Today's guest personifies the word "leadership." Jose Costa has been a Marketing Manager and VP of some of the biggest food brands in the world, a President at Maaco and the CEO at GrandVision, the largest optical retailer in the world.

But Jose doesn't operate like a typical CEO. He doesn't have an office. He sits out with his team. He doesn't use his official title. Whenever anyone asks him he simply says, "I'm in operations." Humility runs at the core of his leadership philosophy. 

Jose casts a long shadow of hard work, big dreams and leadership wherever he goes and with whoever he meets. It led to promotion after promotion and opportunity after opportunity. He'll share some of the strategies that has led to his success and the lesson's he's learned from his trials and errors. 

Today Jose has hung up his corporate ladder and exchanged it for his own business and more time with his family. He'll share what compelled him to walk away from the C-Suite.

On today's podcast...

3:50 - Why Jose left a company at the top of its game for his own marketing firm

8:25 - Jose Costa's new leadership took 5 years to write but represents 20 years of work

9:22 - I think balance is something you need to own as an individual

12:40 - Dream big, work hard

14:20 - The shadow of the leader

15:00 - Jose is rejected by Burger King because he wasn't a fit for the culture...then Burger King went through a culture change.

17:35 - The time Jose needed a Maaco mulligan

20:48 - "I'm hiring you and I'm giving you 6 months to fix Latin America and if you don't...I'll fire you."

25:00 - What Jose does in the first 90 days of taking over a leadership position

27:50 - Be humble and be authentic and you can connect with people

28:30 - Growing up in Venezuela and the immigrant mentality of working

32:00 - A view of America from outside of the bubble

36:30 - The most beautiful gift a leader can give you...

41:00 - The reason Jose Costa doesn't have an office and never uses a title

44:26 - How Jose defines success for his children and how he helps facilitate that

Hidden Stories is a production of the Sell or Die Network, a collection of the best podcasts on sales and personal development on the planet. Check out what else we have to offer:

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