1
editor`s letter The end of the year is just around the corner and we have decided to dedicate this issue of GENTE to see how our region celebrates the holiday season. We reached out to different HR team members and asked them to share with us how they celebrate in their countries. Also in this issue, Fausto Enriquez has a special message for this Christmas season and Martha Luz shared her inspiring story that may be of great interest after your many holiday meals. Enjoy your time with your family and loved ones, take a vacation and come back full of energy in 2015‌ GENTE will be waiting for you. See you next year! Alejandra Martin, HR BP Communications, Finance, HR, Legal & Sourcing
An initiative of:
2
ed.04
Contents STORIES WE DON´T SEE
4 The true value of Christmas and New Year! The holiday season is a time for celebration. Here several RLAM team members share their family traditions.
9 Run Martha, run! Martha Luz Echeverri Head of Human Resources in RLAM, has a formula for managing stress and keeping her family united despite everyone’s busy schedules and all the travelling she does for work: running.
12 Fausto’s Peace and Harmony Season The holiday season means different things to different RLAM team members. GENTE spoke with Fausto Enriquez, HRBP Operations RLAM, about his relationship with Christmas.
Do you want to be part of our next edition? Do you know some interesting story of your collegues that worth to be shared? Send us your story to: alejandra.martin@ericsson.com
and don´t forget to follow us at: /EricssonLatinAmerica /EricssonCaribbean /EricssonBR @EricssonLATAM @EricssonCarib /ericssonlatam /ericssonBrazil
14 Take a break and learn something this holiday Four RLAM team members recommend some great quiet-time options for your vacation, from learning a second language to some books for the beach, they all balance pleasure with learning.
3
4
Vladimir Capel Sometimes I try to imagine how life would be without renovation. That is the power of Christmas and New Year for me. In Brazil– where the tropical climate prevails–in the beginning of October, when spring starts, the perfume of tropical fruits fills the air. Every shape, color and size at every meal. Fortunately, because they are so abundant in Brazil, most of us–rich and
poor alike—can enjoy them. It’s not the flavor or scent that really matters, rather it’s the sensation they bring, as sure as summer comes with a warm breeze, I can see my family coming together to celebrate and pray for a better new year. We generally celebrate at the beach, even if it means facing a nine hour car ride, when any other day of the year it may take only two hours. We will be there, toes in the sand, at
midnight, everyone dressed in white for peace. There we jump seven waves, each time making a wish, lighting a candle at the beach and praying. We offer flowers to Yemanjá, the Brazilian Queen of the Sea, as we watch fireworks explode into bright colors over our heads. We celebrate with the people we love and pray for the best and blessed RENOVATION ever...
5
Ana Ruiz In Honduras, the traditional Christmas holidays, December 24th and 31st, are important religious and family events. I always have full house with all my relatives visiting us. We decorate the house with the traditional Christmas tree, but the most important part for my family is the nativity scene with baby Jesus, Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the three kings. We enjoy eating, especially our favorite dish of traditional tamales, along with a delicious leg of pork or baked turkey. We prepare drinks like eggnog and the delicious torrejas. We go to the church to attend mass, where we pray for those who are not with us. On December 24, at the stroke of midnight, the whole family gathers at my house, where the smell of gunpowder hangs in the air and there is an overwhelming sensation of joy; there are lots of hugs and congratulations all around as we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. On December 31, will always take a trip with my family and
6
we have a lot of fun!!! For me, it’s the best day of the year!
Dayelle de Peña There is one word that defines the holidays in the Dominican Republic: happiness! We have many traditions that are enjoyed with the family and loved ones. In November you can already feel the Christmas spirit with the colorful decorations and lights, but especially when the radio station “Sima Sabor Navideño” hits the airways, marking a very old tradition of playing classic Christmas
merengues. Christmas Eve or “Noche Buena” is a festive day celebrated as a family. We eat roast pork with our typical cakes wrapped in green plantain leaves. This leads to another customary activity: eating leftovers from the night before on Christmas Day, which we call “recalenta`o.” The New Year is also spectacular; Dominicans are festive people by nature but this holiday fuels our energy to celebrate and dance. There is dancing, cheering and lots of wellwishing of blessings for every family house, until we hear the 12 military shots that announce the end of the old year, and this is only the beginning of the party! Our coasts and beautiful beaches are visited by many to enjoy the very first sunrise of the New Year. The Dominican Republic is a happy country and the holiday season heightens our happiness and sense of family, filling us with hope that only a brand new year can bring, with new goals and renewed energies!
Albano Otegui In Argentina we celebrate being together and eating… a lot, usually until you can’t eat another bite. Given our strong Italian and Spanish roots, our holiday tradition is to eat the typical foods they eat, not the kind of foods you would expect to eat in summer but we do. We eat “turrones,” “pan dulce,”
“fruta abrillantada” and many other things that will lose their charm if I translate them to English! But of course, that’s not all… we also eat our Argentinian food: “Chorizo,” “Morcilla,” “Asado” which we accompany with fizzy sweet drinks. That is just an excuse to get together with family and spend quality time together!
Bettina Masulli Many traditions surround the Paraguayan Christmas and my family has some of its own. I remember as a child I greatly enjoyed this time because apart from the gifts, all the preparations were lived like a real party. We have the tradition of the Christmas tree, the manger representing the day of Jesus’ birth, and of course lots of food! I believe that every
family in my country spends a month preparing food, which are still eating for three days after Christmas Eve. A family tradition we do every year with my husband, my children, uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents is the representation of the “Living Nativity” on Christmas Eve. We make a play where the children represent the birth of Christ, so they dress as the Virgin Mary (this is never easy because every little girl wants to be Mary), Saint Joseph (who none of the boys want to be) and a tiny baby to represent baby Jesus (I don’t know how but we’ve always found one). There are also the Kings, the shepherds, the animals in the stable and the angels. Is a great moment for all of us where we have fun and remember the importance of this celebration. As I got older, I started losing some of the excitement surrounding these traditions, but when our eldest son Sebastián was born I started to re-live this celebration with the enthusiasm of a child. Today, with my husband, we get to enjoy Christmas—including Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, the nativity scene and everything surrounding the great feast—like children again thanks to our children.
7
the neighbors and then make a toast. On December 25th, we join with families of close friends for lunch so the kids can share and play with the gifts that Santa brought to them. The traditional meals of our Christmas are:
Paulina Moyano Christmas in Chile is a family celebration which usually starts on December 8, a day in which many Chilean families start decorating a Christmas tree and their houses with lights and ornaments. We celebrate the night of December 24th with a delicious dinner while we wait for the arrival of Santa Claus. In my case, the most beautiful Christmas that I ever had were those celebrated in the north of my country, where I grew up. There is a tradition consisting of going out and waiting for Santa Claus, who passes along streets in a float giving candies with other childhood characters, so all children in the city can see him. On my street, all neighbors have a close relationship so we all agree for someone to dress up as Santa Claus, and before eating dinner we gather on the street to take pictures, share some time with
8
Easter Bread, Christmas Turkey, Cola De Mono (Monkey’s Tail): Liquor prepared with aguardiente, sweetened condensed milk and coffee andChristmas cookies Gabriela Barrios In December, most people in Guatemala decorate their houses with Christmas trees and lights at their entrances. If they are Catholics, they put a nativity set decorated with colored sawdust and pine. The typical food to eat during the holidays is tamal and punch or hot chocolate drink. On December 7, the “Burning of the
Devil” (“Quema Del Diablo”) is held, sometimes people make a representation of the burning of the devil with a piñata or bonfire. Over the second week of December, the Campero Lights Show is held. This is the event that marks the Christmas season. It is a fireworks show which can be appreciated throughout the city and is broadcasted on TV. There are also a lot of feasts, which are pre-Christmas parties where you can meet with friends and exchange gifts or just spend a joyful time together. For Christmas, it is our tradition to burn fireworks, visit family, and eat turkey or pork leg or tamales. Santa Claus comes and gifts are opened on the 24th at midnight or until 25th if children fall asleep. My family and I usually go to visit our relatives during the day, have dinner at midnight, pray and thank God, and finally, we open our gifts.
Run Martha, run! Martha Luz Echeverri Head of Human Resources in RLAM, has a formula for managing stress and keeping her family united despite everyone’s busy schedules and all the travelling she does for work: running. Martha, GENTE has heard through the grapevine that you are an avid runner. Can you tell us a bit about your routine and share some tips with us? You heard right; I run and I’m happy to share my experience! I run three times a week, and I try not to miss a day because running fills me up with energy. Even when you are traveling?
Even when I travel. Running helps me adapt my body to a different time zone and start the day with more energy. It’s also a great way to manage stress. If I can’t get in a run in the morning, I try for other time during the day, but I do my best to find the time to do it. Sometimes I just hit the treadmill in the hotel gym. In my luggage there is always room for my tennis shoes! How did you get started with running?
I started running because my children enter school very early; they leave home at 6:15am. My husband runs almost every day, starting when they leave... then a few years ago I started to go out with him in the mornings. In the beginning I would run 100m and then was out of breath. With some practice I started to improve and got excited about the idea of being able to eat desserts at lunch time not feeling guilty about the extra calories.
9
So you still go out and run with your husband? Yes, if we both are in Bogota. It’s a nice activity for us to share as a couple. We have our time when we run, at least while we stretch before starting, but most of the times he runs faster than I do so we see each other back at the house. Do you listen to music when you run? Of course! I let the music— usually something really upbeat—distract me, which keeps me from checking my watch or thinking about how much I have left to do. I try to enjoy my run, listening to the music and observing the world around me. When I’m traveling, running offers me a sort of sightseeing activity. I get out of the hotel and I often end up in very nice—sometimes unexpected— places. What kind of music do you chose for running? I use Spotify and my option in general is reggaeton because of its rhythm. Spotify has several lists for running; they’re prepared! Are you planning to compete? Maybe a marathon? No, that’s not my target because for me, I run for my
10
own pleasure and enjoyment, at my own body’s pace. I do compete against myself, always trying to improve my times. I think that training for a marathon would add more stress to my day, I don’t want that. Even though I’m not planning to compete, I want to see how much I do every day… I like to measure my progress. So I bought a very cool gadget with a satellite connection, which measures my speed, distance, calories and pulse. The best
part of the gadget is that every morning it shows me if I have earned my desert for that day! Have you participated in any races? Yes, I ran the Nike 10K and some others organized in Bogota. One that I love is the Cartoon Network Race. My husband and I go with the children and we run with them as a family. The distance depends on the age of the kid. We have run those together and it’s been a great family
event. Now our eldest son, Felipe, is almost an adult, of course he is better than me and my husband, just this past weekend he participated in a 10K race and he came in 5th in the overall ranking, first in his category.
Absolutely. I feel very different on the days that I run compared to the days I don’t. And the greatest benefit is the impact on my migraines, which I suffered for many years and running has significantly decreased their frequency.
Acquiring a habit is not an easy task… how did you manage to get it? It requires strong will...
Do you practice any other sport?
My husband was the key. He was there with me at the beginning, if I needed to stop, he stopped. If I needed to walk, he walked. And he was always cheering me on, he motivated me to try a bit harder every day. Do you feel your health and general wellbeing have improved since you began running regularly?
During the week I like to run, but that’s a fairly new hobby. Swimming has been my sport since I was a kid and I swim on weekends. I used to swim two hours a day when I was a kid. Later I stopped but when my daughters started taking classes and wanted to quit, I convinced them to keep going—the three of us together. It worked for a while, and when they left... I kept going. Swimming helps me avoid getting stressed. Moving in
fresh water and the sound of the water relaxes me a lot. Running and swimming are the perfect combination: swimming calms me and running drives up my adrenaline. I like the mix! What’s your advice for people thinking about running but haven’t decided yet to start? I would say that you should find the right running partner. Someone to help you get started, to help you focus and to encourage you to achieve a reasonable target. Not something that is so crazy that you will feel disappointed before you even get started. If you set out trying to run 10 km in the first month, probably you will end up doing nothing. So my advice is getting yourself a running partner and just do it!
11
Fausto’s Peace and Harmony Season The holiday season means different things to different RLAM team members. Gente spoke with Fausto Enriquez, HRBP Operations RLAM, about his relationship with Christmas. What does Christmas mean for you? As I grew up, I began to see Christmas in a more transcendental light. I found in Christmas a moment to celebrate and to understand that, regardless of your religious background or practices, the birth of Jesus is a message of salvation and reconciliation. Science and history offer thousands of reasons to believe it didn’t happen on December 24 but I don’t think this is relevant! I’m a believer, I celebrate the birth of Jesus as I celebrate my children’s birthdays. For those who are not believers, the opportunity to spend time with their families and focus on what really matters is a gift that Christmas
12
brings to everyone. That said, I’m divorced and my kids do not live with me. We only spend a few hours together during Christmas day, which is hard. I’ve also had some loved ones pass on and Christmas is a time that I am reminded of them and the fact that they are no longer with me and that always makes me feel sad. And, of course, the commercial frenzy is hard to stand. It seems that Christmas season starts earlier every year. In October the Christmas trees in the malls start popping up… when I see this side of Christmas, sometimes I wish I could just skip the whole and go directly into next year! So you believe in Jesus and are a practicing Christian?
Yes, I’m a follower of Jesus. He brought a message of peace and harmony. And that is my focus in this celebration. Receiving a gift is nice but I try to go beyond that and I try to spread that message. In this project of spreading a message of peace and reconciliation, through the words of Jesus… how do you deal with those that are from other religions or, even harder, with those that are atheists? I don’t put labels on people, like you are a Catholic, you are an Evangelist, you are a Jew. And when you share Jesus’ message, even without mentioning his name, you end up seeing that people engage
with those ideas and principles. In the corporate environment, and working as a coach, many times my conversations have ended in biblical topics. And people always receive the information in a good manner as they find a message that brings peace to their hearts and solutions to their concerns. For how long have you been studying and practicing your religion?
Jesus’ leadership style. More often people think of Jesus as a nice guy, but he also was very strong in defending his principles. Is there an important thing that religious brought to your life? My wife, for sure! I met her in the church. And we have done a lot of service together.
When is that you dedicate time for this activity? My wife works on this on a full time basis and I join her on weekends and holidays. And the project is still growing. We started with a small twobedroom house and now we have two six-bedroom houses. We receive 25-30 women a year plus their children. We have a plan to expand this to four houses in 2015.
Well, I was not a believer from the beginning. I was baptized under the Catholic faith, but was not a practicing one until I went through a crisis in my life. I got divorced and I felt an emptiness that pushed me to go and find something different. And then one day someone invited me to the church, and that’s how it begun. And what kind of practices define you as a Christian? I arrive very early to the office in the morning and I start my day with 30 minutes to read the Bible. At the beginning, it was very difficult, like a foreign language! But after some insistence and guided lectures, I started understanding and enjoying. At end of the day, I complete with a personal reflection and close the day with a leadership reading based on Biblical leaders. I try to live by the principles and values taught by Jesus. One of them is to serve, which has had an important impact on my leadership style. Some time ago, a friend gave me a book called “Leading like Jesus” by Ken Blanchard about
I know about the “House of Life” (Casa de Vida)… tell us about that. Unfortunately my wife suffered domestic violence in a previous marriage and that inspired her to initiate a project to help other women in that situation. We created a house for them to go to. There they are welcomes and given integral support: legal, psychological and spiritual. They stay with us from three to six months and start from the basics: allocation, health, food, and dressing. Then we start a process of re-insertion into society. We help them to develop some competence to work, such as handicraft activities. We also work with a lot of donations to build and arm their new houses.
Is there any special message related with this that you would like to say to your colleagues? I would like to say that we work not to do just tasks but to transcend in life. In HR we are people transforming people. We have a powerful tool in our hands and we need to use it properly… don’t waste the opportunity to support others from the perspective of values and service. If we only focus in the problem, we forget about the person. What is happening to that person? What is that person’s history? Solve their problems, but get in touch with people. That’s the best recipe for success at work… and life!
13
Take a break and learn something this holiday Four RLAM team members recommend some great quiettime options for your vacation, from learning a second language to some books for the beach, they all balance pleasure with learning.
Rosario Saud My recommendation is watch a movie. My top pick is Draft Day, a 2014 American sports drama film starring Kevin Costner. It is based on the decision making process of the general manager of the Cleveland Browns (a professional American football team). This is a super cool movie that shows the importance of leadership, trust and negotiation skills! Marianella Carvajal Don’t miss the movie “God’s not dead.” It will let you think about why things happen and how they are not always what they seem. We all have a story and our story will build who we are. This is not a religious movie, just really spiritual and full of faith. Alejandra Martin My tip is perfect for those who like to learn languages… There is an application called Duolingo, that is a Free Language School (100% free of advertising!), where you can learn while having fun. The webpage is www.duolingo.com. You can also download the application from Google Play onto your mobile so you can dedicate a few minutes whenever you get a chance. I’m learning German and every lesson is like a game, where you have lives to use and you win prizes. You can also interact with other students. It’s really fun and I’ve learned a lot too. Check it out. Ana Virgüez I’ve been reading Ken Follett’s three novels, Fall of Giants, Winter of the World and Edge of Eternity: the Century trilogy. Fall of Giants follows the fates of five interrelated families - American, German, Russian, English and Welsh, as they moved through the world, shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution and the struggle for women’s suffrage. Very interesting historic novel that I recommend for your vacation!
14
15
16