My Best Self: Juan Manuel Garcia

Juan Manuel Garcia
Head of Growth – LATAM

How do you define striving to be your “Best Self?”
My daily effort to build my “Best Self” is based on two areas: Balance and Personal Growth.

First, constant management to maintain an adequate balance between the different roles in life (work, family, individual). And I emphasize that I am referring to balance, and not equilibrium, since we all go through moments in which the time and energy allocated to one of these three dimensions must be consciously prioritized.

Secondly, I am not a “Finished Product.” In each of the three dimensions previously mentioned (work, family and individual), the analysis, the identification of the required tools and the investment of resources, effort and time for growth are a critical part of the construction of my “Best Self.”

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Pereira, a small city located in the foothills of the Andes in Colombia. It overflows with nature, and its roots dig very deep into the coffee farming culture. After high school, I went to university in Bogota, and now I have lived in Quito, Ecuador, for the past 21 years.

Given the choice of anyone in the world (any time), who would you want as a dinner guest?
Beyond my personal passion for history, Yuval Noah Harari is probably the most widely read thinker today. Without a moment of doubt, his narrative, and explanatory and analytical skills, makes Mr. Harari who I would invite as a dinner guest.

Best piece of advice you have received?
More than 20 years ago, I found the best advice I have ever received in a book. A phrase that profoundly affected me and that I turned into a philosophy of life: “The ship is safest when it’s in port, but that’s not what ships were built for.” (“The Pilgrimage,” by Paulo Coelho).

What skill are you currently learning (or would love to learn)?
I am learning to play drums. It was something I abandoned at the end of my childhood, but the seed remained. I took up learning and rehearsal discipline just over a year ago. (This has not made my neighbors very happy).