I am on the way too

I am an ordinary man. A husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend. Like anyone, I have had joys, difficulties, successes and mistakes. I have known times of prosperity and also of uncertainty. I have made good decisions, and others whose consequences I have had to bear.

Many years ago, while I was still a young man, I had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that changed the way I understood life. Since then I have tried to walk hand in hand with him, seeking his will in what I think, say and do.

I don't always succeed.

Sometimes pride gets the better of me; at other times comfort, fear or worry. At times I forget to put God first. But I have learned that living the faith does not mean no longer making mistakes, but recognizing our weaknesses, getting up and starting again, trusting in his mercy.

Throughout my life I have had the opportunity and the responsibility of starting ventures, developing projects and running companies. I have known success, but also bankruptcy and the need to start over. I have experienced what it means to lose what one has worked for over many years.

Those experiences taught me something fundamental: faith does not replace our responsibility.

Trusting in God does not mean we stop planning, preparing, working with excellence or acting with prudence. Nor does it mean waiting for him to solve what is ours to do. It means inviting him to be present in our decisions, even the hardest ones, and responsibly accepting their consequences.

I have also learned that a company is not just a business, a balance sheet or a source of income. Behind every decision there are people: employees, families, customers, suppliers and communities.

I believe in enterprise, in prosperity and in the legitimate aspiration to create wealth. But I am convinced that this wealth must have a purpose. Creating jobs, serving others, acting justly and respecting human dignity are also part of our responsibility.

For many years I have served in a Catholic community, sharing experiences, knowledge and moments of faith with people from many walks of life. That path helped me discover that many of the concerns we face as founders and business owners are also part of our spiritual life.

How do we make a just decision when economic interests are at stake? How do we exercise authority without losing humility? How do we seek prosperity without forgetting those around us? How do we live our faith in an environment where it so often seems left out of decisions?

These questions stayed with me for years and led me to go deeper into the Gospel, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and, above all, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

There I found teachings that helped me better understand that our faith is not reserved for Sundays or for moments of prayer. We are also called to live it at work, in our companies and in every responsibility we take on.

CEO al estilo de Jesús was born from that search.

It does not come from someone who has all the answers or who has learned always to do the right thing. It comes from a Christian who is still learning, who has made mistakes, who needs God and who tries to ask himself one question before making his decisions:

What would Jesus Christ do?

This initiative is an invitation to reflect on and discern our business decisions in the light of the Church's teachings. It does not seek to replace our conscience, our responsibility or spiritual direction. It seeks to bring us closer to a way of starting and running businesses in which justice, prudence, human dignity and love of neighbor are not merely good intentions, but principles that become concrete actions.

I have chosen not to sign this text, because I do not want this initiative to revolve around a person. What matters is not who created it, but whom we want to follow.

My hope is that it may serve women and men, young founders and experienced business owners, who want to build prosperous ventures without losing sight of what truly matters.

And if, over the years, this initiative keeps helping others make fairer decisions, serve their neighbor better and draw closer to Jesus Christ, it will have fulfilled its purpose.

I am no example of perfection. I still have much to learn, much to correct and a long way to go.

I am on the way too.

And if you also wish to walk it, let us walk together, striving to make Jesus Christ the center of our lives and of our companies as well.