We migrants have created a powerful culture that is reflected in the social and economic fabric of the city. But this is also because for many years, Miami has had a policy of fostering diversity and cultural fusion.
This is not a minor fact in the world and geopolitical plane. Almost no important city in the world has this strength and this vision. Today, Miami is the "Ellis Island of other times," and all flights lead to Miami.
Something so strong that marketing planning has discovered, but that international politics has not yet given its due prominence.
Miami has a lot of investment and claims to be the capital of capital, but it should not make the serious mistake of not realizing that its main capital, its main wealth, is the health of the customs of the people who work every day for a "holistically" better life.
That health of values, habits, and behavior is simply called VALUES.
Latin American migrants have brought with them a cultural wealth that is manifested in music, gastronomy, art, and traditions that have enriched the life of the city. In addition, their entrepreneurial spirit has been fundamental in the development of the local economy. Many of them have founded successful businesses and generated employment for the community.
In this sense, the history of grandparents, my grandparents, and many others is an example of the importance of hard work and perseverance that characterizes many Latin American migrants in Miami.
An example that unfortunately many "fanatical ideologies in Latin America and, beware, also in our country, the USA, are not only forgetting but also damaging".
The legacy of our grandparents is proof that real wealth is not only found in money, but in the values that define us as individuals and as a community.
It is an example that grandchildren or great-grandchildren today are often seeking to live in Miami because in our native countries, it seems that certain people do not want the prevailing culture to be this one.
That is why natives of Miami and migrants will defend VALUES as a common "currency".
Therefore, in a world where money seems to be the only objective, we must remember the importance of our values. Latin American migrants have shown that real wealth is found in culture, community, and hard work. We must value and celebrate the cultural diversity around us and recognize the contribution of migrants in building our societies.
What is the true wealth in the year 2023 of our beloved Miami?
Personally, I never had any doubts that knowledge and human quality are the most important things we have as individuals, and it is from there that we develop professionally. It is the biggest "capital" that a person and a city have.
Networking enhances the development of our professional practices and the growth of our businesses. This is a skill, like all skills, that can be developed.
Based on this, when I write my interviews, I always strive to reflect the people behind each venture or company. Nowadays, we all understand that money is available to everyone, and that the key is how to earn it, but it is not what gives us power or wealth.
I consider it vital to define what our values are and to uphold them in every interpersonal relationship we establish. In my case, my values and those of my organization are equity, humility, compassion, and hope, and I consistently uphold them, even if it means not cultivating certain relationships or choosing not to work together with people who do not hold the same standard.
Today's wealth is yesterday's values!
The main strength to access business is through respect and empathy.
Today, value is created from another perspective, we are "business people".
In the past, associations were win/win in terms of business results. Today, associations are personal or they do not exist. No one abuses another person so easily anymore for having money, titles, hierarchical positions in renowned organizations, followers on social media, gender, age, or race. The difference was always in the details, in the "gift of people", and now that we have everything, it is those details that generate real abundance.
In my book "Live by Your Rules!" I dedicate a whole section to identifying values, the importance of upholding them, and even how to implement them in day-to-day life, both in our professional and personal lives. This section has two chapters, "Discovering Value" and "I Am Valuable," where we explore topics such as moral compass, how we add value through our professions, how to set boundaries, and even religion.
I dedicate this column to my grandparents who came from Italy, and my Greek yaya, who with many successes and many mistakes, raised my mom and dad, who always prioritized giving us love and education, both formal and informal. From that place, they always respected our choices, and in turn raised us to be free and integrated individuals.
As a cosmopolitan city where so many cultures, practices, languages, and races converge, it is key to communicate through what is "non-negotiable," and that is our values. Our ethics and our morality. We may or may not agree on the expressions we use, the forms, and so many other things. We don't know where people come from, what their stories are, but if there's one thing we can be sure of, it's their actions. Actions are a reflection of our ideas and our emotions. Actions are what's real.
This is not a note that is detached from the world of business and economics, as we have realized that the world of business and economics, without human competencies, values, and emotional intelligence, simply makes no sense and is neither good business nor a good economy. Both are at the service of people and not the other way around.
The capital of capital, our beloved MIAMI, has its "greatest capital" in the values of its people, and that capital is what it needs to take care of the most, this and any other city.
I would love for this heartfelt note to reach the city's executives, but also every home, where our citizens are formed, our neighbors, who later occupy roles and activities in our beloved city of the sun.