Raúl González (Barceló): “I have a reputation for sleeping easily, even standing up” | Business | EUROtoday

Raúl González was born in Guardo (Palencia) in 1961, a quite unusual place, he says. His father was stationed there for work. It was September 27, International Tourism Day; “It seems that he was predestined to work in the sector,” says the CEO for Europe, Africa and the Middle East of Barceló Hotel Group, the second Spanish chain by variety of rooms, who grew up, studied and lived in Bilbao till he 23 years in the past the resort firm led him to take up residence in Palma de Mallorca. González assures that he likes to take dangers, that it’s a must to be fearless and have a sure contact of insanity, as a result of those that don’t make choices are by no means improper however will find yourself relegated out there.

Ask. Do you wish to journey or do you haven’t any alternative?

Answer. I like touring and assembly individuals. But, once you do it an excessive amount of, you find yourself exhausted saying: I preferred touring, however not that a lot. When I’ve the standard lengthy 12-hour journey, I get very lazy, though I take into consideration the quantity of recent issues I’m going to study and that’s what encourages me.

P. How many journeys do you make a yr?

R. I make roughly 200 flights per yr. One is meant to work about 240 days a yr, which implies that virtually on daily basis of the work day I’m touring. We should set an instance: we reside off tourism.

P. Of that quantity, what number of would you take away?

R. The drawback is that I impose most of them on myself as a result of I’ve a really dangerous time working a resort and never figuring out it. In reality, the one one I’ve left pending is in Slovenia, in Ljubljana; I'm ready to place it on the agenda as a result of we not too long ago opened it. As lengthy as now we have a suitable quantity, I’ll need to proceed going to see the inns each X period of time to say hiya, thanks, and see how issues are. Because you may handle companies from a distance, for me it will be simpler, or in individual, which modifications the panorama lots.

P. He assures that he’s much less and fewer an economist and an increasing number of wise and an increasing number of a psychologist, why?

R. Yes. When tasks improve, you’re much less and fewer technical, you realize much less concerning the topic, you could have individuals who show you how to offer you information, and you’ve got an increasing number of to do with private relationships, each with the staff and with the board, with the resort homeowners, the potential companions… it’s more and more a matter of individuals and having the ability to perceive you. I, who taught on the college in my free time, would now have a tough time doing a little calculations. I’d give the rules to somebody on my staff. And that's very good, once you see that the staff surpasses you in issues… When somebody is afraid of getting their house taken away, they don't wish to see very highly effective individuals by their aspect, however once you don't have that concern in your physique, it's very good Seeing individuals develop and do issues in methods I wouldn't have considered.

P. I perceive that you’re not afraid of being changed…

R. No. The reality is that it has at all times appeared to me that it was very wholesome to have a sure contact of naivety with the intention to survive on this difficult world. If you’re too considerate, you find yourself too fearful. I like balances. You must be fearless and have a sure contact of insanity, however with out going overboard as a result of in any other case you’ll go improper.

P. What is your newest contact of insanity?

R. I attempt to make them wise loopy issues. The dedication to the Middle Eastern nations had a sure contact, I don't know if it was insanity, ardour, imaginative and prescient or a mixture of the whole lot. It shouldn’t be one thing that comes naturally within the group.

P. What are your principal hobbies?

R. Play sports activities, now I mainly do paddle tennis and tennis two or thrice every week; stroll, discuss and skim.

P. What are you studying?

R. Damn Romeby Santiago Posteguillo, and I simply learn a ebook that I actually loved: The Scarlet Pimpernel.

P. How many hours do you’re employed and the way a lot time do you allow for your self?

R. I’ve a behavior that’s most likely not good, the reality is that it’s criticized lots: I reply emails and calls any day of the yr and I’ve the behavior of answering them as a result of if not I might be fearful. I suppose that is punishable, though I often do it. I work fairly a number of hours, a median working day is often 12 hours. I learn much more earlier than; I'm sorry, however I’ve a lot studying materials on the sector that it's laborious for me to seek out time. But I get pleasure from it and I don't complain. I like to remain updated and make considered choices. And having our personal opinion, which I feel we lack, we let ourselves go lots with the movement.

P. Twelve hours of labor, what do you consider conciliation? What do your spouse and youngsters say?

R. Well, I attempt to ensure that the occasions now we have to be collectively aren’t the place we’re mulling over issues in our heads, eager about issues. And I feel I do this fairly nicely. The 12 hour factor is after I journey, the identical after I'm at house I work 10 hours. I’m going to the workplace at 8 within the morning and I go away at 8 within the afternoon and at noon I escape to do some sports activities after I can.

P. How are you sleeping?

R. Normally good. The high quality of my sleep has worsened. But I’ve a popularity for sleeping very simply. They say I go to sleep standing up. I’ve biorhythms that often run out at midnight, so I'm not a really evening owl; I even take a 5 or ten minute nap after I exit and return to the social gathering if that's what it takes. I’ve fame. Friends say 'I'm going to develop into a Raúl'. Everyone is jealous, they need that little nap at evening.

P. How are you coping with stress?

R. I feel good. Like household enterprise, it’s demanding and non-conformist. I carry it with sufficient temperance and check out to not transmit the tensions downwards as a result of it doesn’t contribute something and I attempt to handle them. Because the simple factor is for them to squeeze you and also you squeeze.

P. Can you at all times be pleasant, as is at all times the case within the resort business?

R. Not at all times. Almost at all times, sure. It's just like the phrase: 'the shopper is at all times proper'. One factor is that you just don't must insult or mistreat him, however he isn’t at all times proper. Forms should be preserved, particularly the more durable the background is. I’ve jumped a number of occasions in my life, the one occasions by which I’ve misplaced my mood is when one thing is unfair.

P. He says one of many hardest elements of his job is the fixed doubt about whether or not what he has performed is sweet sufficient.

R. You must doubt to not doubt. You must have sufficient shallowness and decision-making capability to be daring in issues and, on the similar time, have sufficient humility and hear. That is difficult. When you get very excessive and your ego feeds it, as a result of everybody praises you, there comes a time once you are inclined to imagine that you’re infallible and that what you do is the very best. Because everybody involves let you know the nice issues. You know that the dangerous comes behind. So, now and again, it’s optimistic to mirror on whether or not it may have been performed in another way. I take into consideration whether or not issues will be performed higher. You must suppose that what you do doesn’t at all times must be proper, deep down it’s a must to search for counterweights.

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