Getting to know Salomón Dayán

We want to introduce you to one of our youngest and most charismatic managers: Salomón Dayán, who defines himself as a hard-working, reliable and organized person, qualities that we can attest to in his time working with Mar Azul Project Management.

Salomón graduated from Columbia University, in New York, as a civil engineer, with a specialty in construction management. He tells us that his first work experiences were throughout his university career, since he did internships with three different companies, during three different summers, gaining experience as a support to a resident engineer on site during the project foundation stage. He also worked at the Panama Canal Building Management Office as structural design support.

He tells us that after finishing his university career, he worked as a project manager in the hotel renovation team for an international company where he participated in five different projects along the east coast of the United States, which was an amazing and very enriching experience. Once back in Panama, he started working at Mar Azul Project Management.

What is Salomón like outside the workplace?

Salomón tells us about some of his likes and hobbies, “My favorite activity, outside of my professional life, consists of sports, either watching or playing them. Among my favorite sports are American football, basketball, and tennis. I also enjoy the beach and spending time with friends and family.”

He also tells us that his greatest strength is always being quite analytical. “Before making any decision, I analyze it, considering all possible alternatives so that I can take the correct actions.” And what inspires you the most? He shares with us that “being able to overcome any challenge that comes my way, both in the workplace and in my personal life. In this way, I am always learning and living new experiences.”

About Mar Azul

One year after being part of this great family, we asked him what he is most passionate about and enjoys about his job: “Being able to use my soft and technical skills to manage a project from start to finish and see the results of that project once it is delivered to the client. Also, during this process, you always get to learn from any challenge or experience along the way.”

Similarly, we asked him to share what the most difficult part of being the first contact with the client is for him and what he has learned from it. “On different occasions, managers have to inform the client of discouraging news, which is difficult since we always want the client to be happy with his project. This gives us communication skills and, at the same time, problem solving, since, when presenting bad news, we must always provide one or two options to solve the problem.”

What advice could you share with us?

To conclude, Salomón, what do you consider to be the most valuable advice you have received? And, what would be five keys that have helped you and that you recommend to achieve goals?

“The most valuable advice that I have received and that I am happy to share with you is: Do not look for the easy way. About the five keys, I share the ones that have worked for me in my work experience:
→ Organization;
→ Communication;
→ Documentation;
→ Recognize the target; and
→ Constant monitoring of budget and schedule.”