Odebrecht arrived in the United States 20 years ago. Through the Introduction to the Odebrecht Culture Program, whose first edition in that country (and in English) began in Miami on May 7, the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO) is reaching the Organization’s American members with an emphasis on productive study and the discussion of the principles that have characterized Odebrecht since its inception.

Celia Sherwood, Sam Ballan and Gregory Hal Newman, young Odebrecht members in the USA, are among the 45 people in the class taking the first edition of the program, which will run until August 2. For Celia, Sam and Gregory, this is an opportunity to heighten their perceptions and knowledge of TEO, as well as to make discoveries about their own professional and personal lives.

Sam is an engineer who joined Odebrecht 15 years ago and is now working on the project that will connect Miami Airport to the city’s metro system. Thanks to the introductory program, he realizes that TEO has always permeated the relationships within his team. “Learning about the Odebrecht Culture invariably depends on the ‘student’s’ active efforts,” he says. “TEO is a tool for growth within the Organization. You’re not an employee, you’re a partner. What we have here is not just a job, it’s your business, your project,” he adds.

Gregory, an engineer who joined Odebrecht two years ago and currently works on the pumping plant projects in Jefferson Parish, in the New Orleans metropolitan area, observes: “TEO is a philosophy of work and life unlike anything I’ve experienced at other companies.” He also notes that his contact with TEO has broadened his horizons and enabled him to set new standards for analyzing businesses in general.

By participating in the program, Celia, who has been with Odebrecht for 14 years and is now on the company’s Planning, People and Finance team, realized that through her leader’s encouragement she has come to believe she can always overcome her own limitations through a “constant cycle of recommencing and overcoming.”

“TEO is a philosophy of work and life unlike any I’ve experienced”Gregory Hal Newman

For Odebrecht members in the United States, the experience of TEO has been reflected in changes in people’s professional and personal attitudes. Celia clearly remembers when, shortly after joining Odebrecht, her leader told her what he expected of her in terms of performance. Celia thought, “My God, is he really going to want me to do all that?” Later on, she understood that his expectations were imbued with “Planned Delegation” and “Trust.” Celia took those lessons home and decided to complete her studies to set an example for her children in what she calls a demonstration of the concepts of “Leadership” and the “Pedagogy of Presence.”

Now she is working hard to get her kids involved in volunteer projects to encourage them to practice the “Spirit of Service” within their family.