Discovering the True Role of a CEO with Pio Rosell

What is the role of the CEO that makes it so essential? What are the common characteristics that successful expats have? And how can you use culture shock to your advantage?

Today at N5 CIZ, Julian Colombo talks with Pio Rosell, CEO of Diners Club Peru. Join us as we explore Pio’s career full of culture clashes and important decisions. From his leap from engineering to marketing to some of his most successful campaigns.

Here are the key points of the interview: from the valuable lessons Pio received when he was just starting out, to his advice for CEOs. Even so, we recommend you watch the full video so as not to miss a talk full of valuable insight.

The Importance of Focus

At the age of 23, Pio Rosell was a boy with ambition. He had spent his entire childhood in the countryside, surrounded by animals, but when he had to study engineering his world took a 180 ° turn.

In his first professional internships, shortly after graduation, his mentor would teach him something that would accompany him throughout his life: the importance of focus. “The birds are killed one by one,” she told him. What I wanted to tell you was that when you have a goal, you have to pursue it to the end.

Pio tells how when she proposed something, she did not deviate until she got it. Even if Pio was in a meeting and his mentor needed something from him, she was able to sit for forty minutes for him to finish his meeting in order to move forward.

One of the things that her mentor recommended was to focus on 3 objectives and not deviate from them until they are achieved. That way he made sure he didn’t leave anything incomplete. In the age of multitasking, this was an innovative idea in itself.

As Julian Colombo comments shortly after, what companies need are people willing to get up from their seats to make things move. People who are not satisfied with sending an email, but who follow up and make sure that the tasks are completed.

Every Decision passes through the Family

Pio describes his time in Santander Mexico as one of the most fascinating experiences he had in the Mexican market, already with a 100% commercial role. Although it also meant making some of the most important – and perhaps complicated – decisions of his career.

There came a time when his group wanted to send him to the US, which would have been a huge leap for him. However, by then he had a son and a pregnant wife of the second, and he wanted the best for them. In addition to this, he had received a proposal to work at Scotiabank Chile, which implied relocating there with his family.

Facing a life-changing decision between two banks, what he did was have a meeting with his wife and a friend from HR to discuss the situation. At the end of the day, he decided that family was more important, so he settled on Scotiabank.

What did Pio learn from this? That the personal part is as important as the professional one. An organization must always take this aspect of its employees into account, as it can be the difference between staying or leaving.

How Attentive Listening Can Save You Several Failures

When Julian Colombo asks Pio what was the biggest mistake he made in his career, he replies that it was not listening.

It had happened to him when he worked for Santander Peru. At a time when installment financing was not yet established there, he wanted to be the first. He was young and wanted to innovate.

When he presented this proposal, everyone told him it was a bad idea. That the market was not ready. That it was better to wait for others to try, and then act. But for Pio being the first was important, so he kept insisting. At the end of the day he convinced them to implement the system.

The result? A resounding failure. The market was simply not ready for this type of financing – exactly what you had been warned about. That is why Pio says that if he had listened and understood, things would have turned out differently.

Observation is your Best Ally

Sometimes culture shock when working for another country can work in your favor. But of course, you have to be observant enough to capture the opportunities. As Pio Rosell discovered, sometimes the little details are what allow you to do big things.

When Pio started working in Santander Mexico, many things caught his attention about the culture there. The most interesting? The importance that in Mexico was given to the word shield. It wasn’t just a term: it was a status symbol.

It turns out that the perception of insecurity was very great within the Mexican public – bigger than reality, according to Pio. This made the idea of ??security very important.

Therefore, his million-dollar idea was to get the “armored” card. A card that not only presented new benefits in terms of security, but also made protection its main theme. The product turned out to be a resounding success. Later they tried to take it to other countries, but it just didn’t work that well. It was an idea that had come entirely from observing the Mexican public.

What Does an Expatriate Need to be Successful?

Pio is a man whose career has taken him to various places. He has known many customs and knows what it is like to move his entire life to another country several times. Julian has been through the same thing, which is why he was once interviewed by a major university to understand what expats need to succeed.

The study was carried out with many expatriates who had been successful abroad. What the researchers discovered was that these had two things in common.

The first was a supportive family to encourage them. In times of change and confusion, family support was vital for these expats.

The second was the attitude. The ability to see the positive in all situations and in all changes. When Pio went to Mexico, for example, he had heard many negative things – high insecurity being one of the most present. However, once he understood how the city worked, he discovered that it was as good as any other place.

Instead of being demoralized, he saw an opportunity … and he succeeded.

What is the True Job of the CEO?

At the end of the interview, Julian becomes interested in Pio’s decision-making process. How do you manage your day to day as CEO of Diners Club Peru?

Pio comments based his focus around critical issues. One is marketing, which he takes care of in the afternoon with his committee. Another is the market analysis, but that happens in the morning.

Still, despite all the meetings he has, he knows how important it is to have time to think. That is why during the week he sets aside time to analyze all the variables in peace and analyze in the future, without distractions – what is known as deep working.

According to Pio, the role of the CEO is not only to ensure the operation of the company. Almost this one can do it without him. Instead, the most important thing for him is the ability to anticipate what is coming; to new trends. The CEO must be able to build the future. You must be a visionary.

This is one of the biggest CEO interview tips. Improvising is fine when situations are unforeseen. However, when it comes to thinking ahead strategically, a CEO’s job is to be prepared.

For example, CEOs who knew how to see the impact that the arrival of fintech companies would have and implemented open banking measures, were in a better position to compete.

Work And Have Fun

As Pio comments at the end of the interview, in 50 years he would like to be remembered for helping people. For having left them something of value.

One of the biggest lessons you like to share? That results are achieved by having fun – an idea that he inadvertently shares with Marcos Piccado. Many hours are spent working, so you have to make these also a reason for enjoyment. As he well says, “there is nothing worse than not having a good time working.”

Conclusions of the Talk with Pio Rosell

Pio Rosell is a person who has come very far, from his beginnings in the field to the CEO of an important company. These are the main elements to remember from the talk:

• The birds are killed one by one. It’s better to have a few tasks to focus on and make sure you finish than to have a lot of things half done.
• Career is as important as personal relationships. Keeping this in mind can be the difference between keeping a good employee or watching him leave.
  You need to listen and be open to ideas. Even when we fervently believe in something, we may not be right.
• Being an observer is vital to finding new opportunities – sometimes they surround us, but few see them.
• Having a positive attitude and a supportive family can go a long way in times of change.
• The job of a CEO is to be prepared for what is coming. Improvising is fine in emergencies, but the rest of the time there must be foresight.
• There is no point in working if you don’t have a good time in the process.

Publisher: Marcelo Frette