome to sink in. Your team and organization will feed off of your infectious energy.

3. Remember: Winning is a team effort.

If you are striving to become a leader/manager or you have been a leader/manager for quite some time and you want to meet higher goals, you cannot forget that winning is a team effort. To be a true leader or manager, you must strive to ensure each person under your wing will develop into a professional that exceeds even your own capabilities. Whether you are leading a group of people indirectly or directly managing a team of individual contributors, your people come first and personal desires are now second. This shift may take practice, but is absolutely necessary.

4.  Your voice is crucial component to success.

As businesses become increasingly interconnected and rely even more on efficient communication, your voice is a crucial piece to your team and organization as a leader or manager (as being a hands-off type of leader or manager is slowly going out of style).

If there are any language barriers, work through them; please do not allow language barriers to stop you. In a position of leadership or management, you cannot wait for somebody (whether it’s a peer or another person on the leadership/management chain) to ask i.) a question, or ii.) for your opinion before speaking up. You must take initiative and speak up for clarification, questions, or to confirm if something is right or wrong. The more you take initiative to speak up, the better your team will rally around you in times of need.

5.  Inspire and motivate others, especially younger generations, along the way through your story.

Use your experiences and story to inspire/motivate the next wave of Hispanic leaders and managers to not only achieve your level of success but become even better leaders/managers than we are today. Up to this point in your career, you may have achieved crucial goals alone, or you may feel as though you achieved your goals alone or with little professional help. Now, while your own personal achievements should definitely be recognized and celebrated, a true, genuine leader acts selflessly. If your path to success was difficult for you and took plenty of perseverance, the younger generation can benefit from your advice or guidance. Without being prompted, act today and lend a hand to someone you believe can be the next superstar in your organization or simply educate peers on your niche/expertise. There is no wrong way to contribute as long as you lead and/or manage the way con ganas!

Mil Gracias,

-Nick