After so many years restructuring departments, learning systems, understanding and creating processes, and watching how the business engine truly runs, I’ve realized something surprising: nothing is more fascinating than people.
My work has taken me across continents and into rooms filled with personalities, skills, and life stories that could not be more different from one another. And with every person, I learned something new, not just about the job, but about values. Because values shift depending on the life you’ve lived.
For some, arriving to work on time with clothes unwrinkled after two or three hours on public transit is a victory. For others, starting the day without a Starbucks in hand feels like a tragedy. These differences aren’t small; they shape how people see themselves, their challenges, and their place in the organization.
My job has always been to find the best in each of them to help them discover themselves, the seat where they can thrive. I’ve cross‑trained people into roles they never imagined, only to watch them light up when they finally found what they loved. After more than 25 years, that part still excites me.
But let’s be honest: it isn’t easy. Helping people accept change is one of the hardest things in life. Mindset shifts don’t come naturally, especially for those who haven’t faced real struggle, or whose biggest struggle is not having their usual coffee. Yet I’ve been fortunate to have strong leaders around me, and I don’t give up easily on people I believe in. Whether they want to change is another story.
No one embraces something new without experiencing it. Some are so tightly chained to their fear and insecurity of change that it consumes them. And when fear takes over, it’s easier to blame others, the system, the environment, even the entire planet instead of looking inward at what’s missing.
But that’s why I love what I do. Because every once in a while, someone breaks through that fear. They try something new. They grow. And in that moment, you see the real person — not the fear, not the excuses, but the potential that was always there.
by Mônia Robles