Customer Reviews

Obstacles Welcome: How to Turn Adversity into Advantage in Business and in Life

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This book is an inspiration and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to climb the corporate ladder. It provides wisdom, lessons learned, success stories, proactive steps to eliminate possible gaps in your career that prevent you from getting where you want to be, and talks about the importance of mastering public speaking skills as a key asset in corporate America. The author shares his success cycle and provides a success framework with which he explains how he assesses the situation and turns obstacles into opportunities. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be inspired, motivated and has big dreams to achieve success in the corporate world or in their personal life because the content of the book is applicable to both

Ralph de la Vega arrived alone in the USA from Cuba when he was 10 years old. He learned at that young age, one of most difficult and scary moments in his life, to turn adversity into opportunity and focus on the opportunities behind the obstacles. Other key learning's were:
* Hard work was going to pay off. Life was going to get better.
* The meaning of sacrifice and the power of making sacrifice in the present for the sake of a better future.
* The need to make plans and not just drift with circumstances.
* Take risks in search of opportunity.
* Focus on the possibilities.

Obstacles Welcome is one of the best books I've read recently on leadership. Thought it is not from a church point of view, many of its principles can be applied.

de la Vega is the President and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. A Cuban refugee, he came to the USA in 1962 at the age of 10, without his parents. This book tells of his journey from being raised by friends of his parents in the U.S., to becoming the CEO of AT&T Mobility. It is an inspiring story of his ascent in the world of telecommunications, but more is told of his leadership principles and ideas, which is why I chose this book.

Some of the most interesting parts of the book, personally, is his behind-the-scenes stories of his work in telecommunications, and the merger of AT&T and Cingular Wireless - the largest cash merger in history. His stories of how he accomplished such a feat are interesting and make for a good, solid foundation in leadership that can be applied - at least to some degree - to all kinds of work, including leadership in the church.

I also liked this book because, unlike many books on leadership that tend to be all theory and not practicality (which is fine, to a point), de la Vega gives good, practical advice on creating actions plans, taking calulated risks, vision, recognition of obstacles as opportunities, unlearning "old-think", etc.

I would recommend this book for a couple reasons: 1). it's a good read just for the behind-the-scenes information and 2). it's a well-written, practical leadership resource.

I just finished reading the book Obstacles Welcome: turn adversity to advantage in business and life. This book by Ralph de la Vega is part autobiography, part leadership history, part leadership principles, part self-help, and part personal development. de la Vega, President and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets has been responsible and overseen everything from the move to mobile to the proliferation of the iPhone. The book starts out, though, with stories from de la Vega's youth in which he emigrated to the United States without his parents through a last minute glitch at the airport. At the age of 10, he began his life in the United States without his parents.

I really enjoyed reading Obstacles Welcome. It was a really accessible and easy read, and de la Vega takes the complexity of managing a huge corporation and a gives simple but not simplistic look into how he does it. I also appreciated the type of leadership de la Vegan seems to exhibit. He appears to be a person who values people, virtue, integrity, hard work, and determination. After reading this book, I thought to myself, "de la Vega would make a good mentor" and that is exactly what he does through this book, becoming a personal and leadership mentor. If you're in a leadership position, it's worth a read.

What I appreciated most about Obstacles Welcome is that it inspires you professionally and personally - and in a simplistic way. You'll come away with how to make decisions at work, at home and everywhere along the way. This isn't your traditional business book - think of it as a inspiring roadmap for operating and continually improving yourself. This book provides a frankly much needed reminder that we all will be faced with challenges - they might be different, but they will be there. The key is how you deal with them. De la Vega takes you down a road and shows you first hand how that by having a plan, you can win. One of my favorite lines is "Hope is not a strategy." You'll walk away with the perspective you must have a game plan for life just like you do at work .

I found Obstacles Welcome encouraging from a business perspective but what even made it more fascinating was the courage of de la Vega, especially after the challenges he faced as a young child. He tells a vivid story of how having the right mindset, you can be successful . He makes it clear, it's not without risks, obstacles and roadblocks - and he offers a fresh (and proven based on his success) perspective while articulating in a way anyone could grasp those sure fire elements you'll need along the way - like good communications, a focus on results and getting all the best out of people - and of vital importance, and the hardest thing to do - "be comfortable with being uncomfortable." To get the most out of life, you have to move out of your comfort zone.

I liked the way Obstacles Welcome was organized - it's clear, "glide through" reading - I especially appreciated the "Takeaway Messages" at the end of each chapter. The writing style and tone grabs you and takes you in as you become more and more intrigued about Ralph de la Vega's path and how he rose to be head of a major corporation. You'll find yourself saying throughout the book, "I've been there but I didn't think of that way to handle it."

De la Vega makes it clear you will always have to make sacrifices to get further in life. I moved away from my family and friends for a job in my mid 20s - it was one of the hardest things I have ever done - but after four years, I landed a dream job back home in Atlanta - and only through the experience I gained while in Charlotte, North Carolina could I have ever done that. This book gives you that perspective.
Obstacles Welcome is a story but it's one of those books you'll want to continually pick up and reference, if you're feeling frustrated or just need a reminder that we all must take responsibility for ourselves. De la Vega clearly conveys "it's about mindset" - we have choices and we can choose to move forward or we can avoid risk and just stay in our comfort zone. He really makes you think about, as he says, are you a "passenger" or the "driver?"

After reading it, I gave it to two people graduating from college and to two friends who are going through career changes later in life. Obstacles Welcome is one you'll love reading from cover to cover - and it's one of those you'll want to pass on to others for encouragement and inspiration.

I am an avid reader of most genres, especially motivational and business titles. I can honestly say Obstacles Welcome by Ralph de la Vega is one of the best books I've read. It's extremely well written. Once you pick it up you will not want to put it down. The book chronicles the struggles of Ralph's early life on through the triumphs of his business career, culminating in his current role as CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. Throughout the book, the author gives you an authentic look at his upbringing. He also dispenses nuggets of wisdom at the end of each chapter that are applicable for personal or professional growth. After reading this book, I was reminded that obstacles in life are not to be avoided but welcomed. They are designed to help realize your potential. I highly recommend this book.

Some people spend their lives steering clear of the business and personal obstacles that life throws at them in an effort to avoid pain, skip out on the hard work or to just have a smoother ride--not Ralph de la Vega. Obstacles Welcome chronicles Ralph's inspiring journey, from a 10 year old boy forced to move to America alone after a Cuban airport official told his parents that "only the boy can go", to becoming the President and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.

I believe America is still the land of opportunity, though in a down economy far too many people feel smothered by adverse conditions that don't seem to present a hopeful outlook. And even in good times adversity is a readily available renewable resource that you must learn to harvest. In Obstacles Welcome Ralph will show you how to harvest that adversity into a sustainable advantage. In addition to amazing stories, readers will quickly notice his personal values, hard work ethic, passion for learning and business leadership acumen coming through the pages in a helpful, nurturing and guiding tone that is easy to relate to and benefit from. That's why I've given this book to family, friends, students, colleagues and associates--I suggest you do too!

I recently had dinner with Ralph at an NIU event (we are both alumni) and learned about his remarkable business journey--impressive proof of his leadership, integrity, courage and guts which continue to help him convert obstacles into opportunities. I also learned, that unlike other life story and lessons learned books, Ralph is the real deal--a true leader who still practices what he preaches and delivers on his promises, as you will see.

Take a closer look at Obstacle Welcome and the useful content that Ralph has provided at the Obstacles Welcome website. You may also want to send him a note on Facebook after you read the book, join the conversation and share your own adversity to advantage stories. I recommend you grab the Kindle version for yourself now and order a couple of hard copy versions for family and friends who could benefit from this remarkable stoy. Here's to turning your 2011 obstacles into new opportunities!

"Obstacle Welcome" is a great master piece by Ralph which gives good insight into how he was able to lead AT&T to an unraveled position. Coming from a normal background with many hardships of life, it is truly amazing to read through his journey to transform himself into a CEO and transforming world's biggest telcom giant. The book is able to deliver its message and probably well titled in that sense. The overall organization of any chapter is great with the points to learn at the end. The book has been written in a unique manner to club style of a management textbook, leadership book and a biography together in same book. This unique style may be amusing and interesting to many readers but may be a bit off to traditional readers. I could imagine Ralph actually talking in form of some life enriching seminars rather than a written script. Only issue with the book is the chronological order. Ralph tend to site same example over and over again throughout the book to establish certain points relevant to the chapter. However, Ralph's career path has been presented at the end. It would have been much better if Ralph would have first walked the readers though his own career journey. It is important for readers to believe the messenger before believing his message. Although Ralph was able to establish his message by the end of the book, it could have been better. As a whole, the book is great in terms of learning of a world class CEO in form of simple tips and techniques he shared for his and his company's success. The biggest advantage of the book is its simple English and fluid language which makes it pretty popular among non-native English speaking readers. The book also seems to start a new trend of illustrated biography written in a leadership book style. In whole, the book is an inspirational reading by managers and CEO alike.

While the content of de la Vega's story is highly inspirational, I would advise anyone reading this book not to give up at the beginning! With this book written by a corporate president (AT&T Mobility), not a writer, I personally found it difficult to make my way thru the somewhat simplistic writing to get to the content, often wondering why a ghost writer or co-writer wasn't employed to tell this story in a more engaging style. I knew the content was valid; I was bored with the reading. However, once I got past the fifth chapter, i found myself eagerly reading, underlining, and finding many applicable challenges to my own life and leadership.

in the end, de la Vega's accounts from the corporate view are applicable for many business minded thinkers. While feeling to me to be borrowed from John Maxwell, his leadership principles are relevant along with his challenges on giving back to the community. Given the global success of the iphone, his final chapter sharing part of that story was a fitting conclusion.

This is a MUST READ for the whole family and not just extremely useful for the career/business oriented individual. The personal stories shared by Ralph De la Vega are inspiring - the business methods and procedures described in this book are simple but not simplistic. De la Vega did not take the easy road for his success - this was sacrifice, dedication and commitment to do the right things in his profession, personal life and the community.
This book did really hit home with me and has inspired me to review my background, experience and accomplishments and pursue new opportunities within my company, in my personal life and within my community. The stories, articulated processes and procedures have helped me organize my thoughts and think what is in my personal and professional life that I would like to do. As De la Vega always states, "Aim High"!!....and "Don't let anyone put limits on what you can do".... Pick up a copy, enjoy the ride and put it into use!

Obstacles Welcome was a book that I was expecting with great anticipation and it did not disappoint. This book is inspirational and invaluable to all making their way through corporate America, from executives at the highest levels to those just starting out in the mailroom. As I take small steps in the corporate world I am always wondering how other successful executives did it- how they found their way through this sometimes confounding maze that is the proverbial corporate ladder, while at the same time finding meaning and value in what they do and contributing to both their organizations and society at large. Through this journey you'll come across much advice and read many books in the field (the business section in my local bookstore grows exponentially each year) and some provide intriguing "big ideas" while others offer certain practical tools and tips for everyday organization and planning. Few books however assimilate the two concepts seamlessly, offering pragmatic advice while allowing you to see how it ties in to the bigger personal principles that should guide us.

Mr. De la Vega has vividly and concisely brought to life some key elements that you need in order to "make it" in the corporate world (and I place quotes around "make it" because ultimately that will be a unique definition to each one of us). Personal qualities such as passion, desire, integrity, and loyalty- at first read this may seem like quaint and old-fashioned advice from past generations, but Mr. De la Vega illustrates clearly how these principles are not only timeless, but even more valuable in today's dynamic corporate climate. Sometimes this will translate into plain old hard work, since these are not traits that are simply handed down or learned in a classroom. These are qualities you need to cultivate by working on them daily with a purpose in mind.

I highly recommend this book.