Meet Maria Daniela Escobar | Operations Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Daniela Escobar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria Daniela, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
My personal and professional lives are guided by the value of ethics, which is what matters most to me. I value ethics because it’s what makes the world a better place through the choices we make.

Business, for example, benefits from ethical leadership as a principal value because it shapes the company’s culture and thereby influences its employees. In my personal life it helps me make the best decisions, and as a result of those decisions is that I am in the place I am right now.

The principle I live by is “Be Willing To Light Another’s Candle” because as humans, we must understand that some people need our help. They need us to light them up so they can shine brightly. Most people fail to light others up out of fear of creating a competitor, but I choose to see the business world as a collaborative environment where we all strive to be better, and together, we can accomplish even more.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I studied to be a TV reporter in Venezuela but soon realized I did not like that environment, so I focused on marketing, then I did a master’s degree in business and put everything I learned into practice in the companies where I worked; thus, I usually ended up leading operations departments, which is where I am now.

Was it easy? No, it wasn’t, I lived in Venezuela, I had to leave my home and I had to physically distance myself from my family and friends.

However, I learned the value of moments, of people, of opportunities, and especially of everything that can be achieved with a mind trained to always see opportunities, where everyone sees problems.

What I want the world to know about my story is that we have to be our own cheerleaders and push ourselves every day to be better. In addition to this, I would also like everyone to know that it is possible to lead successfully from love: love for what you do, love for results, love for doing things differently, and generating a significant impact.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am working from Colombia and every time a friend comes to visit we go to Cartagena; We walk downtown there at night and in the morning we go for a walk to the beaches that it has: Playa Blanca, Barú, and Islas del Rosario. During the day we enjoy the local food and at night we go to dinner at: Candé, Celele or Mar y Zielo, restaurants with very good food and atmosphere. After all, Cartagena is always partying.

The places that cannot be missed during the visit are: The Castle of San Felipe de Barajas, the colorful houses of Getsemaní, the beach of Cholón, and the Totumo Mud Volcano; that’s right, it sounds weird but it’s a great place to visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The recognition of my achievements is first and foremost due to my family, who have always taught me to strive for success and to always do my best at all times.

After them, the people who have been in my life: friends, bosses, co-workers, and people who have served as mentors to have the mindset that I consider I have.

Last but not least… Me. I strive to succeed by persevering in learning, being dedicated in everything I do, training my mind to see a solution to each problem, and being persistent in my pursuits.

Instagram: @mdanielaescobar

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdanielaescobar/