Vanessa Guajardo

Chief Marketing Officer, US Capital

Vanessa Guajardo is chief marketing officer of global private financial group US Capital. With primary offices in San Francisco, Miami, London, and Milan, US Capital provides corporate finance, asset management, and capital formation services globally. Vanessa is responsible for leading all national and international marketing and PR activities, investor events, and investor relations of the group. As a member of the group’s Executive Team, she oversees a global marketing team in 15 locations across four continents.

Vanessa’s creativity and innovation at US Capital have led to an estimated growth in sales of 320% in North America within three years. She has played a key leadership role in developing highly effective deal origination and investor relations programs at US Capital, helping the group thrive even during the pandemic. Prior to joining US Capital in 2017, Vanessa worked at Oliver Luxury Real Estate, then affiliated with global luxury real estate firm Christie’s International Real Estate. Her Luxury Collection Book for Oliver Luxury Real Estate was awarded the 2017 Silver ADDY Award in the category of “Product or Service Sales Promotion.”

How do you define a good leader?

I have four simple, highly effective leadership principles that I apply. Time and again I have seen them inspire loyalty, commitment, and optimal results in team members. The first is to lead by example. It simply does not work to require something of others that one is not willing to do oneself. I therefore try to model the behaviors and attitudes I would like in my own team. When team members see that I am in the trenches with them, looking out for them, it creates loyalty and respect.

My second guiding principle is to be kind, but also efficient. In finance, as in other industries, there is often immense pressure with challenging deadlines. Efficiency is therefore critical for success. That said, it is in these environments, I have found, that it is important not to lose sight of human qualities, like kindness. At the end of the day, kindness and appreciation help create environments in which individuals can thrive, inspiring the best in them.

Third, as a rule I treat everyone as an equal. In other words, I don’t talk down or patronize. Of course, this also means that I have high expectations for my team: I ask as much of them as I ask of myself. But my aim, ultimately, is not to assemble followers, but to create leaders. If I notice particular talents in team members, or even a specific area in which someone truly thrives, I try to find ways to nurture those talents and dispositions and put them to good use.

My fourth leadership principle is that I truly value the perspectives of others. This is in part a recognition that any single perspective, my own included, is limited and has its own “blind spots.” Listening attentively to others not only empowers them and makes them feel valued, but it encourages open, free expression in the team and helps me form a more complete picture without “blind spots” when making important decisions.

What are some negotiation tactics you’ve learned over the years?

The old-school approach to negotiation promotes a toolbox of tricks, sometimes encouraging fairly aggressive methods of persuasion, even deception, to gain an advantage. Ultimately, this does not work when it comes to business partners with whom one wishes to form a long-term partnership. If someone feels tricked, coerced, or manipulated, they are unlikely to bring their best to a partnership. Hence, my goal in any negotiation is always to locate a win-win position. Before any negotiation, I therefore take the time to truly understand the other person and what their personal goals and aspirations are. I then look for ways in which I might be able to help them achieve that. The negotiation itself then assumes an altogether different dynamic: instead of being adversarial, it becomes collaborative. We are on the same side.

Equally important in any negotiation is to set aside ego. I have found that the need to be right, the impulse to dominate, and the demands of a slighted ego, while maybe satisfying to indulge in the immediate moment, ultimately come at a high and unnecessary cost. These egoic impulses blur rational thought and usually send us down unproductive, even damaging, pathways. The ability to set aside these trivial distractions allows a negotiator to focus on what really matters and to identify and reach outcomes that will lead to the best possible results for all parties.