JourneyTalks Podcast
Your favorite podcast to reconnect with gratitude and inspiration.
JourneyTalks Podcast
Journey Talks Podcast with Cesar Gueikian: Strumming the Strings of Change at Gibson and Embracing Personal Harmony
On our latest episode, we're honored to host the President and CEO of Gibson, Cesar Gueikian, a man who's tuning the legendary brand to resonate with the future without losing a beat of its historic past. Our conversation strikes a chord as we delve into Cesar's Armenian-Argentinian heritage and its influence on his life's symphony, the revitalization of Gibson, and the profound connections fostered with top musicians around the globe who share our passion for those iconic instruments.
We spend some time talking about the harmony found in vulnerability and mentorship. We explore how opening up can be the bravest chord to strike, leading to leadership that resonates with authenticity and connection. Mentorship, therapy, and life coaching emerge as instrumental in composing a life of growth and self-improvement. It's a conversation that underscores the courage in seeking help and the importance of self-love – because sometimes, tuning our inner world can produce the most beautiful music of all. Join us as we share these insights, aiming to inspire listeners to embrace change and the continuous journey towards personal betterment.
https://www.gibson.com/en-US/About-Us
Host: @journeytalkspodcast
Guest: @gueikian & @gibsonguitar @gibsonespanol
The Journey Talks Podcast, your favorite podcast to reconnect with gratitude and inspiration. Hosted by Jorge Gonzalez. Greetings everybody. This is Journey Talks Podcast and my name is Jorge Ceyar Gonzalez and I am your host. I am convinced that behind every gratitude, there's a powerful story waiting to be told, and my hope is that this space creates a platform and actually a space to share these stories, and as we share these stories, we can inspire one another. As humans, we share one thing in common, and that is the experience of being alive. Some people, some situations, are short, others people stay a little longer. The question is, who are the people, what are the situations that have opened doors for transformation in our lives, and who are we as a result of that? Through this podcast, I'll be interviewing guests with stories of gratitude, and my hope is that as we share these stories of gratitude, we can be reminded of the beautiful gift that we all have from within, and that is unconditional love. All right, today I'm very excited.
Speaker 1:Today I have a very special guest and I had a chance to meet him a few years ago through my work, and I've been very fortunate to have a relationship and a friendship with him for over the years. He has a background in finance and investments. He's a surf enthusiastic and a self-described extreme sports junkie. We share a few things in common we have a passion for music and the craftsmanship of music and what music allows us to do, which is no other than to create epic memories and community and storytelling.
Speaker 1:After spending more than 20 years in finance and working all around the world, going back and forth between the United States and London and different parts of the world, he was able to hang his suit, get rid of the tie and put on his jeans and go to work every day, and he happens to do something very, very cool. He has the opportunity to work and collaborate with amazing, creative people and probably the top musicians in the world, especially guitar players. He is responsible for actually making dreams come true for a lot of people, and that is the gift of having a beautiful instrument in their hands. Allow me to introduce you and to welcome the Gibson brand president, and this person is no other than Cesar Gweke. And Cesar, welcome to Journey Talks podcast. How are you doing this afternoon?
Speaker 2:I'm good, jorge. Thank you Great. Good to be here, good to reconnect with you after a couple of years where we had a chance to be in person. It's good to be here and thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Oh man, I so appreciate that you're giving me the opportunity to spend some time with you in this capacity. Cesar, how are you? What's going on with you? It's been what. How long have you guys been in this new project? Is it three years, four years now?
Speaker 2:We've been in four and a half years since we formally took over the company. It was a longer process in order to get there, to have ultimately the opportunity to do that and take over. For me, it really started in 2013 when I started investing in the debt of Gibson, and so it's been a big journey and maybe it really starts back when I was 10 years old and I wanted a Gibson and a Kuna Ford one. But you fast forward to those 20 years you mentioned in your introduction where I was in the investing world, which is how I got involved financially with the company and with the ownership group coming in and ultimately, in 2018, being able to do what's called a change of control, to be the new equity partners, equity owners of the company, with a great new management team, to leverage this incredible, iconic past that Gibson has and move it into the company, our artists, our fans, our people into the future, into the future of music and start the process of taking 130 years of history and shaping the next 130 years of music.
Speaker 1:Just a small task to do you know tiny little thing to be responsible for. Right Says that I think it's important to share with the audience. I want to share with the audience how I met you and the first time I had an opportunity to interact with you, and this was we had an event and you guys were hosting. It was at your place. And I go to this beautiful place, this apartment, and it's surrounded by amazing guitars and in my mind I'm like where am I? These guitars are iconic and I wanted to know who was responsible, who was the family hosting the event and whatnot. And I keep seeing amazing guitars, amazing amps, and this was the display of your living room. I mean it was incredible.
Speaker 1:And then I had the opportunity to meet you and then we immediately connected. We had the chance to play together for an event that we shared at my work and you were able to play some guns and roses and jam on with some slash amazing licks, you know, but it was. I was so blown away because, as a music lover, as a guitar player, I couldn't resist myself. I mean I thought I was in heaven, to tell you the truth, you know, because I mean I was witnessing some of your private collection, but it was an amazing opportunity, right. And then you've always extended a very warm friendship to me and the opportunity to get to know you and to hear more about your story. I think it's fascinating, cesar, that you have this interesting background. I mean, you were born in Argentina, but you have Armenian background. Is that correct?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I mean there are Armenian. I wonder how music is involved. And all of that because I happen to be one of those people that agrees and believes that Argentinian rock is epic. You know, for me, argentina, argentina, argentina it's the mother of rock in Spanish, a Spanish rock, you know, and so you have been able to connect with some of these iconic figures back home, and I just think it's fascinating the opportunity that you have had to really bring back to the center Gibson and me, establish new relationship with these artists and to put out the forefront again, I mean, the whole story behind the craftsmanship of songs, but also the craftsmanship of the instrument.
Speaker 1:I mean, you said it clearly you have a big responsibility to carry on this legacy of a brand that has been a staple in music. I mean, everybody knows that Gibson guitars are iconic, and so I just think it's fascinating. I just love for us to deep dive into an opportunity to share your stories of gratitude. How do you end up here? You know who are the people that inspire you, who are the people that sort of like help you find some inner strength and a clear vision for what you wanted. So are you willing to go there with me?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, absolutely. And, like you said, the Latin music in general, across all the different forms and coming from all the different countries in Latin America, ours have been increasingly more powerful anywhere in the world and the ability to reconnect with my roots and work with Latin American artists has been amazing because, yes, not only we have the relationships and the connections and the partnerships we have with artists that have been influential influential in the history of music, from, you know, the US and Europe, that to find genres of music but the Opportunity to connect with Latin American artists that I grew up with listening to and wanting to learn the songs, having that background myself, in a way it makes me a little bit more credible and it helps the Helps all of us at Gibson, the fact that that I come from that region and so, in understanding, respecting and understanding Latin American music and promoting it and establishing partnerships, which has been one of my priorities, yeah, yeah, no, I've seen it.
Speaker 1:I've seen it. I mean what you guys have done. It's incredible, and I love you know, in this time and age when, let's be honest, your music has changed so much and drastically.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you look at, look at the Grammys, the Grammys, and with the opening act in the Grammys, was bad money, and the evolution of Latin American music has been such that it's been now Adopted and embraced all around the world and and mostly because I think it's first, it's really good. It's really good music. Look at bands like Maná, fito Paes, soderio and the Liszt, cosogno, juanes, luis Fonsi, fonseca, we can keep going right, and so the, the, the grooves, the rhythms, the blend of how music is created in all the different and yes, the bands are all a little different from each other, but they all have that very unique Latin group and Now I'm seeing that it's been so adopted everywhere around the world, particularly in the US, where the second largest minority is us Latin Americans and Latins in general, and we come Hispanics and, and Bands that are normally 10, 15 years ago would not have been playing in the US now are touring all around the US.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, and they have a reception. People are. People want to see them, people want to see them. That's just so good. So let's talk about stories of gratitude. I mean, this is, this, is these are plenty of reasons to be grateful for, but says that what are, what is your relationship with gratitude? What are you great, most graceful for? I?
Speaker 2:I Truly think for here that I am today, with what I'm doing, the role I have, I think I really am the luckiest person On earth. I believe that I I Live it that way because when I wake up every day for the last four and a half years, having Having the opportunity to do what I do, which is putting my background, my, my financial and business background and Working with companies and turning them around with my absolute biggest passion, which is music and, by the way, it wasn't only music that I was most passionate about when I was growing up. I always wanted to give them. Like I said, I couldn't initially, I couldn't afford it. I was able to buy myself a Gibson later, but that Combination of the two things and bringing my business background with my biggest passion, which is not just music, but within music, it's guitars and within guitars, it's been always been Gibson for me is something that I mean incredibly great, grateful.
Speaker 2:I mean it's, it's almost so real.
Speaker 2:It feels like I'm leaving a dream, and so every day I think about that. And then, clearly, the fact that I'm living in Nashville. I have a wonderful, incredibly supportive, beautiful, amazing wife that you obviously got to spend time with and know very well and my kids, who are having an amazing time here in their schools and with the activities that they're doing and the friendships that they have developed and the fact that they've embraced the move also because they were at different ages You've got to spend a lot of time with my now nine year old Leo and the fact that I see them now in the community, they're embedded in the community, they're having their success in their own ways at school and they're setting now great conditions for their future. Future success here is something I'm also very grateful because it could have been a great thing for me for what I'm doing, from what I'm doing now with Gibson, but it could have. It could, at the same time, have been very challenging for the rest of my family and it has been amazing for everybody.
Speaker 1:That you know what I think there's. It's worth for us to spend some time with that because you're absolutely right, many times in the pursuit of our dreams they do have a toll, but in this case there's no doubt that the universe, god, whatever you want to call it, chances in life everything has aligned and and it has been working for you guys. I am so happy to see it, I'm happy to see to keep up with you guys through social media and it's beautiful to see you know, you and the kids and your wife Amanda being happy, you know, and and the fact that the kids have found their place and that you get to enjoy and see that, because I can imagine. I mean, there's a difference between the Cesar who is, you know your work, but Cesar also has a family and your joy and your gratitude must come out of their joy and their happiness as well.
Speaker 2:And I try to integrate it as much as I can, and I was at deliberate approach to spending time, quality time with the family, but also, at the same time, integrating our artist community and artist family together, because they they go through the same thing. If they are on the road touring and they spend a lot of time away from home, they are faced with that challenge, which is a big one. And so we, we, we host a lot at home and we know we got to know our artists, their families, their kids, our kids have developed friendships with them. We do, we do a fair amount here at home, here in Nashville.
Speaker 2:Even last night I had Billy Evans and his wife here and all the kids, my kids, having dinner all together, and that's that's not the first time you know with with someone like Billy who comes home and when he comes to Nashville, he, he loves having dinner here at the house and spending time together that way as opposed to being being out, and so they, they also are very conscious about what they do when they're home and they're not out touring. And we are. I've been able to integrate them, especially because all of these artists that I've developed very close personal relationships are also wonderful human beings and that's amazing to me to talk about something to be grateful you. You never know how, how they really are personally. They might be amazing musicians, but I discovered that everyone that I work with and that I've developed close working relationships with I've ended up developing really close personal relationships and getting to know their families, and they got to know my family's my family and so that's been also something that's been amazing.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely. You know. I'm so excited to hear that says that, because I want to say, maybe three years ago I had the chance to go to your offices in Miami and meet some of your crew and our conversation boiled down to exactly that, which is the relationship with the artist. And when people sometimes forget because we put artists on a pedestal and we look up to them and whatnot, but we forget that they're human beings and the job of an artist it's I mean, artists are working 24 seven is true, that job looks completely different from a nine to five kind of job, but sometimes for them it's 24 seven, you know. And so when they haven't the opportunity to meet and build relationships that are truly authentic and genuine, exactly that makes the difference.
Speaker 1:And that was our conversation and we were just, we spent probably like an hour just talking about relationships and how amazing it is that, through Gibson, you guys are maintaining those relationships, maintaining the creativity of an artist, because they have, they can trust you, they can trust you, they can trust that, whatever is it that they need, your instruments are going to deliver, and it's not just the instrument, is the reliability, is knowing that, if there's something that needs to be addressed, that you guys are going to show up and make it happen. You know, it's just, it's this constant trust, and how then those relationships expand in the different aspects of our life. And you know, I don't like to consider myself somebody that was not able to fulfill his dreams as a musician, because I feel like I was been very fortunate to stay connected through music, but I can only imagine how beautiful it is. There's something magical about music and creativity, and most of the times is not just a song, is the context that created the song, is the relationship and the memories that created for that song. Like when we think about you guys, are Nashville right now, nashville is the, is the, is the lacuna right, is the birthplace of storytelling through music, you know, and those are rooted in our normal daily interactions and those normal daily interactions boil down to trust, to relationship and to maintaining those friendships.
Speaker 1:So I couldn't agree more with you. So let me ask you this Can you think of a, can you think of a situation, someone? At some point in your life do you find yourself at a crossroad and and and all of a sudden you learn a thing or two, because you were confronted with the need to really, you know, get the gear on. And, and now, looking back, you, you are a better person. You know yourself better because of it.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think the the for me actually was coinciding with coming over, moving, taking this, taking this role, not just as a, you know, one of the shareholders, but also as part of the team that I had to rethink. The first, my sort of professional approach, and I thought what, what are, what are the things that I've been doing in the past that I can carry forward to rally people behind, why we want to do what we're doing. So that's what. That was the first one to think about. What is my why? Why, why do I want to do this? And and and it was. It was probably had nothing to do with any kind of financial incentive. For me, it was a noble cause I really want to make you, I want to carry forward the legacy of this brand, and so that was one thing that made me think about that and then related to that how am I going to do that so professionally?
Speaker 2:I came from a very different background of the way of working, where it was a lot more aggressive. It was a little more was fast, fast-paced, very aggressive, not in a confrontational way, but in a way to take over a company. Sometimes it's not amicable. You're having to restructure the company, which means changing management, laying people off and replacing them, and this was a very different situation. Yes, it required a form of restructuring to put Gibson back into growth and what we've done, but it was more about how to work with people in this context. And I had to think and I actually I couldn't do it on my own I reached out for help. I talked to people that I know have done this, and I seek help to try to put a lens of professional empathy into what the people that had been with Gibson for a long time had gone through, and always think about conflict resolution in a way that looked at people through a highly empathetic lens, given what they had gone through. And so that was on the professional side. I had to reinvent myself and adapt to a new way of working and a new way of dealing with thousands of people that are part of the Gibson family.
Speaker 2:And then, on the personal side, applying something similar, which is I created a big upset with the family. I'm not saying that it was a negative upset, but it was a big change from having lived in places like London and New York and having fed ourselves in Miami with a great network of family, friends, schools, etc. To then upset that and move to Nashville. I had to apply a similar level of empathy towards my wife, the kids and try to be more conscious of what they were going through too, which I had, all these expectations and optimism, and I was really looking forward to doing it. However, for them it was well. We're going to have to change everything we do and build a new life in a place we don't know. So I approached it that way too, and try to think about it in the context of putting myself in their shoes and thinking about what they were going through, so that I could help create the best conditions for our family to be successful here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, family I keep every time I think of happiness and success. Quote unquote you cannot separate. This is not a loner's journey.
Speaker 1:you know what I mean. It has to involve your whole self and in your case, you have a family, you have your children, you have your wife, you have and understanding that their joy becomes your joy as well. Like that's critical, and I really loved it when you talked about reinventing yourself. You know, we are so afraid of what that would look like and what could be on the other side and you know, I think of your kids and I think of probably the example that they're receiving of seeing someone that is willing to reinvent himself. You know so, even though it's scary, you know, and that was one of my questions.
Speaker 1:So how do you handle fear? How do you handle situations that are scary? But we are already talking about it. But there's no better teacher than the example that we set for other people, and I'm so happy to hear that in your case, right now, National has been a wonderful opportunity for you all as a family, not only for you and your professional life, but for the whole family, and that's really nice because, again, that just is the gift that keeps on giving right. And so the kids are seeing that, that example of discipline, consistency, believing in yourself, believing in your dreams, the importance of mindset, which are our conversations and themes that I like to talk about here. On the podcast, you know I call it Journey Talks podcast, but it's the journey is all about these challenging moments that allow us to transform ourselves, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, clearly, and what we do has an effect, has a big effect on people, right? So, from both professional and personal. So, at the time that I was going through this with, on my side, being incredibly excited about what was coming and the ability to influence such an iconic company and work with everybody that we work with I thought, well, what are the things that I need to be, what are the things that are going to be critical in reinventing myself? And I thought one was dialogue, right, just creating dialogue, both professionally but also at home with the family, because reinventing myself also meant I had to rally them to reinvent themselves in setting something up. So, and then, clearly, like I said, having empathy for both of them, having a lot of appreciation for what they were going through, and building this notion of building positive sentiment in our actions and then embracing the.
Speaker 2:For me personally, I always had a hard time with this, which is embracing vulnerability, which I think is a strength. It's just that I find it really hard. I see myself as being weak at doing that, but I consciously tried to do it in embracing vulnerability. It's uncomfortable, it's very uncomfortable. In some cases, or in the majority of times, it's uncomfortable. But then when I find that I'm able to do that, it creates positive change.
Speaker 1:Wow, cesar. Thank you so much for gracing me with that opportunity. Vulnerability man, I agree with you being vulnerable is one of the hardest things to do, but at the end of the day, the gift that comes out of it is so liberating. Would you agree with me?
Speaker 2:Oh, I couldn't agree more. When I feel it and in many cases I feel vulnerable but I find it hard to communicate it and when I finally find out the right way to save, to communicate it, to put it out there and be vulnerable and letting everybody know, then it's incredibly liberating because the reaction also you get from others is sometimes, or most times, it's actually the opposite of what you're fearing will happen.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, I think, being vulnerable and I was just as you were talking, I was like you know what this makes so much sense and I hope this comes across as a compliment and as a follow-up to what you're saying. You know, a true leader knows how to be vulnerable. A true leader it's able to set an example by being vulnerable on how we can address conflict. You know uncomfortable situations because when we learn how to handle vulnerability and the discomfort that comes with it, actually we are empathizing with other people. It levels the ground. You know that's so amazing. I'm so glad that you brought that up.
Speaker 1:Vulnerability, I mean, I think about your role in your family, your role in the company, your relationship with artists. You know again, I have to bring it back to artists Sometimes people forget that artists have their fair share of for lack of a better word demons. You know, and it's really hard for them to show their vulnerability because you know many times and not just artists, any human being we always like to put up this front of. We got everything under control, but the beauty of leaning in into vulnerability at the end of the day once again gives us a beautiful, amazing gift. Thank you so much for sharing that. Cesar, cesar, who can you think of? Who has been a mentor for you? Who has been someone that, because your interaction with this person, you feel like you, you know, know yourself better. You are a different person because of them. Can you think of someone?
Speaker 2:Well, like I said, I make it a point to talk to a coach, a lady that I speak to twice a month. She's actually in Miami, so we do it on video, and I was. When I started talking to her, I was skeptical, but I said, okay, let's approach this with an open mind, and I wanted to have the ability to bounce in many ways, I guess bounce my fears, my weaknesses, what made me feel vulnerable by somebody that would listen to me and just help me think about, and help me think about how I could influence actions and create dialogue, and create dialogue to resolve and move towards creating positive sentiment, but also understanding myself and external my weaknesses. So I've been spending a time that that time that I get, that hour that I get twice a month to to talk to her, has been incredibly helpful. And because I used to, as growing up as a kid, I would go to my dad all the time and he passed away 26 years ago when I was 20 years old. So I don't have that.
Speaker 2:And so, on one hand, I have this, this, this person that I found that I'm able to bounce all these concepts by and then just just download what's going on through my mind and what I'm, what I'm feeling, so that I can get I can get feedback from a 30th and a party, and then I also have great admiration for a couple of people that have been through many of these circumstances with businesses across different industries that I reached out to all you also make a point to talk to and in many ways I get.
Speaker 2:I have to tell you that most increasingly, over the last four to five years, having conversations with a select group of artists that I have very deep conversations with is also been been amazing for me personally, actually is is is full, it's helping me because we share things that we're going through at a, at a at a personal level that that helps me think about. Okay, so maybe if they're asking me for that, they're talking to me because they want to hear what I think. I do the same thing with them and and so they. So it's been great to get the ability to do that as well, where I can get a chance to talk to very, very, very, very famous artists with whom I've had, I've developed those levels of relationships to the point where we can have these type of conversations and share what we're going through and help each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, that makes me think of an expression that I I try to use constantly wishes are shared humanity, you know, and, and, and I think there's such beauty there, right.
Speaker 2:It is an to be to your earlier point that those are Things that I am so grateful for, because In the day to day of running, of being part of the team that is running this business, there's a lot of there's a lot of repetition that happens, there's a lot of challenges, there's a lot of work that I have to do and long hours were 14 or 16 hours a day and and sometimes, sometimes, getting these moments that you know are ultimately the cool things you see in social media. But getting these moments of having an hour conversation in an evening with an artist, or having my hour conversation with a lady that I talked to Twice a month, or or hearing what, what an artist is calling me to tell me they're going through and maybe I can be helpful to them, those are really the things that that that give me the most energy to keep doing what we're doing.
Speaker 1:Hmm that is fascinating. Well, you know what I have to bring it back to you. You're giving me this gift right now. You give me the exact same gift, and that's why, in my heart, when I was thinking of people that I wanted to have a conversation with, your name was at the top of the list. Just, I mean, I had no clue that your life was going to take this, this, you know this, this turn, but I've always had this passion for the stories behind things and and and.
Speaker 1:In your position, what you're doing with the, with the company, what you're doing with your life, is giving you 20 times fold what you're putting into. You know, I love the fact that you are so open to share and talk about. You know, establishing a relationship with, with a coach. I myself have been in a relationship with a therapist for a long time, I mean over over 10 years. You know, and and this is interesting because some I mean I I'm a firm believer, like you. You know. You know what. Give it a shot, whether it's, whether whether it's life coaching or therapy. Do it because there's such beauty in creating a safe space just to unpack things and creating the trust in someone that is just going to listen. It's going to give you some feedback. You have a healthy soundboard to process things. Then you can show up better in other situations.
Speaker 1:And it's funny because I mean what you're saying. I mean I think of the image that comes to my mind when you talk about, you know, the interactions with other artists or with other business people. It's no other than group therapy, you know, and there's such beauty in group therapy which is going. It goes back to the beauty of our share humanity when you realize you're not the only one struggling with, whether it's anxiety or worries about the job or the finances, or how do you restructure something that you know is going to have Exponential consequences in people. You know it's really hard because you feel alone in that process. But the fact that you can, you know you have the safe circle of people where you can share some of experience and you can say I don't even have a clue of how to go about this. And this person says well, guess what, you're not the only one. Welcome to the club. I mean, that's right.
Speaker 1:Right, it's such a relief you know, I am so grateful because this podcast has given me the opportunity to really lift that up, to remind people, to precisely open doors for people to say you know what, if you're thinking about getting help, please do it. Love yourself enough to believe that there's something beautiful on the other side.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know. Yeah, in fact, I look forward to those conversations that I have with her twice a month. I really do. I know that something new, something positive and new, is going to come out of that conversation and I make it a point to leave it on my partner. Not, no one can reschedule me, you know, it's like my, my, my assistant, jackie's amazing. This is sacred. For him, it doesn't matter if he needs to start at 6am in order to compensate or work until 9 or 10pm, but that hour that I have is sacred and it's not negotiable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well, you know what? I think? This is great. I think this is great and let me let me ask you one last question. I like to ask people what is a special quote? Who is someone that has inspired you over the years? Can you give some thought of on it and maybe tell me what you're thinking? A special quote or someone that you have looked up to?
Speaker 2:Yeah, one of the things I always that as a phrase, I guess that I always try to think about is is well, and this, this applies professionally and personally. I always think about being being Proud. Proud. How do I get to a point where I can be proud about what we're doing, proud about our people and what they're doing, proud about what my kids are doing? And then I always immediately think but I'm not satisfied and what I want? There's more to be done.
Speaker 2:So, to me, I've always thought about this concept of being proud but not satisfied, and I apply it. It's not because I'm going to force it, but because it happens to me in the way I think, and so it's, it's, it's how, how it's become a way of life for me. And every, every time that I think that, okay, I'm proud of something I've done, or I'm proud of something, something somebody else has done and it applies more for me that the non satisfied but I always try to think about in the context of that's great, I'm proud of the progress we've made, or the progress that we've made as a business, or the progress we're making with artists, and or the progress that we're making as a family and my kids are doing, and then immediately I think about how do we, how do we, where do we go from here? And so that concept of being proud, of Not not satisfied, is something that is always applies to me.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you share that, because you know I, growing up I I didn't necessarily have that example for myself, right, and I actually had a hard time seeing people that were quote unquote, and I know this is not where you're coming from, but that could not be complacent, that couldn't be satisfied, you know. But then I understood that on the flip side of that is like no, you have to believe this life is only. You only live once. You know, and if we're here, let's make it worth it. You know, and if we're here, let's have as many experiences that are going to help us grow and if we're here, let's make sure that we take advantage of every single opportunity. And so it helped me to turn it around and look at that, something that I could embrace for myself.
Speaker 1:You know that thirst to, to continue to grow and and, and sometimes, let's be honest, that's gonna. It's not that it's going to create problems, but you know that constant drive to one, more and more and more, could be like wait, but enjoy the moment as well. You know, well, yes, but at the same time, if we continue to have that north and that, that, that goal, the opportunities are endless. I believe that that when you have the mindset to create beautiful things, more beautiful things are going to show up and it's going to give us a drive to to problem solve in the midst of situations and challenges, but ultimately it opens door to create new opportunities for ourselves. So, yeah, I appreciate you sharing that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's. That's the other thing that I think it's been. Something that I think about is is this concept of the sooner, the sooner you figure out that that Others are smarter than you think you think they are, the better you are, so always that? Then here is my going back to what I was saying earlier, which is having professional, personal empathy and putting yourself in other people's shoes to see things, things, through their lens, goes hand in hand with that concept of understanding that you're talking to smart people and the faster that you understand that, the better you are going to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, and it's amazing when because it challenges you and forces you to you know it's. I think that goes and connects with the with the phrase is saying don't be the smartest guy in the room, you know, because you always have something to learn, and the second that you have the cocky attitude of like you know, I got.
Speaker 2:I see it, I see it regularly. So that's something that I don't want to be. I don't want, I definitely don't want to be as far as guy in the room, absolutely yeah. No, and A lot of times I say to my team is my job is to figure out a way to free up half of my time to deliver twice the impact, which means getting out of their way and that's something that I did deliberately with everybody that is one of my direct reports is, as we were, goal setting, but real goal setting, not just doing a paper and writing something down for the purposes of ticking a box.
Speaker 2:No, no. I wanted to really work with everybody to do real goal setting of what we want to do. How do we want to prioritize what we do? Mine was getting out of their way and so that they can do, they can shine, they can take more responsibility, not have to be worried about what I think or say or would do about it. Just let me get out of your way because I will already make my bet in you. So now my job is to get out of your way.
Speaker 1:Palabras con luz.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's very affirming, I do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I hope that that's something that translates to your team and they can feel it in the experience, because there's no more positive or exciting thing to know that you are in a situation, in a setting where you have been giving wings, to really do your thing and learn from whatever mistakes we have, but you have the room and the space to do it and hopefully they feel like whenever if they need the guidance or if there's a flop or whatever they dropped a ball or whatever there's also the space to come back and address a situation you know and receive whatever feedback we need to receive and we readdress it and we move forward. That's really really, really nice. So, as we bring this to a close, I always like to ask people my guest who they think could be future guests on this podcast. Can you think of someone that would be a good guest for this podcast? Journey Talk podcast.
Speaker 2:Yes, I, initially, when you and I talked about doing this, I thought of an artist, but I think it would be as I was thinking about getting on and getting on with you to talk about this. There is a person that I also admire and have a lot of respect for what he's done. His name is Jose Luis Pagan. He's a producer, highly, highly successful producer. He's written and produced for Jay-En, mark Antfony, jay Lowe, and the list goes on and on and on.
Speaker 2:And then he also went through a process of taking what he had done as a musician and as a producer and then branching out into uncomfortable territory, which was the world of writing content, serious creating, original, serious content.
Speaker 2:And he developed the first one, which is a musical about this girl that wants to sing, wants to be a musician and everything is going against her and ultimately ends up singing in the subway in Latin America.
Speaker 2:Think about a place in Latin America under a privileged situation, not a lot of opportunities. So she starts what he wrote about is she starts doing what she loves in the subway and that leads to an incredible story, centered in a musical, but with a great story that he ended up then selling to Warner and is now debuting in our Amazon Prime all around the world and he's now been asked to write and they already are giving him advances and buying more things he's going to do, and it's an incredible story and I think he's one of the most incredible and grateful human beings that I know, which is why it comes to mind. He's a wonderful human being who's against a lot of odds, has created a lot of greatness and always done it with the most incredible positive attitude and as a really grateful human being. So I mean, I don't know if he's going to have the time or want to do it, but I think he would be the first guy that I would say let's reach out to him and, by the way, I admire him.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I would love to get to know Pepe Pepagon right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's in Miami. He's traveling now quite a bit, but he's based in Miami.
Speaker 1:Wonderful Well, it says that. Thank you so much for your time. It means so much to me and I hope that the audience had had an opportunity to get to know, get to know you better, and I so appreciate the opportunity that you have given me to really open up and to share some stories that, at the end of the day, help us connect with each other and they show us that we as humans have much more in common than what we believe, and in that space, wonderful things can happen. I wish you nothing but the best. I wish you success and best of luck, and to the whole Gibson family, the Latin American Gibson and I mean Gibson and Espanyol and Gibson USA and Gibson around the world and all the different sub companies that you guys have through it. Blessings to you and the family, much love and I look forward to having you again in the future.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much for having me, jorge. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Well, friends, this has been another episode of Journey Talks Podcast, your favorite podcast to reconnect with gratitude and inspiration. See you next time.