In the midst of these hard times, he
applied to multiple jobs until he got
his first job at 1980 Hotel in the
human resources department. He
worked hard, made friends, and
built a network. After one year, he
was already in charge of recruiting
temporary employees for big events.
He later got an offer, through a person he met at an event, to work with
the Presidential Palace in coordinating events and ceremonies.
We walk back to the grand Elysée
Résidence for an indulgent dinner.
While we tuck into delicious platters
of fish, rice, and sorbets, Amancio
tells me that most people who
helped him throughout his life
didn’t even know him. “They did it
because of they were leaders in
nature. There are people who you
can ask what leadership is, they
don’t know, but it’s what they are
doing. I believe that the greatest
leaders are the ones we cannot see,
those we don’t know; who are not
famous.”
In 25 years, I will...
Run a business
Value people’s skills
Give opportunities to people
Value people as human beings
Help people who need help
Effect change in Mozambique
I ask him why we sometimes fail in life.
“We fail not because we are not informed,
but we want to listen to a specific
person. For example, if an expert announces on television that the world will
collapse tomorrow, no one will take action. But if a president announces the
same thing, everyone will act upon it.”
Amancio believes to succeed in life, we
should listen more; not to people who talk
the most, but to those who talk less.
As I get startled by his astute insight, I
become curious to know who Amancio
Sibinde will be 25 years from now.
“A 47-year-old Amancio will run a
non-traditional business. I want to value
skills and pay people because of their
skills and not education. I will give
opportunities to people who don’t have
skills or education to gain expertise and
make a living. I value a person because
he or she is human, motivated, and
passionate.”
Explaining his motivation behind that
vision, he says, “Grading people according to their education and skills filters
out people who actually need opportunities. Today, we help people who want
help instead of helping those who need
help. It is the reason many people are
still living below the poverty line despite
all the efforts made. We, the youth, have
the responsibility of changing the status
quo. It took me a leave from Mozambique
to really understand how much change it
needs.” Standing up and smiling for a few
seconds as if he is already running a company in his home country, “I will bring
that change in Mozambique.”
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