What Are The New Challenges For CEOs? with Mariano Llorente

Today at N5 CIZ, Julian Colombo talks with Mariano Llorente, founder of Club CEO Spain. In his club, Mariano has met some of the most influential CEOs in the country and now he has come to share not only his experiences but what he has learned in all these years.

What qualities do the most successful CEOs share? What are the biggest challenges today’s leaders face? What is it like to run one of the most relevant clubs for CEOs in Spain?

Here are the key points from the interview and the most valuable lessons we learned. Even so, we recommend you watch the full video so as not to miss a talk full of fun facts and interesting experiences.

Being Humble Is A Recurrent Among Successful CEOs

The conversation began with Mariano Llorente talking about what led him to found Club CEO Spain and how meeting inspiring people on a daily basis impacted his life.

Mariano smiles as he tells how being surrounded by successful CEOs has been an enriching experience. He feels lucky to deal with so many interesting people on a daily basis and to learn from them.

For Mariano, one of the fundamental factors of CEOs to achieve success is humility. There are no one-man companies. Everyone has a role, and it’s a CEO’s job to know how to be humble enough to delegate work to those who are better than him in certain areas.

Mariano tells how many of the CEOs he meets are humble and genuine people. The kind of people who are approachable enough to have a personal conversation while tasting artisanal wine in a winery.

Why It Is Not Viable To Appear For Public Opinion

As explored later in the interview, today it is easy to idealize CEOs – elevate them to the level of heroes. People place great value on the word of a CEO, and this means that everything he says is analyzed down to the smallest detail.

In the age of political correctness, having a plan for what to say is more important than ever. When a CEO speaks in public it is as if he is crossing a minefield, as Julian comments. You have to be extra careful because even the smallest thing that is said can be taken out of context.

We live in the age of Twitter. We have never been so connected, and there has never been a need to take care of what is said with such care. But beware, because corporatism or false appearances do not work either.

As Mariano comments, ‘posturing’ no longer works. Things are more immediate now. More transparent. You cannot fool the customer and the public opinion.

• Mariano Llorente : ‘posturing’ no longer works. Things are more immediate now. More transparent. You cannot fool the customer and the public opinion quote

Emotional Control, The Secret Of The Most Successful CEOs?

Leading is not an easy task. The life of a CEO is full of ups and downs; One day you feel like you can eat the world and the next a stumble can make you question everything. In this context, being constant and never stop moving forward is key.

Emotional control is what keeps good leaders in the game. Successful CEOs are never exalted by their victories or overwhelmed by their defeats. Instead of a roller coaster, they are a highway – they go in a straight line.

Mariano compares a good CEO to Messi or Nadal. Both objective players who are not carried away by their emotions. If they win, they win. If they lose, they analyze what they need to win next time.

In short: to stay in the big leagues you have to play like the greats.

You Have to Know How to Analyze Opinions

Later in the interview, Julián comments on how since he became CEO, his jokes have been funnier. He says it half jokingly, but explores a serious problem. How do you expect honest opinions when everyone around you is playing a role?

The influence of a CEO can sometimes work against him. When he or she says something, the people around him tend to adjust their opinion based on it. At the end of the day, it’s easy to end up living in an “artificial world of false consensus,” as Julián defines it.

Validation can be a double-edged sword. CEOs rely on strong objective analysis to guide their decision making. It is the most efficient way they have to always be attentive and anticipate upcoming events – such as the impact of cryptocurrenciesin the financial sector .

How Do CEOs Prepare Mentally?

It is not easy to get to hold the most coveted position in a company. It takes not only skill, but a strong determination. Therefore, when Julián is interested in the mental preparation of CEOs, Mariano responds with a series of valuable observations.

** Something that excels in successful CEOs is discipline. ** Both to develop healthy habits and to work and even to be on time for meetings.

On the other hand, intellectual preparation is also important. Many of the CEOs Mariano knows are passionate about self-help books – they have read the greatest gurus.

There are also those who are good at learning from others. This means not only being a good observer, but also knowing how to surround yourself with enriching people. In fact, the latter is one of the main points that Mariano is looking for with his club

Initiatives for Women CEOs

To end the interview, Julian is interested in the participation of women in these types of clubs. To this Mariano replies that inclusion is something that is always present in his club, having both blind members and female speakers in wheelchairs

Conclusions of the Talk

The interview with Mariano Llorente is inherently interesting as he is about a man who lives surrounded in his daily life by successful CEOs. These are some of the most important points to remember:

• Humility is something that cannot be lacking, both to interact with others and to know when to delegate responsibilities.
• It is useless to pretend for public opinion. It is necessary to plan what is said, but never be insincere.
• Emotional control is what allows CEOs to be consistent in their work – never overly excited or discouraged.
• It is good to listen to others, but you have to know how to distinguish when others modify their opinions to fit yours.
• Discipline is key: both to meet obligations and to maintain a healthy life and perform at your best.
• Everyone is welcome in the CEO Club regardless of gender or status.

Publisher: Marcelo Frette