IAM1327 – Coach Drives Outcomes through Transformational Mentorship
Podcast Interview with Victor Felix
Victor Felix is a brand strategist and business coach, specializing in helping companies communicate a compelling message through narrative. His experience in business development has led him to always push the envelope to arrive at creative solutions. He adds value to teams by inspiring and galvanizing them to action. He drives outcomes through transformational mentorship by helping people become passionate about what they do and utilizing their skills and abilities to operate at peak performance. He is a Brainz 500 Global Award Honoree for 2021 and the founder of Community Leadership Network, a coaching company that helps people turn their setbacks into comebacks in their business.
- CEO Story: “In life, you can never connect the dots by looking forward, you can only connect them by looking backward” -Steve Jobs. Victor got into the process of falling and getting back up. Learning from the past on what not to do and doing more good things.
- Business Service: Brand strategy. Business coach.
- Secret Sauce: Letting your client feel that they’re your only client. Treat your customers that they matter to you.
- CEO Hack: Always learning like a sponge, always soaking in information.
- CEO Nugget: Invest in people. People-centric and customer-centric mentality rather than a business and me-first mentality, amazing things can happen.
- CEO Defined: A visionary and the vision has you. Inspires hope. Developing a person better.
Website: communityleadershipnetworkus.com
LinkedIn: coachvictorfelix/
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Transcription
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00:26 – Intro
Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.
00:42 – Gresham Harkless
Hello, Hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today, Victor Felix of Community Leadership Network. Victor, super excited to have you on the show.
00:51 – Victor Felix
Hey, thanks so much, Gresham. It's good to be here.
00:54 – Gresham Harkless
Yes, I'm excited that you're here as well. And before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Victor so you can hear about some of the awesome things that he's working on. Victor is a brand strategist and business coach specializing in helping companies communicate a compelling message through narrative. His experience in business development has led him to always push the envelope to arrive at creative solutions. He adds value to teams by inspiring and galvanizing them to action.
He drives outcomes through transformational mentorship by helping people become passionate about what they do and utilizing their skills and abilities to operate at peak performance. He is a Brains 500 Global Award honoree for 2021 and the founder of Community Leadership Network, a coaching company that helps people turn their setbacks into comebacks in their business. Felix, Victor, super excited again to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?
[restrict paid=”true”]
01:48 – Victor Felix
Let's go.
01:49 – Gresham Harkless
Let's make it happen then. So to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit, a little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.
01:56 – Victor Felix
Yeah, no, most definitely, man. As I take it back, you know, I think of Steve Jobs back in 2005, he was giving a commencement address to the students at Stanford University. And in it, he says something that caught my attention. He said, that in life, you can never connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them by looking backward. So, I wouldn't, 10, 15 years ago, I wouldn't be able to look forward and say, this is where I'd be, this is what I'd be doing right now. But now that I'm here, I can look back and say, man, this is what led me here. This is why I met this person. This is why I worked here.
This is why I went through this disappointment or failure or rejection or what have you. And so now looking back and connecting the dots. Yeah, it wasn't always easy. I messed up. I fell. But I think through a process of falling and getting back up, falling, getting back up, going back to the drawing board, seeing where I could have been better, stronger, wiser. And you know, it's just helped me to kind of, to just put me in a place where you know, I know what not to do. And let me just do more of the good things that I need to do. So definitely, man.
03:04 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, I love that is 1 of my absolute favorite commencement speeches to kind of hear. And I think once you hear it, it kind of brings a little bit of peace, because when you're going through times that sometimes aren't ideal, and you're trying to wonder like, how the all these things going to play out. I think when you listen to that you hear that and you realize that hey there's sometimes in our present situation where we didn't know if we were going to get there that opened up the door for us so it kind of gives us a little bit more peace in our present.
03:30 – Victor Felix
Most definitely and Gresh what you said there Ben is so key, sometimes you don't know how you're going to get there. It's like you might have the vision but sometimes it gets bleak because you're in a situation where it's just like man like I don't know how I'm going to get through this or, you know, I feel stuck and I like I'm going nowhere. But you know, they say like, just like when you're running a marathon, they say that around the 16th, 17th mile, runners, they get to a place where they hit the wall. In other words, they just can't move forward anymore. Their legs feel like spaghetti, it feels like they're running in water like they just can't go there.
When did they just, feel like absolutely giving up? But what I've also heard is that when, if you just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other, just keep moving forward, keep waking up, keep showing up, you know, and keep working hard. Eventually what happens is you break through when you get your second win and you feel like you're going to sprint to the finish line.
So it's in those dark moments, man, you just got to keep putting 1 foot in front of the other. And you don't always have to fight, you know, they say in boxing, you don't, you don't box well every round, but if you can stay in the fight, you'll find some way to win. So it's just about to keep moving forward and staying in the fight.
04:46 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, love that. And I think so many times that we forget a quote that I always tell myself, it's always darkest before dawn. Sometimes when you're in that 16-mile marker, where we're talking about an actual marathon or a figurative marathon, you feel like you don't know what to do, but just the perseverance of successful people is that they have put that, you know, foot in front of the other and put another 1 and another 1 and another 1.
And next thing you know, they're where they ultimately wanna be. So absolutely appreciate that. So I imagine that's a lot of like what you kind of talk about, go through, or kind of do to how to help support and work with your clients. I guess, could you tell us a little bit more about how you serve your clients, and how you're making an impact in their lives?
05:26 – Victor Felix
Yeah, most definitely, man. I mean, you mentioned it earlier, I'm a business coach and brand strategist, and you would think that it's mostly just talking about business strategy or brand strategy and stuff like that. But it's not just about that because at the end of the day, really what you're doing is you're coaching the person. So before you know you're you're I mean, it's important to know your craft. That's why they're coming to you because you know what you're doing. But that's, to me, that's just the icing on the cake. I've got to realize who I'm working with and help them to achieve their goal. So it starts with coaching the person first.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that because it's like, you know, you have somebody come to a session and it's like, all right, let's just get through the business and do what we got to do. But not realizing that person, that's a real person in front of you. Like they have, their shortcomings, they have their worries, they have the things that they're going through, the stuff that they're dealing with, man. And so, and a lot of times I just find myself dealing with that. And I know that if I, as a coach get away from that, that's when I'm gonna be in trouble and not as effective as I can be. So it's really about coaching the person first.
06:34 – Gresham Harkles
Nice, I love that. And I think when we first connected, that was 1 of the things that I, you know, felt that resonated with me about your story with you, resonated from you and your story to me was that the person, the human aspect, I always say we forget about the human aspect of business and to like not zoom past that, obviously there's a part for finances, branding, all those different aspects, but we don't kind of pay attention to that human part and how that can kind of often make or break you.
07:08 – Victor Felix
Yeah, yeah, no, most definitely. And that's I like what you said there, it can, it can make or break you because, Yeah, if you're just coming in there and well, here's the thing. Customers are people. They are they are people. And in business, you're not dealing with processes, you're not dealing with numbers and statistics, and all that you're dealing with people so if you don't understand people, you don't understand business, and before long, you'll be out of business.
So understanding that human aspect and just understanding that people are people and they come with their fears, their worries, their shortcomings, their issues, it helps to understand that so you can be not just someone who kind of here like I'm up here, you're down here, and I'm teaching you but no, you're a guide, you're, you're guiding them along in their journey.
08:01 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, and I've always felt like I've heard that, you know, really great coaches are those that are those guys that are, you know, telling you that, hey, you might want to look out for this or that, but not telling you you need to take, you know, this way or go that way or go right or go left is ultimately like more of a guide and help you along that journey that we all have to ultimately go on.
08:20 – Victor Felix
Most definitely. Yeah.
08:22 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I want to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be for yourself, the business, or a combination of both. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?
08:32 – Victor Felix
Oh, man. I actually kind of, learned this from a client. I had met someone at a networking event, and she reached out to me and said she wanted to get together. So we get in and we start talking. And I'm telling about my service, she says, Victor stop right there, I'm sold. She says, from the moment I met you, I can already tell that you're different. And then she said, in 1 of our sessions, she said, when I'm with you, I feel like I'm your only client. And so I feel that with me, I want everybody to feel like you are my only client, like I, I got up this morning to do what I did just for you.
And I think when you take care of people in that way. And I'll tell you, this person, she's referred to me quite a bit of business. And she's always referring people to me, because she realizes, you know what, I can send people to this guy because he's going to take care of them like he's taking care of me. And so I take pride in that. And I'm humbled by it as well because, you know, the fact that you not only entrust yourself to me, but you're entrusting other people that you know, and sending people my way. So yeah, just treating people as if they're, they're the only 1 What is, you know, I would say treat your customers as if they matter to you and they'll treat your business as if it matters to them.
09:53 – Gresham Harkless
Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have. But what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?
10:04 – Victor Felix
Oh, man, that's always learning. I'm a sponge. I'm just always soaking in information. I am a bookworm. I just had a new book come in yesterday. I want to those people that when I get that text from Amazon that my book is coming, I get excited. That's that's my party right there. You know, I'm a real I'm a bookworm. I love listening, whether it's a YouTube video, I love and a podcast, anything. I'm always listening to something. I'm always reading. I'm always wanting to learn because, you know, here's the thing I heard 1 motivational speaker say this, you know, you could burn down my house and I can lose everything I have and I'll be all right.
I can rebuild it. I could come back from that. But if you take away what I have up here, I'm nothing. So that's how I've gotten to that point. Take away everything I have, but don't take away the knowledge. Don't take away my experiences what I've learned and how I've grown. You take that away, then I have nothing left. So that is, I think, 1 thing that makes me more effective in what I'm doing.
11:14 – Gresham Harkless
Yeah, absolutely. That's why I love, you know, the work that you do. So what would you consider to be what I like to call a CEO nugget? So this is a little bit more of a word of wisdom or piece of advice. It might be something you already touched on, but it might be something you would tell your favorite client, or if you happened to be a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.
11:31 – Victor Felix:
Invest more in people. Invest more in people because I feel, especially when you're starting a business or you want to achieve something, a lot of times we use people as a means to an end because what you're focused on is the end, and whatever can get me there, you're just gonna go with it and use that in any way that you can. And so what I'm learning and what I've learned is that just invest in the person that's in front of you. When you lose sleep, when you lose more sleep over the success of the person, rather than losing sleep over your business, that's when your business will begin to thrive.
So it's coming at it from a people-first mentality, a customer-centric mentality, rather than a business and me-first mentality. When you do that man, I mean, it's amazing things can happen. And personally, looking at it from that point of view now, I feel more fulfilled. I enjoy what I'm doing because I realize it's just not about me being a brand strategist. I mean, you'd be better off being a people strategist, then your brand comes to life. So, man, that would be it, man.
And now that I'm doing that more I'm loving more what I do and that's the ultimate thing man loving people and loving what you do that brings true fulfillment in life. You know as you continue to grow and learn you understand people better that's where I believe that the true success is.
13:04 – Gresham Harkless
Appreciate that. And I want to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Victor, what does being a CEO mean to you?
13:15 – Victor Felix
You have to be a visionary. You know, especially let's say you're the CEO of a large company. By 2025, 75% of the workforce will be millennials. And as we know millennials, it's passion over profit. No more, they're not coming in, let me work 40 years and move up the corporate ladder and stuff like that, no, it is passion over profit. So if you're not able to lead with vision and what I'm talking about, That's really what inspires millennials. You have to be able to inspire. It's just not do this, do this, do this, do this. You know, that's the workforce of yesteryear.
If you don't know how to lead with vision if you don't know how to inspire a workforce that's gonna be 75% millennial by the year 2025, you will be out as a CEO, you will not be successful. So being a visionary man and it's not about having a vision, but it's also about the vision having you. And so when the vision has you, man, that's when you're truly able to inspire people. People see, you know, this is not, I'm not just here to do a job, but I am somebody who is on a mission. You know, that's when people come to work, as they say, taking 2 steps at a time. And so, but yeah, you gotta be visionary.
And, you know, I've heard 1 person say that vision is simply seeing a better tomorrow than it is today. And that's a leader who inspires hope, a leader who not just is just about what you do here on the job, but making you better as a person. They're developing you. And that's, that's what I would say, man, is just so powerful and probably lacking too much in today's workforce.
15:01 – Gresham Harkless
Truly appreciate that definition. Of course, I appreciate your time, even more, Victor. What I wanted to do now was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And of course, how best people can get ahold of you, and find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.
15:16 – Victor Felix
Yeah, most definitely, man. You can always visit me on my website, communityleadershipnetworkus.com. I'm also on LinkedIn, coach Victor Felix. Feel free to call or text 407-906-3264. You can always email me, Victor, at communityleadershipnetworkus.com. I would just tell people no matter what happens to you in your business, no matter how much you fail, no matter how many setbacks you have, in fact, sometimes a setback is a setup for a comeback.
15:46 – Gresham Harkless
Nice. I love that. And of course, we will have the links and information that show notes as well. Thank you so much for sharing that, for of course providing so many opportunities for impact that you do. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
15:57 – Victor Felix
Man, thank you so much, Gresham. It was my pleasure. It was my honor to be on this show today, man. And it's just a great conversation with a great guy.
16:04 – Outro
Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Please tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.
00:26 - Intro
Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.
00:42 - Gresham Harkless
Hello, Hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today, Victor Felix of Community Leadership Network. Victor, super excited to have you on the show.
00:51 - Victor Felix
Hey, thanks so much, Gresham. It's good to be here.
00:54 - Gresham Harkless
Yes, I'm excited that you're here as well. And before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Victor so you can hear about some of the awesome things that he's working on. Victor is a brand strategist and business coach specializing in helping companies communicate a compelling message through narrative. His experience in business development has led him to always push the envelope to arrive at creative solutions. He adds value to teams by inspiring and galvanizing them to action.
He drives outcomes through transformational mentorship by helping people become passionate about what they do and utilizing their skills and abilities to operate at peak performance. He is a Brains 500 Global Award honoree for 2021 and the founder of Community Leadership Network, a coaching company that helps people turn their setbacks into comebacks in their business. Felix, Victor, super excited again to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?
01:48 - Victor Felix
Let's go.
01:49 - Gresham Harkless
Let's make it happen then. So to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit, a little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.
01:56 - Victor Felix
Yeah, no, most definitely, man. As I take it back, you know, I think of Steve Jobs back in 2005, he was giving a commencement address to the students at Stanford University. And in it, he says something that caught my attention. He said, that in life, you can never connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them by looking backward. So, I wouldn't, 10, 15 years ago, I wouldn't be able to look forward and say, this is where I'd be, this is what I'd be doing right now. But now that I'm here, I can look back and say, man, this is what led me here. This is why I met this person. This is why I worked here.
This is why I went through this disappointment or failure or rejection or what have you. And so now looking back and connecting the dots. Yeah, it wasn't always easy. I messed up. I fell. But I think through a process of falling and getting back up, falling, getting back up, going back to the drawing board, seeing where I could have been better, stronger, wiser. And you know, it's just helped me to kind of, to just put me in a place where you know, I know what not to do. And let me just do more of the good things that I need to do. So definitely, man.
03:04 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, I love that is 1 of my absolute favorite commencement speeches to kind of hear. And I think once you hear it, it kind of brings a little bit of peace, because when you're going through times that sometimes aren't ideal, and you're trying to wonder like, how the all these things going to play out. I think when you listen to that you hear that and you realize that hey there's sometimes in our present situation where we didn't know if we were going to get there that opened up the door for us so it kind of gives us a little bit more peace in our present.
03:30 - Victor Felix
Most definitely and Gresh what you said there Ben is so key, sometimes you don't know how you're going to get there. It's like you might have the vision but sometimes it gets bleak because you're in a situation where it's just like man like I don't know how I'm going to get through this or, you know, I feel stuck and I like I'm going nowhere. But you know, they say like, just like when you're running a marathon, they say that around the 16th, 17th mile, runners, they get to a place where they hit the wall. In other words, they just can't move forward anymore. Their legs feel like spaghetti, it feels like they're running in water like they just can't go there.
When did they just, feel like absolutely giving up? But what I've also heard is that when, if you just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other, just keep moving forward, keep waking up, keep showing up, you know, and keep working hard. Eventually what happens is you break through when you get your second win and you feel like you're going to sprint to the finish line. So it's in those dark moments, man, you just got to keep putting 1 foot in front of the other. And you don't always have to fight, you know, they say in boxing, you don't, you don't box well every round, but if you can stay in the fight, you'll find some way to win. So it's just about to keep moving forward and staying in the fight.
04:46 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, love that. And I think so many times that we forget a quote that I always tell myself, it's always darkest before dawn. Sometimes when you're in that 16-mile marker, where we're talking about an actual marathon or a figurative marathon, you feel like you don't know what to do, but just the perseverance of successful people is that they have put that, you know, foot in front of the other and put another 1 and another 1 and another 1.
And next thing you know, they're where they ultimately wanna be. So absolutely appreciate that. So I imagine that's a lot of like what you kind of talk about, go through, or kind of do to how to help support and work with your clients. I guess, could you tell us a little bit more about how you serve your clients, and how you're making an impact in their lives?
05:26 - Victor Felix
Yeah, most definitely, man. I mean, you mentioned it earlier, I'm a business coach and brand strategist, and you would think that it's mostly just talking about business strategy or brand strategy and stuff like that. But it's not just about that because at the end of the day, really what you're doing is you're coaching the person. So before you know you're you're I mean, it's important to know your craft. That's why they're coming to you because you know what you're doing. But that's, to me, that's just the icing on the cake. I've got to realize who I'm working with and help them to achieve their goal. So it starts with coaching the person first.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that because it's like, you know, you have somebody come to a session and it's like, all right, let's just get through the business and do what we got to do. But not realizing that person, that's a real person in front of you. Like they have, their shortcomings, they have their worries, they have the things that they're going through, the stuff that they're dealing with, man. And so, and a lot of times I just find myself dealing with that. And I know that if I, as a coach get away from that, that's when I'm gonna be in trouble and not as effective as I can be. So it's really about coaching the person first.
06:34 - Gresham Harkles
Nice, I love that. And I think when we first connected, that was 1 of the things that I, you know, felt that resonated with me about your story with you, resonated from you and your story to me was that the person, the human aspect, I always say we forget about the human aspect of business and to like not zoom past that, obviously there's a part for finances, branding, all those different aspects, but we don't kind of pay attention to that human part and how that can kind of often make or break you.
07:08 - Victor Felix
Yeah, yeah, no, most definitely. And that's I like what you said there, it can, it can make or break you because, Yeah, if you're just coming in there and well, here's the thing. Customers are people. They are they are people. And in business, you're not dealing with processes, you're not dealing with numbers and statistics, and all that you're dealing with people so if you don't understand people, you don't understand business, and before long, you'll be out of business.
So understanding that human aspect and just understanding that people are people and they come with their fears, their worries, their shortcomings, their issues, it helps to understand that so you can be not just someone who kind of here like I'm up here, you're down here, and I'm teaching you but no, you're a guide, you're, you're guiding them along in their journey.
08:01 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, and I've always felt like I've heard that, you know, really great coaches are those that are those guys that are, you know, telling you that, hey, you might want to look out for this or that, but not telling you you need to take, you know, this way or go that way or go right or go left is ultimately like more of a guide and help you along that journey that we all have to ultimately go on.
08:20 - Victor Felix
Most definitely. Yeah.
08:22 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I want to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be for yourself, the business, or a combination of both. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?
08:32 - Victor Felix
Oh, man. I actually kind of, learned this from a client. I had met someone at a networking event, and she reached out to me and said she wanted to get together. So we get in and we start talking. And I'm telling about my service, she says, Victor stop right there, I'm sold. She says, from the moment I met you, I can already tell that you're different. And then she said, in 1 of our sessions, she said, when I'm with you, I feel like I'm your only client. And so I feel that with me, I want everybody to feel like you are my only client, like I, I got up this morning to do what I did just for you.
And I think when you take care of people in that way. And I'll tell you, this person, she's referred to me quite a bit of business. And she's always referring people to me, because she realizes, you know what, I can send people to this guy because he's going to take care of them like he's taking care of me. And so I take pride in that. And I'm humbled by it as well because, you know, the fact that you not only entrust yourself to me, but you're entrusting other people that you know, and sending people my way. So yeah, just treating people as if they're, they're the only 1 What is, you know, I would say treat your customers as if they matter to you and they'll treat your business as if it matters to them.
09:53 - Gresham Harkless
Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have. But what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?
10:04 - Victor Felix
Oh, man, that's always learning. I'm a sponge. I'm just always soaking in information. I am a bookworm. I just had a new book come in yesterday. I want to those people that when I get that text from Amazon that my book is coming, I get excited. That's that's my party right there. You know, I'm a real I'm a bookworm. I love listening, whether it's a YouTube video, I love and a podcast, anything. I'm always listening to something. I'm always reading. I'm always wanting to learn because, you know, here's the thing I heard 1 motivational speaker say this, you know, you could burn down my house and I can lose everything I have and I'll be all right.
I can rebuild it. I could come back from that. But if you take away what I have up here, I'm nothing. So that's how I've gotten to that point. Take away everything I have, but don't take away the knowledge. Don't take away my experiences what I've learned and how I've grown. You take that away, then I have nothing left. So that is, I think, 1 thing that makes me more effective in what I'm doing.
11:14 - Gresham Harkless
Yeah, absolutely. That's why I love, you know, the work that you do. So what would you consider to be what I like to call a CEO nugget? So this is a little bit more of a word of wisdom or piece of advice. It might be something you already touched on, but it might be something you would tell your favorite client, or if you happened to be a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.
11:31 - Victor Felix: Invest more in people. Invest more in people because I feel, especially when you're starting a business or you want to achieve something, a lot of times we use people as a means to an end because what you're focused on is the end, and whatever can get me there, you're just gonna go with it and use that in any way that you can. And so what I'm learning and what I've learned is that just invest in the person that's in front of you. When you lose sleep, when you lose more sleep over the success of the person, rather than losing sleep over your business, that's when your business will begin to thrive.
So it's coming at it from a people-first mentality, a customer-centric mentality, rather than a business and me-first mentality. When you do that man, I mean, it's amazing things can happen. And personally, looking at it from that point of view now, I feel more fulfilled. I enjoy what I'm doing because I realize it's just not about me being a brand strategist. I mean, you'd be better off being a people strategist, then your brand comes to life. So, man, that would be it, man.
And now that I'm doing that more I'm loving more what I do and that's the ultimate thing man loving people and loving what you do that brings true fulfillment in life. You know as you continue to grow and learn you understand people better that's where I believe that the true success is.
13:04 - Gresham Harkless
Appreciate that. And I want to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Victor, what does being a CEO mean to you?
13:15 - Victor Felix
You have to be a visionary. You know, especially let's say you're the CEO of a large company. By 2025, 75% of the workforce will be millennials. And as we know millennials, it's passion over profit. No more, they're not coming in, let me work 40 years and move up the corporate ladder and stuff like that, no, it is passion over profit. So if you're not able to lead with vision and what I'm talking about, That's really what inspires millennials. You have to be able to inspire. It's just not do this, do this, do this, do this. You know, that's the workforce of yesteryear.
If you don't know how to lead with vision if you don't know how to inspire a workforce that's gonna be 75% millennial by the year 2025, you will be out as a CEO, you will not be successful. So being a visionary man and it's not about having a vision, but it's also about the vision having you. And so when the vision has you, man, that's when you're truly able to inspire people. People see, you know, this is not, I'm not just here to do a job, but I am somebody who is on a mission. You know, that's when people come to work, as they say, taking 2 steps at a time. And so, but yeah, you gotta be visionary.
And, you know, I've heard 1 person say that vision is simply seeing a better tomorrow than it is today. And that's a leader who inspires hope, a leader who not just is just about what you do here on the job, but making you better as a person. They're developing you. And that's, that's what I would say, man, is just so powerful and probably lacking too much in today's workforce.
15:01 - Gresham Harkless
Truly appreciate that definition. Of course, I appreciate your time, even more, Victor. What I wanted to do now was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And of course, how best people can get ahold of you, and find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.
15:16 - Victor Felix
Yeah, most definitely, man. You can always visit me on my website, communityleadershipnetworkus.com. I'm also on LinkedIn, coach Victor Felix. Feel free to call or text 407-906-3264. You can always email me, Victor, at communityleadershipnetworkus.com. I would just tell people no matter what happens to you in your business, no matter how much you fail, no matter how many setbacks you have, in fact, sometimes a setback is a setup for a comeback.
15:46 - Gresham Harkless
Nice. I love that. And of course, we will have the links and information that show notes as well. Thank you so much for sharing that, for of course providing so many opportunities for impact that you do. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
15:57 - Victor Felix
Man, thank you so much, Gresham. It was my pleasure. It was my honor to be on this show today, man. And it's just a great conversation with a great guy.
16:04 - Outro
Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Please tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.
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