Latino Business Speakers Bureau: Alfonso Martinez
story by: David Gomez
Students who are involved in sports usually have to balance academics and their extracurricularactivities. It is a difficult task for many;however, some have learned to integrate both disciplines because they see them as equally important. Academics teach content and elaborate on concepts, sports teach endurance, determination and teamwork. For Alfonso Martinez, some of the most important lessons that have led him to succeed in his careercame from his love of baseball. Alfonso started playing baseball at an early age and he found that it provided a way for him to socialize. He was able to travel internationally and learn a great deal on the value of teamwork.
Currently, Alfonso leads Human Resources for International Baccalaureate, an organization that provides education curriculum in over 150 countries, supports over 6000 schools and has a global reach of 1.2 million people each day. What makes Alfonso’s story interestingis that he can trace some of his best leadership lessons to his baseball experience. One of those lessons that has helped him lead his organization is the lesson of forgiveness.
When Alfonso was a young player,he did not allow himself to make mistakes. It was very important that he made the right moves and he took his position as a shortstop seriously. This position is a role of leadership and it is important to the outcome of the game. Making errors made Alfonso extremelyangry with himself. He recalls that he would take that anger with himself for several days and it affected his relationship with his teammates and his outlook in life. One day he decided that the attitude that he took to the field was not helping this team members. He decided it would be more constructive to encourage others rather than focus on his own game performance. As he changed his perspective and made an effort to inspire others, he saw that if others made mistakes,he would encourage them to do better next time and to learn from their mistakes. He saw that this was advice he could apply on himself. Alfonso is an encouraging leader and his kind leadership style inspires his team members and the people he shares his story with.
When players are great at their sport,they make the game look easy and effortless. However, that appearance is the result of hard work, discipline, failing and trying again, and not giving up. His passion for the game of baseball has shown him that it is okay to be confident after he mastered the fundamentals. That requiresa constant assessment of his skill and being honest with himself. If he lacked some skill or if a play wasn’t ready to be executed with the team, he had to use the plays they had already mastered. In the professional world, those moments of honesty and self-assessment can help leaders not get in situations that they are not prepared for, but at the same time give them a goal for them to strive for. That’s how the game is won, and in the professional environment that is a transformational way to success.