Welcome to the 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.
Today, Capital Rx’s CFO, Antonio Garcia Cueto, shares his morning routine, leadership lessons and the most important book he has recently read.
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Capital Rx
- Full-service pharmacy benefit manager and pharmacy benefit administrator
- Year founded: 2018
- Number of employees: More than 550
- Annual growth: 2-year growth of 505%
Morning routine
Normal workday morning routine: I am usually up early, around 6 a.m., and only drink coffee in the morning — a single espresso. I normally take my two kids to school before getting fully into work, and I love cooking breakfast and preparing their lunch for them, so I try to do that every day as well.
Tell us about a recent morning where things didn’t go according to plan: One morning – I’m in NYC – my car was there ready for us. However, the parking lot attendant accidentally smashed another vehicle into our car, so that threw a wrench into the mix that morning. I obviously couldn’t drive them to school, so we just rolled with the punches and took an Uber. Everything worked out.
How do you structure your first few hours after you log on at work? What do you prioritize? I go through my calendar and see what I have scheduled and where the gaps are — i.e., where I can get important work done. I try to prioritize a few things that absolutely need to get done each day and what must be prepared for meetings. I also do a daily check-in with my direct reports to see if there are any urgent matters across their teams.
Leadership and inspiration
Favorite quote or mantra: I have several, but at the top of the list are two of my favorites that say a lot about my view of the world and business. The first is from Winston Churchill, “I never worry about action, but only inaction.”
The second is Mahatma Gandhi, or a variation of his quote, “Speak when you feel that your words are better than your silence.”
Favorite leadership lesson: The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is that if you want people to follow you, you must lead by example — that’s the key to being a great leader, in my opinion.
Something important to know about you that you wouldn’t know from your business bio: I’m the oldest of five in my family. Growing up in Southern Europe, I learned about accountability pretty quickly.
The last job you did at your company fell outside your traditional scope of work: On my first day here at Capital Rx, I fixed the whiteboard. It was falling apart, so I went and got the tools from the closet and fixed it.
Favorite number: 12 — it’s my birthday.
What is one way you have learned to manage work-induced stress? I’m a runner. I enjoy running, and I find that running helps with stress. I run a lot — all sorts of races and marathons.
The most noteworthy items in your workspace: Pictures of my wife and kids and my running medals — I have over 20.
Do you have a pet sitting in your office right now? No, I wish I did, but I haven’t been able to convince my wife that we need a pet. At least not yet!
Favorite phone app that is unrelated to work: ESPN. I love sports.
The most important book you’ve recently read: The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig. He started writing in 1934 and finished it in early 1942, which is also when he committed suicide. I think it’s an amazing book. It feels timeless to me.
He was born and raised in Austria in the late 1800s, and he saw the transition to WWI and WWII. What’s so impactful is you can read it in 2024, and I feel like it’s so well written that it’s applicable. For example, COVID-19 and how life transitions from peace to turmoil quickly. It reminds me to focus on what’s most important along life’s journey.
