Check Out WorldVentures!

http://www.worldventures.com/bio/read/angel-rodriquez

CT NSHMBA review 2011

(pictured: NSHMBA CT ERG Committee Members)  

 

On June 23rd, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs CT chapter held its 5^th Annual Employee Resource Group (ERG) Summit at General Electric Energy Headquarters in Plainville, CT. The theme was "Energize Business. Revamp your Future. Grow your Culture"  

 

More than a hundred attendees from twenty organizations participated in the event, which was sponsored by GE, State Farm, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Travelers and Prudential.  Some of the organizations represented have well-established ERGs, some of them recently launched them and some others have not started them yet.

 

Angel Rodriguez, Sr. VP HR United Surgical Partners International and Former VP HR Frito Lay North America Sales and Operations was the keynote speaker. His speech was described by many as motivational, entertaining and very informative. Angel reminded us of the importance of dreaming things that never were and asking the question, "Why not us?"  He also spoke about the value behind taking our Employee Resource Groups beyond simple agents of diversity and inclusion to become innovation machines within our organizations. The second part of the agenda included a panel discussion with ERG's executive sponsors and chairs from Aetna, Bank of America, General Electric and United Technologies- Hamilton Sundstrand.  Some of the key take-a wayswere when businesses leverage their diversity, the results are tangible and significant; it is a competitive advantage more than simply good citizenship. Also, ERGs should proactively seek to connect with different business objectives as it will open doors to multiple sources of funding. Getting involved in ERGs and diversity has a significant career and personal impact for both ERG leaders and ERG sponsors.

 

The summit accomplished its goal in bringing together ERG representatives and leaders from a broad range of industries to establish a dialogue around the challenges they face, and critical take-aways to implement best practices into their organizations. It was also a great opportunity for companies to notice the increased efforts made by ERGs to become more relevant and strategic to their business every day.

Press Release

http://www.wsav.com/story/23397274/worldventures-appoints-new-chief-people-officer

Escalera Program

NCLR ESCALERA

Angel Rodriguez

I am so proud to have been one of the founding leaders for this amazing program; along with Jorge Hinojosa, David Gonzales, Carlos Vinegas, Richard Montanez, and Hector Ramirez during my Frito-Lay days.  Those were good times with a real sense of purpose - below is Program Recap.  Just amazing success - Viva Escalera!          

In 2001, NCLR, in collaboration with and through the support of PepsiCo Foundation and PepsiCo, Inc., created the Escalera Program: Taking Steps to Success. Expanded with the support of Shell, the program promotes economic mobility for Latino youth by increasing educational attainment, career planning, and access to information about advanced careers. The program aligns with NCLR’s goals to eliminate barriers to employment and economic mobility while increasing the capacity of NCLR Affiliates to provide effective workforce development, education, and leadership services for Latino youth. The intent of the Escalera Program is to design a replicable program model for serving Latino youth that NCLR Affiliates throughout the country can implement. The program’s principal components are career exploration, technology skills development, leadership development, personal development, and academic support.

NCLR, with its Affiliates, has customized the Escalera model to address various youth population needs and create awareness about high-demand careers.

 

Impact

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the national high school completion rate for Hispanics is 73%. To date, 88% of students who have enrolled in the Escalera Program have successfully completed the program and graduated from high school.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 44% of Hispanic high school graduates were attending college. To date, 87% of Escalera Program graduates have chosen a path to upward economic mobility by enrolling in postsecondary institutions. Escalera graduates are persisting in college past year one at an average rate of 89%.

The 2011 graduating cohort of the Escalera Program earned a combined total of $779,675 in scholarships.

Update on Program Successes

The Escalera Program was presented at the following conferences: 2010 Annual Members Forum of National Youth Employment Coalition, 24th Annual Conference of Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, 2011 NCLR Annual Conference, and 2011 Youth Symposium of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals.

NCLR published Beyond the Classroom: Creating Pathways to College and Careers for Latino Youth, an evaluation of the Escalera Program. The two-year study compares the college and career preparation of Escalera students and non-Escalera students.

NCLR published Plugged In: Positive Development Strategies for Disconnected Latino Youth, which profiles the disconnected youth pilot of the Escalera Program and addresses the obstacles faced by young Hispanics who are disconnected from school and work.

The NCLR Escalera Program and One Economy partnered to implement the Digital Connectors Program, which works to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people. Seven NCLR Affiliates instructed 100 young participants to serve as digital literacy instructors and completed over 6,900 community service hours nationwide.

www.nclr.org/.../economic_policy/escalera_program

Leadership Interview - 2010

Leadership Skills from Angel Rodriguez, Business Leader - from 2010

 

Join Calgary Consultant Stuart Crawford withFrito Lay VP Angel Rodriguez as we discuss Leadership in today's world. Angel recently decided that speaking on Leadership post his career at Frito Lay was needed. Having the right leadership in place for the smallest businesses right through to the largest is crucial to success. Tune into Angel Rodriguez and Stuart Crawford for a 30 minute discussion on business leadership.

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/themspshow/2010/07/22/leadership-skills-from-angel-rodriguez-frito-lay-f

 

YOUR CONFIDENCE FOUNDATION

  

Your Confidence Foundation

During my time at Frito-Lay, GE, and in the Community, the topic of Confidence has proven to be Critical because strong confidence is at the Core of any leader and Elusive because it is a constant effort to solidify as well as maintain.

My Point Of View on Confidence is based on my many conversations and experiences during my personal leadership evolution.  I hope that they will prove useful for you as you evolve and build Your Confidence Foundation.

Others will certainly Believe in You, Motivate You, and Inspire You.  However, you can’t wait for or depend on external confidence injections.  TRUE Confidence comes from within.  YOU have to believe in YOU.  This belief in YOU is fortified with the right combination of Self-Esteem, Personal Accountability, and Courage.

• Self-Esteem- Our self-esteem is often degraded by the that “little voice” in our heads, the “voice” of self doubt.  That “voice” that has been with us for as long as we can remember, it has been with us in the good times and the tough times.  Too often, the deep concerns from our lifetimes are relayed to us by that “voice”.  It says things like “I’m not good enough” , “I don’t belong here with these people from a different background”, ”don’t they see that I have doubts”, “I got promoted to a new role but can I really handle it”, “why do they believe in me?”, ”why are they looking at me as I try to make a point”, “I blew it last time, don’t mess up again”, etc.  We need to stop the “voice” of self-doubt.  The messages need to be POSITIVE.  We should tell ourselves “these people want to hear what I have to say”, “I belong here as I’ve earned my way”, “I need to leverage my strengths and work on my opportunities”, “I can’t wait to learn from others as well as share my insights”, “I feel honored to have people believe in me and I will make them proud!”, etc.  This changing of the “channel” is critical to success.  A positive mental attitude  will allow you to celebrate your strengths as well as approach your capability needs with purpose.  You don’t want to let yourself down.
• Accountability- Personal Accountability is the glue that holds your foundation together.  I often have asked people “if you have a friend who let you down, made you feel bad, missed appointments, and did not uphold commitments – how long would they be your friend?”.  The answer is always “for not long”.  Why do we do these very same things to ourselves?  We let ourselves down for a variety of reasons. However, over-commitment and the subsequent frustration  are often primary drivers.  These roadblocks can be dealt with thru reasonable goal setting along with personal clarity.  Think about the many roles that you play in your life – a mother/father, son/daughter. servant, brother/sister, professional, employee,  executive, community leader, friend, citizen, human being, etc.  Think about the many areas in which you engage – emotional, intellectual, physical, financial, spiritual, societal, professional, etc.  These areas need goals to be fulfilled.  I recommend that you decide where you will play your focus over the next year as it relates to your multi-year plans.  Consider your many roles as you make your decisions.  For example, on the emotional level, you may decide that you need to place more of a focus on being a better parent to truly fulfill your family’s potential.  Then set goals around how you will engage with your children, time you will spend as a family unit, how often you will call your parents, etc. The long term impact will be that you will role model for your children how a parent should express their love.  You also might want to combine focus areas.  For example, if your long-term goal is to be a Senior Executive and you feel that your Financial base is light.  Going after an MBA satisfies your Intellectual need while enabling your Professional goal.
• Courage- I have often said that “Our resolve is greater than our circumstances”. We don’t always see this when are in the storm or faced with a challenge.  To draw upon this courage, you should leverage your confidence foundation by calling upon the entities that give you strength.  Who are you fighting for?  Who is depending on me?  Who has inspired you? A tact that could work is to think about the important people in your life – past and present.  Lao Tzu’s quote says it all - ”Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”  Despite the challenges you face, there are people who have believed in you and whom you won’t let down.  When fear creeps in, turn it on it’s ear and leverage it to drive you to maximize your success.  Move Forward With Courage.

Well, that’s all for now.  I hope that these insights resonated with you.
Special thanks to each of you for your support.  Please let me know if there is anything that you would like for me to comment on.
Take care, Angel

A MESSAGE TO OUR YOUTH

A Message To Our Youth

Several dear friends have asked me to craft A Message To Our Youth.

I’ve had the honor of speaking with hundreds of young people and have been a contributing force behind several community initiatives at GE and Frito-Lay.   

In my opinion, there are Three ”A’s” for young leaders to always consider as they forge their path to success – Attitude, Aptitude, and Action. 

• Attitude – As a young leader, you might feel alone, unsure, and misunderstood.  These feelings are natural.  Regardless, don’t let them prevent you from making your positive mark on the world.  Realize that there are many others who have felt the same way and have risen above the negative emotions to achieve tremendous results.  Also, realize that that you are NEVER alone.  There are many people who want you to succeed and are willing to help – Family, Friends, and Community Leaders who truly care.  Don’t let pride or fear prevent you from asking for the support.  I often hear “I did not want to bother you” or “I did know how to ask you”.  These are incorrect thoughts that limit your success.  In fact, most people are very interested in sharing their experiences.  They will often see themselves in you.   Honor them with your respect and you will receive wisdom beyond your imagination.  However, I do acknowledge that Life will likely throw obstacles in your path.  See these roadblocks as an opportunity to grow, a chance to learn.  Your WILL to succeed WILL overcome your circumstances.  Please have the strength to remain positive and/or count on other’s to be strong for you.  Don’t forget that you will always have people that believe in you – often more than you believe in yourself.  Winston Churchill once said “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”.  Powerful words from an amazing leader.  It is a message about your frame of reference – how YOU see the world.   If you see things in a Optimistc  light, you will attract Optimistic results.   Also, you will feel better mentally, physically and spiritually about your life – your present and future. Tal-Ben Shahar’s book “Happier” is a terrific study on the effects of a positive outlook on life.  I highly recommend it.   Finally, you should take the approach that you will improve EVERYTHING that you touch and leave a positive mark on others.  You will quickly develop a reputation of someone with a bright future and be admired by your classmates, friends, and family.  You will begin to form the foundation of your Legacy, the road map to your greatness.  You will grow into the leader that you are destined to become.
• Aptitude - Webster’s Dictionary describes Aptitude as “capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; talent; readiness or quickness in learning; intelligence”.  Please pay special note to the “innate or acquired capacity for something” comment.  Sure, some people seem to just be born for things.  This is often referred to as a person’s innate gift.  However, there are many skills and gifts that are developed by a relentless focus on improving your skills, on improving your knowledge, on improving your Aptitude.   I have seen many talented young people squander their innate gifts thru a lack of focus.  I have seen them passed up by “los que tienen mas ganas de aprender” – the young people who simply want to learn more.  To  increase your Aptitude, I suggest that you focus on several key areas; your Formal Education, your Writing Skills, your Communication Skills, and your Frame of Reference.  Your Formal Education is first and foremost.  Surround yourself with friends who share your same drive and who will push you to be better.  Don’t worry if you are not “popular” or feel out of place.  The students who focus on their Aptitude will eventually grow into the most successful people in their communities and in the World.  Put the time into developing good study habits, becoming accustomed to taking tests, and engaging with your teachers.  Your grades will speak to for you as you look to secure support for College and beyond.  Secondly, your Writing Skills are incredibly  important.  There are many ways to improve these skills.  Most notable is to fully embrace the rules of Grammar – don’t just gloss over them in class.  Learn them and apply them.  Additionally, I highly suggest that you commit to reading 10+ books a year in an effort to expand your vocabulary, study different writing styles, and increase your writing skills.  Also, you will develop a true love for literature  that will last a lifetime.  Thirdly, strong communication skills can be a huge asset for you as you effectively convey your message to others.   A common roadblock faced by young people is that “Little Voice” that I have referenced in previous blogs.  That voice asks “Am I saying things right?”, “What is he or she thinking about me?”,  and “Do they know that I don’t understand?”  Silence that “Little Voice” by speaking with confidence, staying focused on the person you are speaking with, and being an active participant in the conversation by asking good questions.  In addition,  if you get an opportunity to speak in public, strongly consider taking it.  Speaking in front of groups takes a lot of practice as you build your confidence and technique.  To this day, after hundreds of public speaking opportunities, I still get nervous. However, my technique and my confidence augment my resolve.  Strong Presentation Skills will take you many years to develop and you should start early.   If you have any questions on how to build these skills, please reach out to me. Finally, please expand your Frame of Reference.  Life goes way beyond your neighborhood, school, and circle of friends.  The past has many, many lessons.  Learn about your family history.  There are many people who came before you and paved the way for your success.  Your family stories will give you context and strength.  Also,  become comfortable with current events, learn about people from different backgrounds, explore other parts of the world, and make friends from around the world.  Technology has enabled a glorious age of connectivity.  Leverage it to increase your Frame of Reference.  
• Action – “Analysis Paralysis” applies to situations where people think about things so much that they wind up not doing anything at all.   We all know people that are always in the “Well, I was going to do that but I thought that …” mode.  To avoid this trap, young leaders need to develop a plan for success complete with yearly goals, evaluate those goals, and take meaningful action.   Without action, the days turn into months, the months turn into years, and you are left with a lack of growth.  In developing your plan, think BIG.  George Bernard Shaw once said “Some people see things that are and ask WHY, I dream things that never were and ask WHY NOT?”  Give yourself the license to dream and hold yourself accountable for achievement.  Ask yourself  ”Why Not Me?”.  If you identify a legitimate gap, then develop an action plan to secure the support that you need.  Remember, Success build upon itself and is contagious.  Once you get the taste of it, you want it more for yourself and others.  Be certain to share the positive results of your actions with others.  A close friend and spiritual advisor once told me “there is nothing wrong with abundant success. The only thing wrong is not sharing it.”  Great planning, goal setting, and meaningful action will reap positive results for you and all those in your life. 

Well, that’s all for now.  I hope that this reflection resonates with you and enables your growth.

Thank you so much for your support.

All the best