Dialogue for a new business leadership

María Garaña, Daniel Carreño, Marcelino Oreja, Antonio Núñez and Tom Burns Marañón.

On 2 November 2016, the Rafael del Pino Foundation organised the dialogue for a new business leadership, on the occasion of the presentation of the digital book "el líder ante el espejo", by Antonio Núñez.

They intervened in the dialogue:

- María Garaña, Vice President of Business Solutions for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Microsoft EMEA.
- Daniel Carreño, President and CEO, General Electric Spain and Portugal
- Marcelino Oreja, Chief Executive Officer of Enagás
- Antonio Núñez, Partner at Parangon Partners
- Tom Burns Marañón, Managing Partner, Eurocofín (moderator)

Summary:

What are the qualities that a leader of the 21st century, in which the fourth industrial revolution is changing everything and at great speed, must have? The dialogue between María Garaña, Daniel Carreño, Marcelino Oreja and Antonio Núñez, organised by the Rafael del Pino Foundation on 2 November 2016 on the occasion of the presentation of Núñez's book "El líder ante el espejo. Keys for Senior Management". Antonio Núñez, partner at Paragon Partners, indicated that his book aims to be an X-ray of the Spanish business class. Based on interviews with 70 CEOs, he draws a decalogue of qualities that a leader of the 21st century must have: 1. Strategic vision and prudence; 2. For him, the executive is the guarantor of strategy execution, which he considers a non-delegable mission. He or she is the person at the centre of the organisation and, therefore, must be a balanced leader, combining strategy with efficiency, change management with a focus on the short term. For María Garaña, Vice President of Business Solutions for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Microsoft, consistency between what a leader feels, thinks, says and does is very important for people to trust him or her. He must also have a passionate curiosity, because the sense of progression he gives is critical. And he or she must know how to communicate, but not only communicate, but also know how to read people and be able to establish that proximity of personal contact. A leader, according to Garaña, must know how to find the balance between the short term (the pressure of results) and the long term. In addition, he or she must know how to manage emotional 'big data', which is what technology is not going to solve. For his part, Daniel Carreño, President and CEO of General Electric Spain and Portugal, considered that the most outstanding quality of a leader should be the ability to manage change, with passionate curiosity and knowing how to coexist with a reality in which the status quo will be permanently questioned. And he or she must also know how to communicate and motivate, especially in times of change of course. In addition, a leader must know how to manage as much information as we have today with very high levels of uncertainty, because we have to plan for the long term in a context where response times have been reduced. Finally, he or she must know how to manage talent. In turn, Marcelino Oreja, CEO of Enagás, believes that leaders must be exemplary and have fun with what they do, something they must transmit to their teams. Managing people, he believes, is the most important thing he can do. He must also think about strategy, but not about what the company will be like in ten or fifteen years' time, but in twenty-five years' time. In the same way, it will be very important for the leader to know how to attract talent, because we are entering a world in which it will be normal to change jobs several times, to question how many hours one wants to work, to reconcile work and family life, and companies will have to be more agile and dynamic when it comes to offering solutions.

The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for the comments, opinions or statements made by the people who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their sole responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference, written for the Rafael del Pino Foundation by Professor Emilio González, are the result of the debates held at the meeting held for this purpose at the Foundation and are the responsibility of the authors.

The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for any comments, opinions or statements made by third parties. In this respect, the FRP is not obliged to monitor the views expressed by such third parties who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their own responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference, written for the Rafael del Pino Foundation by Professor Emilio J. González, are the result of the discussions that took place during the conference organised for this purpose at the Foundation and are the sole responsibility of its authors.

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