Luis Garcia, Founder, Garcia 360°
 |  Luis Garcia |
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| | DESK ESSENTIALS | One book: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
One newspaper: The Wall Street Journal
One Web site: Google
One gadget: I am in love with my Macintosh G4 Laptop with rewritable CD/DVD capabilities. I never thought I would care so much about a machine.
One plane ticket: The Tour de France last year as Lance beat the odds and won five in a row. I have such respect for people who persevere no matter what is in their way.
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What are you reading?
Normally I read a lot of business books that motivate me or spark ideas for my clients, but right now, I am reading 'Angels and Demons' by Dan Brown. After perusing this book at an airport I found it fascinating in that it deals with a very primal need for people to believe in something greater, something spiritual and the perceived conflict that this has with science.
Who's been your biggest influence?
My children. I have to make choices everyday that let me look at them straight in the eye.
What's your biggest mistake?
Not investing in Dell when it first went public! Seriously, I think it was more along the lines of mistaking what success is and how you should measure yourself against that concept. It took me a long time to understand that my family is my greatest success.
Is management an art or a science?
Both art and science are based on the same thing: the belief in the potential of things. A manger's responsibility is to see the potential in people and help guide this for both the personal and professional achievement of your employees.
What do you reach for on your desk when the fire alarm goes off?
It would probably be the keys to my car and my beloved laptop. Knowing me, I'd probably also take my coffee if there was any left.
Curriculum Vitae
Founder and managing director of Garcia 360°, a San Antonio-based Hispanic communications agency, that helps clients assess opportunities in the Hispanic market, develop marketing plans and achieve business goals.More than 15 years of multicultural advertising and media experience with global brand leaders including Anheuser-Busch, The Coca-Cola Company, Continental Airlines, Levi-Strauss & Company, and Procter & Gamble.Helped expand Hispanic advertising agency Sosa, Bromley, Aguilar and Associates from $15 to $150 million in billings in the early 1990s.He says: "At the end of the day people stay because we push them to not just solve client problems, but to also help the client solve community problems. Most of us feel what we do does indeed matter and that, combined with the people around us, and the clients we serve, we can make a difference."
