Guest Bio

Andrew Lobo, known as Lobo, is a consultant specializing in strategy and organizational transformation. A CPA (non-practicing) with an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Vanderbilt University (with honors), Andrew brings over 25 years of combined practitioner and consulting experience in human resources leadership, operations, strategy, finance, and marketing. His global background includes advising clients and delivering projects on six continents, from S&P 50 companies with over 100,000 employees to mid-cap firms, small businesses, and startups. As CHRO for two private equity-backed companies, he drove people-centered transformations before launching his own consulting firm. Industry experience spans Consumer Packaged Goods, Retail, Real Estate, Chemicals, Healthcare, Technology, and Education Services. An expert facilitator, Andrew has led workshops worldwide, from 4-hour sessions to 3-day retreats with 4 to 40 participants. Notable achievements include leading a transformative strategy for a $3.4 billion company, boosting its stock price from $19 to $37 in 18 months, and driving a people-centric operational overhaul that increased sales by 20%, EBITDA by 300%, and market cap by 300%. He has also raised $55 million in capital and developed business plans and cash flow models. Andrew holds a BS with honors in Accounting from St. Peter’s University and dual UK/USA passports.

• LinkedIn: Andrew Lobo (DM for inquiries)
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: clarifyhrconsulting.com

Setting

Recorded remotely with Smoke in Sedona, Arizona, fresh from a mindful hike appreciating nature's beauty, and Lobo in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. The conversation feels like a relaxed reunion of old business school classmates, blending entrepreneurial nostalgia with Sedona's grounding energy, evoking themes of progress, gratitude, and life's deeper questions.

Summary

Smoke reunites with longtime friend and Vanderbilt classmate Andrew Lobo, reflecting on their 34-year bond sparked by the alcohol industry and shared entrepreneurial ventures like eSky. Lobo shares his journey from Pakistani Christian roots in the UK to US immigration, building a "talent stack" starting with accounting (CPA), pivoting via business school to strategy consulting, marketing, HR at Coca-Cola, and CHRO roles in PE-backed firms. They discuss questioning orthodoxy (e.g., college ROI in the AI era), debate as progress not victory, corporate idiocy (inspired by Dilbert), and AI's overhyped/undervalued impacts. Lobo emphasizes gratitude as a happiness equation (happiness = consumption / desire), defining success as maximizing days excited for work (achieving ~80%), and Stoic calm amid triumphs/disasters. Topics include mindfulness (turning off the mind for sleep), filtering inputs, earning disrespect not respect, and distinguishing confidence from arrogance. Smoke ties in spiritual lenses like thought forms, David Hawkins' consciousness levels, non-attachment, and presence to avoid anxiety/depression. The episode ends with Lobo's tips for gratitude (write daily lists) and optimism for awakening leaders.

Learnings

• Talent Stack Building: Layer skills (e.g., accounting + marketing + HR) to become top 1% versatile—business school pivots enable broader impact.
• Question Orthodoxy: Challenge crowd wisdom (e.g., college prestige vs. practical ROI, AI job disruption favoring trades) by arguing opposites for deeper analysis.
• Debate for Progress: Arguments foster learning; the "loser" wins by gaining knowledge—use Socratic method for efficiency.
• Gratitude Equation: Happiness = consumption / desire; reduce desire via daily written lists of blessings to foster contentment.
• Mindfulness & Presence: Create space between stimulus/response to avoid mechanical reactions; swipe negative thoughts, focus on now to eliminate anxiety/depression.
• Confidence vs. Arrogance: Confident people admit wrongs/apologize (strength); arrogant ones don't—start interactions with respect, earn disrespect through actions.
• AI in Business: Generative AI excels at quick ideation/creativity (e.g., slogans), but agentic AI is overhyped; balance hype with practical application.

Universal Truths

• Progress requires non-attachment: Preferences are fine, but detach from outcomes to stay content amid uncertainty.
• Thinking is hard work: Most avoid it, leading to mechanical lives—create stimulus-response gaps for free will and optimal choices.
• Gratitude roots contentment: Desire causes suffering; focus on what you have (not lack) to amplify happiness.
• Success is internal: Maximize joyful days over material gains; treat triumph/disaster as impostors for equanimity.
• Inputs shape outputs: Filter garbage (thoughts, data) to program subconscious positively—presence dissolves past regrets/future fears.
• Respect is default: Give it freely; behavior earns its loss—echoes non-judgmental presence for true observation.

Examples

• Talent Stack in Action: Lobo's pivot from Seagram accounting to strategy consulting via Vanderbilt, then HR at Coca-Cola, eSky entrepreneurship, and CHRO roles—eSky's "duress" added resilience, completing his stack.
• Questioning Orthodoxy: College choice—St. Peter’s (Jesuit, honors program) over prestige for Big Eight firm internships; contrasts with today's AI-driven doubts on degrees vs. 10-week wind turbine certifications at $75K starting salary.
• Gratitude Practice: Lobo writes/reviews daily lists (e.g., love, health, basics like non-breaking cars) to reduce desire—ties to Buddha's "abandon what you have not," achieving 80% excited workdays.
• Mindfulness Demo: Lobo sleeps in 7 minutes by focusing on pleasant thoughts, ignoring stressors—contrasts with those unable to "turn off" brains.
• AI Creativity: Prompting AI as a local HVAC company yielded "When hell freezes over? We can make that happen"—quick, fun ideation beyond human baselines.
• Stoic Equanimity: Lobo's unemployment periods (6-7 years total) without anxiety: "The right thing will come," leading to fitting opportunities.

Smoke Trail Threads

• Connects to Episode 19 (Dave Garrison) on collective genius, expanding to Lobo's facilitation of leadership workshops and people-centered transformations.
• Echoes Episode 23 (Robert Vera) on faith-driven startups, tying to Lobo's global strategy work blending purpose with financial success (e.g., 300% EBITDA growth).
• Builds on Episode 24 (Sarah Elkhaldy) by grounding esoteric concepts (thought forms, consciousness levels) in practical business (talent stacks, AI ethics).
• Ties to Episode 20 (Solo on Gratitude/Journaling) through Lobo's written gratitude lists and happiness equation.
• Aligns with Episode 21 (Solo on Empathy vs. Compassion) via non-judgmental respect and distinguishing confidence/arrogance.

• • Reinforces The Smoke Trail’s Guide To Raising Consciousness for Leaders with mindset shifts (non-attachment, presence) and tools (debate, filtering inputs).