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#WFH Diaries: Gaston Legorburu of GlueIQ
As coronavirus lockdowns persist around the globe, Muse is checking in with creative people to see how they’re faring. Below, we catch up with Gaston Legorburu, CEO/founder of GlueIQ and bestselling author.
Give us a one-line bio of yourself.
I’m a husband, father and friend who happens to be a creative leader helping his team through some very tough times. I’m only a Zoom call away.
Where are you living right now, and who’s with you?
I’m fortunate to be living in Miami with my incredible wife and two puppies.
What’s your work situation like at the moment?
We are on the heels of some of the strongest months in our company’s young history. Things changed for our startup, like they did for everyone, overnight. We might need to rethink how we define a startup. In a lot of ways, we are all startups today, forced to rethink our roles — personally and professionally. And we are all being disrupted and forced towards agility. Just over 30 days ago, you’d be likely to find me in an airport. These days, I’m Zooming from one client “war room” to another and working a minimum of 12 to 14 hours a day—and trying to keep sane. Between trying to keep everyone on my team safe and gainfully employed, and helping our amazing clients navigate these new waters, there is not much time to spare for anything else.
Describe your socializing strategy.
My wife suffers from a chronic illness and has a compromised immune system, so needless to say we are taking this thing very seriously. We are keeping to ourselves and have barely left the house to grab supplies. We are totally isolated.
How are you dealing with childcare?
Our son was attending university and is self-isolating for now, until we can reunite. We are counting the days. I’m in awe of parents with school-age children managing through this.
What are you reading?
Mostly Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins and Carl Hiaasen—to remind me of the absurdity of life.
What are you watching?
Tiger King, like everyone else. I have a funny story about that show. I was house shopping and one of the homes formerly owned by Mario Tabraue was for sale. It had cages in the back yard. I was talked out of it by my wife. I am pretty sure terrible crimes happened there.
What are you listening to?
Any and all music, except conference-call waiting room music. I did just realize that there is no Zoom waiting-room music. Opportunity?
How are you staying fit?
Any answer other than I’m not doing much on that front would be a lie. I did discover a nice life hack during this craziness. I ordered Jenny Craig food. I stocked my freezer, so I don’t have to go to the grocery store much. The food is actually tasty and I’m losing a few pounds instead of gaining my Covid 15.
Have you taken up a hobby?
My new hobby is supporting small businesses. This whole thing has opened my eyes to how fragile and important they are. I encourage you to tip big!
Best work email you got since all this started.
When this started, we sent out an email to our clients, partners and key relationships reinforcing our commitment and offering our support. We have some clients like Norwegian Cruise Lines, Atlantis and Nieman Marcus facing some big challenges. We received some humbling responses and offers of support from those who have much bigger issues to deal with. We are so lucky.
An aha! moment since all this started.
We will be alright and emerge from this as better people and a better planet. I think that everyone is holding on to their own version of hope. There have been few moments in our lifetime that are truly shared experiences across the globe. These are opportunities to create a shared empathy that will set the table for innovation on a massive scale. That inspires me every day.
What’s your theory on how this is going to play out?
I sort of answered this above. But, I think if you pay attention to what’s been required by every company and person – it’s survival instincts. A nimbleness and flexibility that if ignored might be the difference. And when the dust settles, this agility will be woven into our DNA. I am very excited by the opportunity to drive innovation that meets the expectations of post-Covid-19 consumers.
