Anthony sits down with Nicolás Delgado, the regional corporate and sales leader for Marsh Latin America and Caribbean, and Nicolás shares multiple gems of wisdom for both personal and professional development and his story builds out a perfect platform for a personal strategic plan.
As a lifetime learner, Nicolás’ schooling began in a very unique way. Growing up in Colombia, his parents wanted what was best for him and enrolled him into a very competitive landscape studying under Benedictine monks. The school’s motto was “ora et labora” which means “pray and work”. There were no shortcuts and he learned you must work really hard to make things happen. This drive was imbedded in the way he was raised. Looking back, Nicolás realized the Benedictine monks, along with his parents, were responsible in planting the little seeds inside him to make him the person he is today.
During his summers off of school, Nicolás’ father would send him to the US to stay with family and attend summer school. Nicolás dreamed of getting a fulltime educational experience in the US. Before high school started, he asked his father if he could attend high school in the US and his father said no. Then, when it was time to apply for his undergraduate, he applied to schools in the US, but his father influenced him to stay in Colombia. When it came time to enroll for his MBA, promotions and added responsibilities at work kept pushing Nicolás’ dream of education backwards. Once he was ready to apply, the school told him he was now too old and too seasoned to enroll in the graduate program. Nicolás did not let these setbacks stop him from perusing his dreams, instead, he found a program at Northwestern University for executive type graduate students and finally was able to continue his learning journey. Although it was not what he had originally envisioned, Nicolás would not let his dream fail.
Nicolás advises others to always have an end goal in mind, and although the plan will get altered, to never give up on the dream. Remember your dreams and ultimately your decisions will affect all of those around you. Be as responsible as possible, but also remember to have fun and enjoy every stage of life while you are in it. As a leader of 11 countries, Nicolás has found although there are many differences in each geographical location, there are commonalities which help us come together. We are all going through this journey of life together. It is important not to forget we are more basic than we think. We have common goals and aspirations and we need to find the purpose of life that motivates us to do things which will be self-satisfying and also deliver for the greater good of the community.
Nicolás is a one of a kind leader whose personal story has lead him to success. He is excited for the future, to keep learning and growing and to keep driving forward to leave his mark on the universe.