business is art

Our host, Ramon Estrada, delves into the complexities and repetitions that often come with launching and leading a company in this instructive episode of our podcast, tailored for founder CEOs.

Drawing on his extensive experience as an executive coach, he explores the metaphorical journey of finding one's "home" in the business world, likening the process to using GPS to navigate life's aims and ambitions. Through the inspiring story "On the Tavern" by Rumi, he highlights the familiar feeling of wandering aimlessly and the necessity of knowing one's destination.

The discussion extends to practical advice on aligning daily operations with core values, the importance of intentional actions, and embracing the warrior's path for personal and professional fulfillment. He shares personal anecdotes and wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita, urging listeners to consider their actions as foundational steps towards their ultimate goals.

He concludes with thought-provoking insights from mentor Jerry Colonna on self-awareness in leadership. Tune in to redefine your journey and embrace your role as a CEO and a visionary leader shaping the future.

Don't forget to subscribe to "business is art" for more episodes that blend the art of business with personal growth, innovation, and the pursuit of impact.

Creators & Guests

Host
Ramon Estrada T
Executive Coach for Founders

What is business is art?

This is a show about successful entrepreneurship.

Unlike other shows about successful entrepreneurship, only we dig into the founder’s and leaders’ journey from purpose, mindset, strategies, and tactics to making an impact and achieving exponential growth.

Ramon:

Why would you say that sometimes it's confusing to do the right thing for us? Have you wondered why sometimes at work you feel that you are doing the same thing over and over without any sense or even when you are launching your company and everyday feels like the Groundhog Day? Like if it's all the time the same thing, I have a proposal for you and I would like to discuss it.

Narrator:

Business artists learn how to channel their purpose, vision and talents while navigating the proper and tactics in their companies to impact the world for good. No more business as usual. I'm Ramon Estrada and this is Business is Art.

Ramon:

For the past few years, I have been dedicating my time and my energy developing myself and working as an executive coach. What does it mean that I help people to achieve their goals, right? So there's always an origin, a point of departure, it's like a GPS, like Google Maps, and you are where you are, and then eventually there's a destination that my clients want to go. And this is what executive coaches do.

Ramon:

We trace a path, we allow our client to know where he or she is and where she wants to go, what she wants or he wants to achieve. So that's important, right? But let's bring a poem from one of my favorite poets, Rumi. He likes to tell stories and I love this one. It's really short.

Ramon:

So it goes like this. It's 4 AM, Nasruddin leaves the tavern and walks the town aimlessly. A policeman stops him. Why are you out wandering the streets in the middle of the night? Sir, replies Nasruddin, if I knew the answer to that question, I would have been home hours ago.

Ramon:

He sent this short poem, A Jewel, because sometimes I feel like this. I have seen my clients feel like this. Like they are aimlessly walking outside at night, not reaching home. Where's home? It's the destination that we were talking about.

Ramon:

But the point here is that sometimes we don't know what we are doing because we are aimlessly walking towards a path. And that's a big question. So we need to answer ourselves, where's home? Where do I want to go? And in this sense, I would like to bring a sense of the word that it's responsibility.

Ramon:

If we don't pause and if we don't reflect to understand where we are and where we want to go, we're going to be aimlessly walking. And this is what I am bringing to this podcast, thinking about business artists. It's not that our work, our companies are not valuable, but what's most important is that there's a sense of us, of belonging. A sense that we are changing by the way we are acting, by the kind of people that we are, the way we show up. How our values are being imprinted in every email, in every Canva design, in any conversation that we're having with our team, with our co founders, with our board, with our clients.

Ramon:

And most important is which kind of conversation we're having with ourselves. Because I think and by having a lot of conversations and even looking into myself by taking the time to pause and reflect, When I am not happy, when I am not enjoying my path, is where I feel that I'm walking aimlessly. Now, is every activity a source of joy? I think it can be, but it requires us to understand that part of that work from point a to point b, has to do with doing all sorts of things that probably, not all of them are fun, are interesting, but if we don't forget the intention that we are trying to build in the world, it's going to be great. 1 author called Vernon Howard mentioned in one of his books, happiness is a state of non illusion.

Ramon:

Seeing things as they are, not as we are. So this is really deep because when we are walking and we are doing our things, if we are not enjoying it, that activity is not going to be joyful at all. It's going to be a pain in the neck. So I don't like doing dishes. I don't like washing dishes.

Ramon:

I did that a lot when I was a young kid. But now I have a family, I have a wife, I have 2 missing kids. So when we are having time together at home, after having a joyful lunch, we were talking and laughing and you know, being together. In our home, I needed to wash the dishes. Why?

Ramon:

Because by now, I'm 48 years old now, I know that I cannot cook as good as my wife. So she's the one that enjoys providing and nurturing all these amazing meals, and I'm the one doing the dishes and preparing all the setup. So do I not enjoy washing dishes? Well, I enjoy it because it's part of my values. It's part of who I am by showing up with my family And this has to do with the warrior's path.

Ramon:

In the Bhagavad Gita, one of India's most important books, there's this part where Krishna is talking to Arjuna and Arjuna is a warrior and he's really facing this uncertainty about, what can I do in this battle because he was battling his family, his cousins? He knew that a lot of people were going to die. And Krishna, which is a representation of our conscious mind, our deepest mind says, you need to do what you need to do. That's your Dharma, that's what you need to do. So I invite you to consider yourself a warrior.

Ramon:

A warrior in a quest to achieve your destination. And this is not a patriarchal conversation about the typical male Conan, the barbarian. I'm not talking about being a mercenary. A mercenary is not a warrior. A mercenary is someone that is being hired to kill, to destroy, to whatever with the exchange of money.

Ramon:

Here the exchange is your work, is being seen, is having your talents shown up in the world and making a positive impact in others. I would like to close with a quote, a question from one of my mentors, Jerry Colona, that goes like, How are you complicit to the things that you don't like? Think about, how would a warrior, how would a higher version of yourself commit to doing things? How would you show up differently? By knowing that each action that you are taking, is taking you closer to the destination that you want to reach.

Ramon:

Not only externally, something you want to achieve, but who are you becoming by showing up everyday with a different attitude. So let's discuss this even further in the next episodes and Godspeed.

Narrator:

Thanks for listening to Business is Art and if you like what you heard, subscribe to the show, so you'll be notified when a new episode drops. You can also check for more free resources at business is dot art or check your show notes for a link. Godspeed.