Carlos P Hornstein is a Swiss (father) and French (mother) national born in Barcelona (Spain). He is a Sagittarius and as such loves adventures; He told me that he is very passionate about sports, travel and meeting people from different backgrounds. He studied Engineering and did an MBA; spent half of my 20+ years career in corporate and the other half in academia. His purpose in life: help people grow.
1. Humble Beginnings
Q: How did you get started and what or who inspired and empowered you to?
The environment where you lived your childhood (family, relatives, school, friends, etc) has a critical role in your life and dictates often the options you might have; said that, in an ideal world, every individual should be able to choose its own path; the reality is that at the age of 17, it is very hard to understand the world, how your life will play and what you should be doing; since I was good in math, I just followed what my father and grandfather did: engineering. And my mother encouraged me to give my best every day, wished me luck and supported me also when things did not turn the way I wanted; and she still does today.
Q: What unique and creative strategies if any did you use when you were first getting started?
Be true to yourself; be authentic. Question how things are done, be curious and creative. Spent time to understand things and don’t rush to conclusions. Be patient. Be sociable and get to know people, their motivations and perspectives; put yourself in their shows, including your boss.
2. Mindset
Q: What mindset distinguished you from others who were doing the same thing? How did you develop it?
The mindset you have in approaching any challenge is key to success in life; if you have prepared yourself and feel you are the best person suited for that job, half of the battle is won. Seeing yourself as the winner before the race starts, is key; it provides the necessary energy to overcome any obstacles. Same thing happens when things don’t go well or as planned; the capability to acknowledge the defeat, learn from it and be positive and optimistic about the present and future is the other half of the battle in life.
3. What is your definition of success?
Growth. If you grow a business, there will be more opportunities for people to grow, owners will keep their support and society at large will benefit. If you help people grow, they will be able to do more things, stay with you, continue to be curious by learning new things and ultimately be happier and more engaged.
4. Failure
Q: What do you think is the main reason why some people face failure when going after their vision?
Lack of patience and drive? Not working hard and preparing themselves to achieve that vision?
5. What is the best piece of advice you have received or came across and would like to share with everyone?
Help others win. It summarises a key leadership principle: humility.
Connect with Carlos on LinkedIn here
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