00:06Hello, today we are with Sandra Forero, the president of Camacol, the gremio that,
00:13more than constructors, reúne all the companies, the industry that is behind
00:17almost every one of the buildings that you see in all the cities of the country. Sandra is
00:22about to be able to fulfill six years in front of the gremio and that is our guest today.
00:26Welcome Sandra.
00:27Thank you very much for the invitation.
00:34Well, I have a way to work, let's say, in the way I do the opportunity to think about the
00:44people.
00:45This is a gremio, which is a very important gremio, but that also reúne many different interests,
00:51because I have the constructors, the industrials, the banks, the commercial.
00:55So what we have is a dynamic agenda that allows us to represent all of us, but in a
01:04strategic way. And one thing that for us, or for me, in the way of working, both in Camacol
01:10as in other works that I have had, is in this case, that is to represent the interests of a
01:17sector,
01:18to approach that sectoral to the interest of general.
01:21I think that I have characterized the work, or in all my work, always think about the interest of general
01:29and to build a wonderful job where everyone thinks, not necessarily always do the reason,
01:35but where everyone thinks about the interests that we are currently represent.
01:40What does it mean to be part of a team, to lead it, and to listen to it?
01:44I have had the luck of working with wonderful teams.
01:47Generally, since I work, I work with people very young, people who are willing to propose,
01:57people who are willing to propose, who are willing to innovate, people who are willing to innovate,
02:00because now the young people are willing to prepare more.
02:02And that's what I call a kind of collegiate, I mean, I think that I have to do with a
02:08temperament
02:08more my own, I would say that we don't always do it to get to the conclusion of a concert.
02:15But they are working with a team, also of people who are going to form and grow and
02:19end up working with other sectors or other scenarios.
02:23But I have, I think, for general rule, people who are young, well prepared,
02:31for that, necessarily, I think that part of what one goes well, is to be able to do well.
02:36And that's what I've always achieved with young teams and with a lot of desire to contribute to the country.
02:43You are architect of the Pilots of Columbia University, and you went to study in Europe,
02:49and in France, in the postgraduate studies.
02:53How should you form a leader to lead a group like Camacol?
02:57Look, I did architecture in the University of Pilots of Columbia,
03:01and I always had the interest in the city, for that I decided to go to Paris.
03:08I was studying four years, working and working with that city and living in Europe,
03:14and I was always focused on working, of course, to learn in the theory and to learn in the history,
03:22but always focused on the practice.
03:24I am a person very practical, and I think that, of course, one should form with that theory
03:31and that support, but always thinking about the practice.
03:35In the case of mine, which is a topic of urbanism, of the city,
03:40the cities do not expect.
03:41The great learning of being outside, not only to have studied in the universities of Paris,
03:46but also to have lived in the European cities,
03:49for then to be able to contribute in what you could,
03:53or from the place where you could be, to build cities of quality,
03:56which, in fact, is one of the themes,
03:59that the title of Camacol is currently working on the construction of cities of quality.
04:04And in Camacol, let's say, it would be rare, because we always have seen,
04:10or, let's say, we have seen in a group of constructors,
04:14where it is important to build, and we have a lot of time, Camacol,
04:18it has been about 15 years, saying that it is not only to build,
04:22but it is to build cities of quality.
04:24And, of course, that came to Camacol,
04:26because they were already looking at Camacol,
04:28less of construction and of cifras,
04:30but more of how to contribute to a positive construction of our cities.
04:37And that is, it is a very good discussion,
04:40and I remember that we met in Presidencia,
04:44I was in a event where, in that moment,
04:47the government was making the alarm of how they had been able to live in the buildings,
04:52and, of course, they said that they were one of the best leaders
04:54that they had been able to find in the sector and in the country.
04:56And it is,
04:57does it have been in Colombia in the construction of cities?
04:59So, I ask you a question from the world of leadership.
05:02I think it is a matter of...
05:05There is a lot, a lot to do.
05:07I think that we have good alcaldes,
05:10we have a public policy, from the point of view of the living room,
05:14and we have alcaldes that think that they have a form or a more interest in building a good city,
05:22but we have a lot of time.
05:24Unfortunately, for example, the issue of the soil.
05:27You have heard me a lot of times talking about this issue.
05:30This issue has been filled with ideologies,
05:32the issue of ricos and pobres,
05:34and it does not allow us to build cities really equilibradas and equitatives.
05:37But I think that it is a process that already started,
05:41and that surely will be a task of very long term,
05:45but that in the end, we will have to have cities for all.
05:50We are talking about children, so we are talking about that combination of profession and home.
05:56How do you do, Sandra, to achieve success in a world where you have two children?
06:05I told you just a few minutes ago, one of 20 and the other of 17,
06:08and lead a group like this, which is Camacol.
06:11Yes, I have a Juan Sebastián and Martín, two men, two wonderful guys,
06:17and at the beginning it was very difficult because my initial formation,
06:22I took 15 years in the public sector.
06:25And I am not saying that in the private sector or in the gremial sector,
06:28I work less, but the stress and the agenda are different.
06:32In the public sector, the delivery of free time, the weekend,
06:36everything is intense, it is a thing like never to end.
06:41And in that moment it was when I had my children.
06:43So at the beginning it was a bit difficult.
06:46I was present, in the school, I was always present, in the infant school,
06:51but there was a moment in which, especially for the younger generation,
06:54when Juan had about 12 years old, I said,
06:56I think I'm going to need to change the rhythm,
06:58not to go to work less, but, as I said, to have a management of time,
07:03especially for the time, free time, a little bit more dedicated to my two children.
07:09That decision was a healthy decision.
07:11And that is now reflected in the boys that they are.
07:17They are very interested in the issue of the city.
07:20They are very interested in the issue of the city.
07:21They are very interested in what happens.
07:26What happens in the country is that one suddenly brings the concerns,
07:30and those anxieties, and those anxieties to the house,
07:32but it is not always negative.
07:33Because they are guys who know that the country has difficulties,
07:38that they have to go ahead, that they can work for the country,
07:42that one can be more than successful, that one can be more successful,
07:48that one can be more successful or make it more than the place,
07:51and from the situation and from the career that she chooses,
07:55and that is the reflection of a very close relationship,
08:00that shows that I finally managed to articulate my professional life with my personal life.
08:07You know, the balance.
08:08Yes, the balance.
08:09At first it was a little bit difficult.
08:11But I took the decision at the moment,
08:14and my children understand it.
08:16They understand that the mother is traveling, that the mother is working,
08:19they think, they think, they ask me what I am,
08:22they know of my anxieties.
08:23And then there are times, for example,
08:26even though they are very young,
08:27Juan with 20 and Martín with 17,
08:29I ask some decisions that I have had to take in my life,
08:32I'm sorry, I ask them,
08:33and it's incredible what they can bring to these boys to the reflection.
08:37The majority of the companies, if I'm not mistaken,
08:40of those who are agremiadas in Camacol are men.
08:44Yes.
08:44For not to say all.
08:46No, no, no.
08:47How, how, and at the level of governmental,
08:50at the level of alcaldes,
08:51also, like, predomina the sexo masculino.
08:55How do you do it to lider the gremio,
08:58since almost 6 years old,
09:01in a society so machista,
09:03where almost all the decisions are taken men?
09:07Well, I have to say that I have been fortunate.
09:11My junta directiva, at this moment,
09:13is formed by 36 men of different regions,
09:18men, all.
09:20And I think that there is a lot of respect.
09:22I think that there is a lot of tolerance,
09:25in some moments,
09:26to feel a comment,
09:28to be able to carry out,
09:30until finally one, with arguments,
09:32to be able to carry out the reason.
09:34But it's a topic more of arguments.
09:36I think that there are some moments,
09:39even with the local mandatars,
09:41that one feels that the fact that she is a woman,
09:46to speak,
09:46to represent a private sector,
09:50can generate a certain incomodity.
09:52But I think that I have been able to carry out more with arguments.
09:58I have arguments.
10:01I have a temperament that sometimes I have to manage,
10:06but I have learned that
10:09that having that temperament
10:11is not as bad.
10:11I have to be able to see,
10:12especially in scenarios where there are times
10:15where there are opinions
10:16that can be seen,
10:20that can be seen,
10:21that can be seen,
10:21because of that one comes from a woman.
10:23But really,
10:25in the gremium,
10:25I have had respaldo,
10:27I have had respeto,
10:28I have had the few situations
10:30that have been given
10:31a little bit of a little bit of a machismo
10:34of subestimating a opinion.
10:37Inclusive,
10:37it is between the same people that have respaldo,
10:41that say,
10:41hey, no,
10:42wait a moment,
10:43because there is an opinion,
10:47there is a conscience
10:47and there is a liderazgo
10:48that they themselves have respalded
10:52and respected a lot.
10:53What advice would you give to
10:55to other women that are entrepreneurs,
10:58that are empresarial,
10:59or to the guys that are taking the decision
11:03to start their own business
11:05or to those who are in a corporation
11:06who are starting their training process
11:09because they are going to take a role
11:11of leadership?
11:12What advice would you give from their experience,
11:14from their training as a professional,
11:16from their experience professional
11:17and today liderando a Camacol,
11:20would you give to those people?
11:21I think that the most important thing
11:24is what I do,
11:25that is why I think it has been well
11:27in the tasks that I have done,
11:28or I think it has been well,
11:29is to work in what one likes
11:31and one discovers what one likes
11:33is what one likes
11:34and what one likes is what one likes.
11:36That is the mark to form oneself,
11:38it is the contrary,
11:39it is form oneself for something
11:40to see if one likes it.
11:41A me the issue of the city
11:42has always,
11:44always,
11:44always,
11:44me passioned.
11:45And then I decided to form myself
11:47in the topic of the city,
11:49in the topic of urbanism,
11:50in the topic of urban planning.
11:50Look,
11:52that is one thing,
11:53form oneself in what one knows
11:54what one knows
11:55that will put the heart.
11:57This is pure leadership
11:59with heart.
12:01Second,
12:02this country needs to be
12:03all of us,
12:04all of us,
12:05all of us,
12:05all of us,
12:06all of us,
12:09all of us,
12:10always thinking,
12:11of, of your business,
12:13of your business,
12:14of, of your business,
12:15of, of your business,
12:18of, of your mistakes.
12:18But no,
12:18we forget that,
12:19our country needs to be,
12:20then if one thinks,
12:22you can choose,
12:23one,
12:24one or other things,
12:25choose the most preset
12:26to the country,
12:27and that will satisfy us
12:28all of us.
12:29Third,
12:30we,
12:31the team,
12:32working in the team.
12:34There always,
12:35there are young entrepreneurs
12:36but they will have
12:38colegas jóvenes o gente más joven que está detrás con ganas o de aportar, con ganas
12:43también de aprender. Uno no tiene que tenerle miedo a que quiere aprender porque uno también
12:48aprende de ellos. Y cuarto, sí es importante la formación. Creo que la formación, lo
12:55que pasa es que en este mundo que está globalizado, que tenemos tantas posibilidades de acceder
13:01a información, no necesariamente tiene que ser ni lo más costoso ni necesariamente irse
13:06del país, pero sí formarse. Porque la teoría nos ayuda mucho y no perder de vista algo
13:13que yo y es lo que podamos llevar a la práctica, a la realidad. Hay cosas que en el país
13:18no
13:19dan espera, hay cosas que uno puede, que hemos perdido tiempo y por eso debemos ser un poco
13:25más agresivos, en el buen sentido de la palabra, en proponer cosas que se lleven rápidamente
13:31a la práctica.
13:35Sandra, gracias por compartirnos toda su experiencia, cómo lidera Camacol y cómo desde el sector
13:41público aprendió tantas cosas para desde el sector privado buscar el bienestar general
13:45sobre el bienestar particular. Muchas gracias.
13:48Edwin, mil gracias por esta invitación.
13:50y
13:50y
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