Today's leader reinvents himself and brings us long-term leadership, more human, resilient, creative and with a strategic vision in favor of comprehensive and indivisible social, environmental and economic development.
Leading goes far beyond managing the daily tasks of a team in our charge. It is not enough to give orders and expect them to be strictly followed because "I am the boss and that's how I order it." This is about people leading people. We cannot remain with the simplistic and orthodox idea that a leader's power is determined by his level of hierarchy, believing that to apply that power authority must be infused with fear.
When you think of a leader, you assume that he or she is a person with the ability to train, persuade, guide, know and analyze his or her team members when it comes to solving, creating and building effective solutions to each challenge they face. Working on self-knowledge and self-leadership will be key so that your vision and actions are always coherent.
It is important to know that we can all be leaders. In fact we are all born leaders. However, the situations that we experience, and the series of decisions we make throughout our lives, are decisive in increasing or decreasing our level of confidence and influence.
There is a key detail that differentiates a good leader from someone who merely serves as manager or administrative head of an institution or department. And it is the vision. The vision of a leader is exponential, while that of a manager or boss is summarized in strictly complying with the established objectives and being recognized for having achieved them efficiently, although the hard work, in reality, has been swallowed up by others.
Credits: https://twitter.com/MCanoGomez / Ecommerce News / Begoña Clérigues / Isabel Vilches
In a brief survey I conducted with several CEOs in the textile sector with sustainable values, I had the opportunity to gather their vision and experience leading teams.
Iker Velez de Mendizabal de Micolet affirms, from his experience trying to promote sustainable fashion, that coherence, ethics and a purpose that acts as a lighthouse are three of the values that a leader must have. He also highlighted the importance of people understanding that no one is perfect, that we all make mistakes, and that this is a path of continuous learning, what today seems to be the best option, tomorrow will not be, which is why we find ourselves in continuous learning.
Maria Cano de Canussa reveals to us how important it is for her to provide her team with all the necessary information so that they are up to date with the existing advances in sustainable fashion and work every day with an innovative brand vision.
Raúl González from Ecodicta tells us about his focus on listening and developing the qualities of his team, generating an environment of flexibility and trust, where everyone feels part of the solution and with the freedom to give the best of themselves, getting the best ideas. He stressed that making mistakes is part of the process, although it is necessary to learn from mistakes, and work every day to be better, as people and workers.
Maite Navarrete de Urbánima is a passionate advocate for sustainability, and with her vegan footwear brand she seeks to inspire, guide and promote positive change towards a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry. For her, knowledge is gold, so being in constant training is essential for a leader who seeks to form high-impact teams that carry the brand's values as standard, which allows them to connect both inside and outside the professional field. . Incredible!
On this path towards a more sustainable world, it undoubtedly starts first by becoming aware of the challenges to overcome as a society. It is clear that we are in a stage of strong changes, that we must learn to surf. And as a team this is more bearable. The important thing is to share the same objective that lasts over time.
To lead is to mobilize without weapons. Balance courage with closeness. We are all in search of a more just, equitable and healthy world for all, and for this it is important to ensure that we all feel like a key piece in the puzzle of a plan drawn up. Prioritize resilience and the ability to manage triple impact changes, in favor of highly motivating, inspiring and transcendental common objectives.
I leave you with the recommendations that these top 4 CEOs who today successfully lead their sustainable fashion companies have for you:
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A leader must be a person who knows the impact of fashion on society and the environment, and who is concerned about improving the way things have been done within the fashion industry. - Maria Cano -
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Every day we face challenging situations. The important thing is to give the team the confidence to make mistakes, to learn and improve. - Raúl González -
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Without a doubt, undertake. There is nothing more challenging than launching a business from scratch, and the key to doing so is trust. You need to convince many people of your idea to attract talent, financing, clients... and all of this involves promoting small tasks and quickly delegating and supervising them to ensure that they go well and that the team grows. For me, that is the main challenge for a leader to generate and receive trust. - Iker Velez de Mendizabal -
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Leading a brand with a slow fashion perspective in Spain is being in a continuous mental battle between being more sustainable or being more profitable. It is not easy to reach a balance, whatever the decision is to give up one of the parties. - Maite Navarrete -
And as a personal recommendation, I recommend investing time in developing and working on your creativity and that of your team, which, like leadership, is a skill that is trained and, if we work on it every day, we can enhance it.
Companies currently invest large amounts of capital in disruptive ideas and solutions that solve the same problem in different ways. And because? Because in such an uncertain future, having several solutions for the same problem creates competitive and efficient companies that promote innovation rather than capitalism without a roof or value.
In this QR code you can learn more about the brands mentioned here:
