Marcia Jiménez

I changed

“It transformed my way of leading and remains present in the leader I am today.”

Honorary Member of Pasos de Bienestar

Direct report of Marco Matouk at CMI Alimentos

San José, Costa Rica

“Pasos de Bienestar was one of the experiences that has most marked my professional life. I remember those walks and conversations with great affection, because they were much more than a space to talk about work. It was a one-on-one moment, outdoors, in which I could talk with a leader I deeply admire and share professional concerns, personal situations that could be impacting my work, ask for advice, or simply have an honest and close conversation.

For me, it was one of the best ways to understand how a leader can accompany, advise and generate a positive impact on people's lives. Those spaces not only helped me grow as a professional and as a person, but they also transformed my way of leading. When I had teams in my charge, I carried that learning with me and incorporated similar spaces with the people on my team, because I understood that sometimes a walk and a genuine conversation can have much more impact than a formal meeting.

Besides, we lived in different countries, so whenever we had the chance to share one of those walks, we knew it was an opportunity we could not afford to pass up. Perhaps that is why I remember them with even more affection and gratitude.

Pasos de Bienestar was not only a leadership initiative; it was a way of connecting, listening and accompanying that left a mark on me and that remains present in the leader I am today. Many of those conversations stay with me to this day. It is an experience I will always remember and a practice I believe any professional with leadership responsibility should consider implementing in their teams: creating spaces to listen, advise and, above all, connect with people from a more human place.”