Today, I am posting a review that has been a long time in development. That is, this book has been developing me and I wanted to give the process some time before publishing my opinion on Ralph de la Vega‘s book, Obstacles Welcome.
Obstacles Welcome is a combination of AT&T Mobility President and CEO Ralph de la Vega’s life story and the resulting life and leadership philosophies he gained through his experiences as a Cuban immigrant who worked his way to the top of one of the world’s largest communication companies. Starting out, de la Vega gives us an insight into his humble beginnings when his parents sent him to America by himself as a young lad of ten years old. In Miami, Ralph worked hard to get through school and support himself by working odd jobs. After college, he began a career in telecommunications through BellSouth.
De la Vega describes in detail the intense milestones of his career and then unravels the life lessons he learned from them on his way through middle management to the executive team. He postulates that it was only through the large–and sometimes unexpected–obstacles that came his way was he able to learn and grow as a leader. He encourages us to not only accept the obstacles in front of us as leaders, but to go after them if we have the choice! Bold statement that obviously produced bold results in his life.
In essence, Obstacles Welcome is a manifesto of one man’s incredible journey through life and leadership. The best thing about the book for me was the breakdown of how Ralph resolves conflicts, his decision making process and his strategies for creating success. I have been applying these principles directly to my work as a pastor at Tabernacle of Praise, and I believe that you would find them useful as well. Buy the book. You won’t regret it.
Disclaimer: I want to be upfront and honest with you. I write book reviews for Thomas Nelson Publishers. The only thing I receive in exchange is a copy of the book that I am writing about. If you would like to write reviews for them, please check out their blog reviewer site, Book Sneeze.
