Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with Emilio Antonio Guevara, Founder of GLOBALBUSINESSLIVE, Capalists Conversations, Inc.. Emilio began his career as a door-to-door salesman and 
within 10 years he became a self-made entrepreneur. He credits his success to hard work, perseverance, persistence, determination, faith and a positive, attitude.
Emilio’s desire is to help others succeed by embracing and participating in the Free Enterprise system, to innovate and create by using the GREATEST gift he believes we possess: imagination.
He currently serves as the Founder & CEO of GLOBALBUSINESSLIVE, a company that produces virtual and live conferences such as the GFES (Global Founders Entrepreneurship Summit) as well as multiple city tours with some of the most successful business leaders in the world. He also serves as President & CEO of Capitalists Conversations Inc., an organisation devoted to espousing the virtues of capitalism by providing entrepreneurs and business leaders the opportunity to connect, network and have a two-way dialogue with other businessmen and businesswomen that have succeeded in business in an intimate format.
Emilio learned the power of perspective early in life when a trip to Honduras saw him re-evaluate his own circumstances. Growing up in the Bronx in a small Home, Emilio knew he came from humble beginnings – but witnessing real poverty on a trip to Honduras created a sense of gratitude for all that he did have. At the same time, these early life experiences create within him a drive to achieve his goals.
Emilio attributes much of his transformative enlightenment to reading – which he spent much of his teenage years doing. He says ‘’the greatest most valuable card you can have in your wallet is the public library card’’ and that with reading, you can learn through the experience of others. With that, I am reminded of the phrase ‘’all leaders are readers but not all readers are leaders’’.
Knowing that Emilio is someone who has quite some wisdom to share, I asked him if he could give a piece of advice to his teenage self, what would it be? He stressed the importance of learning who you are and where you fit – ‘’it’s not something that’s part of the curriculum of growing up’’ he says. For young people, he recommends more reading and more self-study.
My Inspiring Leadership Compass is a statistically proven model, with supporting psychometric assessments and training, for the purpose of transforming C-suite performance, leadership impact and organisational culture. The compass has 8 points that demonstrate all the components of a good leader. I asked Emilio if he could provide his insights in relation to each component.
MQ: Morals and Values: Emilio gave his three principles when it comes to morals and values. He emphasises that ‘’the internal spirit is always right’, that we should ‘’always be grateful’’ and recommends the book ‘The Power of Intention’ by Dr. Wayne Dyer (include link).
PQ: Purpose and Meaning: Growing up, Emilio found great solace in the the power of imagination. He describes imagination as the greatest gift because ‘’you don’t have to ask permission to use it’’.
HQ: Health and Wellbeing: Emilio describes walking as a form of ‘serenity’ and as a way of exercising all parts of one’s body.
CQ: Cultural Intelligence: ‘Perception’ is the keyword when it comes to cultural intelligence, says Emilio, and that the sooner we recognise each other as human beings who all experience challenges, we will be better off.
EQ: Emotions and Relationships: Emilio believes we ‘lack empathy these days’ and again highlights the importance of reading; exposure to other people’s experiences.
RQ: Resilience: Visualise your end goal!
BQ: Personal Brand: and LQ: Legacy: Emilio’s ultimate wish is to be a family man; a good husband and a good father.
What was striking about speaking with Emilio is his unwavering motivation to live a life of fulfilment. I will leave you with a quote Emilio learned from his father: ‘’Take a chance on yourself – every man has to find his journey to independence’’
To hear the full podcast, listen here
To learn more about Emilio, click here
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