“Young people’s voices need to be heard.” King of Spain VI. Felipe said it without nuance in his speech at the Spanish Confederation of Governments and Executives (CEDE) Congress, held this week at the Bilbao Exhibition Center in Baracaldo. In front of him were some 900 senior company officials, men and women, whose average age was over fifty. Age was even higher among speakers. In an adjacent room, as the establishment emphasized, several hundred youths in their twenties had gathered during the coffee break to mingle with the veterans. The king also came to talk to them.
Almost everything was discussed at the CEDE Congress. On international geopolitics, industrial challenges, the new world of data and artificial intelligence, how to overcome inequalities, how to fight inflation, the future of energy, Dr. Eduardo Anitua even taught how to breathe. The master of the universe, Larry Fink of Wall Street, owner of BlackRock, the largest fund manager on the planet, spoke about the value of stakeholders and their relationship with the shareholder. The action featured four of the best Ibex 35 swords. José María Álvarez Pallete, president of Telefónica; Repsol, Antonio Brufau; CaixaBank, Juan Ignacio Goirigolzarri; and Naturgy, Francisco Reynés. Pablo Hernández de Cos, President of the Bank of Spain, and Antonio Garamendi, Chairman of the CEOE, who significantly reduced the average age of the participants at the age of 51 and gave a master class in economics, were also present. This was one of the few who dared to attack the government’s economic policies.
The only speaker who spoke about managerial management and dared to advise executives was Isidro Fainé, president of CEDE and also Fundación Caixa, its investment arm, and president of Criteria. In less than an hour, 80-year-old Fainé has condensed the key keys to take on and grow in times of maximum uncertainty.
“What is needed?” wondered Faine. Their answer: an engine filled with many parts that need to be coordinated with each other; It is a map with written energy and work purpose, values and principles that move the engine. The engine consists of several branches. He emphasized the three arms he had highlighted. First: Referring to the advice of one of the management gurus, Michael Porter, Fainé said, “You have to get the strategic plan out of the market where the beans are cooked and from the customer.” Second: the human factor created by the team and employees. They are much more decisive than other factors such as raw materials or technology. The third pillar: productivity. “This is not the Spanish company’s strong point,” said Fainé. He called for greater commitment to growth to reach critical mass. Above all: take advantage of the opportunities created by the European market. “You have to be wiser with the use of time,” he insisted. Too much time is spent at work in Spain, and this is damaging to personal and family life. How to organize time is one of the pending tasks of many post-pandemic workplaces. The discussion of face-to-face and virtual work is still on the table. In any case, it depends on each type of occupation and reliance on equipment.
“Professional growth is a long-distance race,” Fainé taught. Entrepreneurial energy means leadership, drive and encouragement to him. Always respecting the responsible freedom that allows to create an entrepreneurial spirit within business teams. “A leader must be consistent between what he does, what he says, and what he thinks.” Finally, the CEDE president called for courage and optimism to not give up, no matter how difficult the circumstances and scenario may seem.
There is something behind this talk that makes us think these recommendations are eternal. The personality of a good leader and manager does not change. Henry Ford was very forward thinking in his time as Steve Jobs thirty years ago. Or Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, now to speak of American cases. The qualities that the great shift leader of the 2100 may possess will not differ much from their predecessors. But will it radically change the way you work and the relationship between employer and employee? What will be the demands of future professionals? How to understand commitment to a company and its culture? In times of intensified workforce changes in the US rather than Europe, what will be the decisive factors for retaining an organization’s key people or promising youth? It’s not just a matter of incentives.
Are the top managers and leading executives of the big Spanish company listening to the young people in their companies who will one day reach the most important positions? The revolution we are in is not only technological but also labor.
Source: Informacion
Christina Moncayo is a contributing writer for “Social Bites”. Her focus is on the gaming industry and she provides in-depth coverage of the latest news and trends in the world of gaming.