Alejandro Ruelas-Gossi: 10 + 1 Life Lessons for Success

Dr. Alejandro Ruelas-Gossi is a professor at the Miami Business School where he teaches the senior capstone business course in strategy and is a visiting research professor at New York University Stern School of Business. He has been published numerous times in the Harvard Business review for his research in orchestration strategy and analysis in of the ever-growing Latin American markets. Dr. Ruelas-Gossi also consults for several Fortune 500 companies including: Fortune 500, including Sony, Motorola, Microsoft, Bristol-Myers, IBM, Philips, Caterpillar, Cemex, Baxter, Ernst & Young, Aon, Techint, AT&T, and Abbott.

I had the great fortune to have Dr. Ruelas-Gossi as my professor in my final semester at the University of Miami. On our last day of the class, he imparted on us his “10+1 life lessons.” The lessons detailed below are without a doubt in my mind some of the greatest nuggets of wisdom I have been given in any course. That is why I want to take the opportunity to share Dr. Ruelas-Gossi’s advice with you!

1. Learn to Thrive in Uncertainty

Life is full of uncertainty, and only those who can truly seize the opportunities in uncertain moments will find success. There will never be a time when you are completely in control of a situation, and allowing the stress and fear of the unknown to fog your mind will only serve to slow you down. An excellent way to regain focus when the discomfort of uncertainty creeps up is to physically relax your body, as if laying into to uncertainty like a nice comfy couch. So the next time you feel like uncertainty is derailing all your plans, relax into it and find the hidden opportunity!

2. Don’t Make a Plan B

Plan B’s are just options to settle, to quit. On your path to success, you should never settle and never give up! This ties hand-in-hand with learning to be comfortable with uncertainty. Dr. Ruelas-Gossi always described having a strategy as having certainty of destiny. While the path to your destiny may change and require adjustment, with proper strategy you will be certain to get there. Having a plan B means that you do not have faith in your own strategy or your destiny.

There is a fantastic example from history that shows the power of abandoning escape routes.  When the great conquistador Hernán Cortés landed in the New World, he had one mission, to conquer the native Aztecs. He wanted his men to solely focus on that one objective. To do so, Cortés ordered the destruction of the very ships they arrived one, their one escape route. With their ships destroyed, the only option was success or die. Just two short years later, Cortés had conquered the entire Aztec civilization.

3. Work with Windows

Working with windows in the way Dr. Ruelas-Gossi discusses has two real meanings. The first is gaining the ability to sustain multiple simultaneous interactions. An analogy to assist understanding his concept is to think of working on a computer with multiple monitors, each displaying something different you are working on. Developing the ability to interact with multiple people and difficult scenarios at the same time will enable you to adapt to life’s constant challenges.

The second meaning of working with windows takes a more introspective meaning. Not everyone needs to know every detail of your life, especially in the professional environment. Most people only need to see through a small window, enough to know who you are and what you can do for them. All the troubles of life have no reason to be shared with those other than the closest friends, families and loved ones. In the work place everyone is always watching. Your superiors, colleagues, and subordinates. Always be aware of what they see through your windows and how they are impacted by your mood.

4. Find Your Passion

This one is pretty quick. If you are unhappy where you are three Mondays, leave. What you are doing is not your true passion. Quit that job and go find a place where you are truly pursuing your passion. Staying in a position where you will not be able to give 110% effort because you are not happy is not beneficial to any involved parties.

5. Remember Names

Memory is one of those keys to success. While it is not necessary to have a photographic memory of every detail of every event at all times. It is massively beneficial to lock up names into your brain vault. No matter what you try to do, chances are it will be much easier to accomplish that objective with the help of those around you. One of the easiest ways to garner some respect and friendship with the people you meet is simply to remember their names. How many times is someone introduced, only to have their name forgotten with the very next word out of the mouths? Start focusing on memorizing the names of everyone you meet. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results!

6. Connect the Dots

Perhaps the clearest differentiator between a novice and a master is how they create connections between various concepts. By learning to see how different ideas can be interconnected you are able to garner an understanding of information at a much deeper level. This not only leads to mastery in your field of choice, but can also lead to new ideas for innovation.

7. Become a Diplomat

Corporate diplomacy will make or break any career. In order to reach the highest levels of success, navigating relationships with people is a must-have skill. Always treat everyone with respect. Even if you do not like a certain coworker, they must be shown respect. Allowing drama to consume your relationships with others will only cause those around you to be wary of interacting with you. By mastering diplomacy and effectively managing your reputation, you will be able to orchestrate those around you around common goals.

8. Obsess Over the Details

“The Devil’s in the details,” a saying that my high school technology teacher would always tell his students. And here again Dr. Ruelas-Gossi has reemphasized this point. The details of your life, how you communicate, how you interact, how you hold yourself all determine what your reputation will be. Never fall victim to second class behavior and habits. Seek perfection within yourself so that you can always present your best self going forward.

9. Always be Growing

Forever seek growth in yourself and those around you. Constantly growing and learning is what keeps the mind young, sharp, and ultimately fulfilled. Failing to grow not only spells the end of the line in a career, it means stagnation as a person.

10. Orchestrate!

One of Dr. Ruelas-Gossi’s greatest contributions to the field of strategy is the idea of Orchestration. In essence, Orchestration is the strategy of connecting the dots, diplomacy, and game theory. Where the “dots” are different people and organizations that are brought together in a network of nodes to create a new business model. In this network, you “orchestrate” all the strengths of each node to work together as one cohesive unit. His advice is, always find ways to orchestrate those around you to create value.

+1. Create Abundance

Here we have the +1 nugget of wisdom, abundance. For anyone seeking to become a leader, you must commit to the responsibility of creating abundance for those around you. Be the provider for those under you. Anyone working for you should not only feel secure, but should find the meaning of their lives under your tutelage.