Ralph de la Vega went through the Cuban revolution as a child and he learned to adapt to a new life in the United States.
In his book Obstacles Welcome: Turn Adversity to Advantage in Business and Life, he recounts a range of experiences, starting with his parents’ courageous decision to put him on a plane alone as a 10-year old immigrant through his remarkable rise to become the president and Chief Executive Officer of AT&T Mobility.
Very early on, de la Vega learned the connection between overcoming obstacles and surviving/thriving in new situations. All that he believes today about how to make the most out of life traces back to his parents’ decision to put him on a plane alone to Miami, and to the months and years that followed as he learned how to cope with obstacles, and turn them into opportunity. A basic theme he delivers throughout his 250-page book is that each day holds the promise of turning opportunities into significant stepping stones.
While Obstacles Welcome recognizes business experience (like integrating AT&T Wireless and Cingular following the biggest all-cash merger in U.S. history), it also shows the connection between faith, human resilience, and courage when the decisions one makes can turn adversity into advantage, and challenges into opportunity.
From his dramatic boyhood experience in Cuba and Miami, he takes us through pivotal points of his life, as he explores the various lessons he learned from the Cuban Revolution and its direct impact on his family to guiding Bellcore TEC through the digital communications revolution; restoring South Florida’s telecommunications network in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew; leading development and deployment of Internet and Broadband Services for Bell South; turning around BellSouth Latin America during one of the worst economic depressions and some of the most unstable political situations ever in the region, and then finally overseeing the merger of Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless, the largest all-cash merger ($41 billion) in U.S. history.
De la Vega’s personal and professional stories illustrate that within each obstacle we encounter, there's an opportunity that carries the potential to transform our thinking, our organizations, our communities and our world.
Click link to go to Obstacles Welcome home page
http://www.obstacleswelcome.com/home_ralph_de_la_vega.html
