By: Sergio Eiberman
When I received the invitation to participate as a regional jury of the Airtech Challenge (an initiative of the University of Monterrey supporting innovative projects related to the HVAC industry), I did not imagine the emotional impact I was going to have being surrounded by so much creativity, enthusiasm and drive of the participants and organizers of that event. The mind took me to walk through many moments of my professional life, which today I recognize, have been learning, enthusiasm, creativity, resilience and innovation, connecting me as part of the evolution of the air conditioning market, mainly in the corporate world of equipment manufacturers, in which I developed professionally.
How to summarize in a few paragraphs so many years of work in the industry? How to choose the most representative anecdote, or the most important, or the most interesting, or the most entertaining?
So I decided to tell an experience related to the courage to be the protagonist of a change, to go through the different stages of work with enthusiasm, focused on the objective and finally receive an unexpected reward.
When I was proposed to change my position in the commercial area to lead the purchasing and logistics department (a sector that I only knew through my relationship as an internal customer of the same) and despite the uncertainty that caused me to get involved in something different from what I had done so far but convinced that it was necessary to change the attitude of service and support of the sector, I decided to accept the challenge of being an active part of the transformation and not waiting unhappily for “someone” to take care of the issue.
They were years of intense work and learning, encouraging the team to face new projects, innovating, permanently challenging resistance to change and not stopping when hearing the well-known phrase “we have always done it this way”.
The success of the management, where the individual contribution to the team boosted the final result by improving the quality of the group’s work, was evidenced in the recognition of the people we supported and, on a personal level, receiving the gratitude of the team members, who let me know that I was important in their professional development and confirmed that the change had been worthwhile, when one realizes that one left a footprint in the path of other people. Some of them today have management positions with teams under their charge to whom they will surely transmit these experiences that transform people and, consequently, companies as well.
You have probably read or heard many times stories like the ones I shared, but I think it is valuable to do so in this specific context of the HVAC market where there is so much to do and in which the contribution of innovation of any kind, will improve the value chain of this industry.
Now, how can I choose who to mention among the many people who have contributed their knowledge and experience?
There are many whom I would like to name, but on this occasion, I will mention Eng. Ernesto Tobías Córdova, my guide in the profession, whom I remember with all my affection and gratitude. (To those friends I did not mention, and there are many, I hope you will excuse me and surely, if you knew him, you will agree with me in this tribute).
My respect, gratitude and admiration to those who generously trained me, challenged me, accompanied me and trusted me, in each of the tasks and positions I occupied
Also immense gratitude to those who let me know that I was important in their professional development. What a lot of responsibility!
I learned that sharing creativity, empathy and fun in every strategy, goal setting and team building meeting that I had the privilege of participating in, generated better environments for professional and personal development.
Being resilient in this era of constant change and being willing to challenge myself in new projects kept me vital and updated, contributing my experiences for the growth of those around me every day.
After participating in the fascinating world of innovation and beyond the incredible technological progress that surrounds us, I join this Air Community initiative, a valuable space where I could share some personal experiences that hopefully will trigger many others that will allow us to continue thanking, respecting, getting involved in new projects, sharing experiences, challenging to do, to create and to have fun.
