How to Identify Leaders with Montse Passolas of Rimmel at Coty

LS International

Montse Passolas is a highly qualified Global Marketing and Branding board level executive with over 18 years of experience in marketing and communications, digital, new product development, retail, PR and business development strategy within leading brands and companies. Montse is a true international profile with experience working in Spain, France UK, US, and with an emphasis on the beauty and luxury markets with a proven ability to adapt and work efficiently in fast-paced organizations. She is a marketer with strong commercial acumen, online discipline and consumer focus; excellent leadership, charisma and communication abilities.

In this podcast we discuss:

  • The shift from a boss to an inspirational leader
  • The qualities which some of the best leaders portray
  • Camillo Pane and Barack Obama – Why Montse believes in their leadership skills?
  • Some of the learning platforms she uses to brush up on her leadership skills
  • Empowerment, guidance, inspiration and recognition – Montse’s secrets to supporting leaders

Lauren: Hi I’m Lauren Stiebing and on this episode of the career success podcast we will be discussing how to identify leaders with Montse Passolas. Montse is a highly qualified Global Marketing and Branding board level executive with over 18 years of experience in marketing and communications, digital, new product development, retail, PR and business development strategy within leading brands and companies.

Montse is a true international profile with experience working in Spain, France UK, US, Australia and an emphasis on the beauty and luxury markets with a proven ability to adapt and work efficiently in fast-paced organizations. She is a marketer with strong commercial acumen, online discipline and consumer focus; excellent leadership, charisma and communication abilities. She has demonstrated capability in motivating and managing large teams with all levels of experience and she speaks four languages proficiently. Welcome Montse.

Montse: Hi Lauren. Hi, thank you very much for having me. Thank you to LSI international, it’s a pleasure to be with you guys.

Lauren: Great! So as I mentioned in the introduction, the topic of today’s podcast will be how to identify leaders and since you’ve held multiple leadership roles, I thought you’d be a great person to share with us some of your ideas and opinions. So, my first question is how has the idea of a leader change since the start of your career?

Montse: I started my career almost twenty years ago and in beauty, is a sector that I still love. The main change is that I’ve seen from many days ago to now, I think before you used to be a boss, maybe they tell you very much what to do. There was very little inspiration and nowadays possibly because we are managing millennials and generational Z, we have moved to a very inspiring role, where you have to of course, guide them in their professional development, but also nourish them in their curiosity, an in the way they relate to the world and to their peers and to their families and to the work life environment. It is a very nourishing, in a certain way, or at least that’s how I see it that the people who are now… truly does not… not… not only incredible on their vision or their role itself but also they are truly inspiring people who understand the needs of the millennials, the gen Z. That … And in the way they see the world nowadays in terms of authenticity. In terms of how they relate to social causes; And at that rate that they are also entrepreneurial, you know young people, the young generation they don’t find something that they will do themselves.
They will have a way to have it, right? And that immediacy in reactions before you know, remember when I started working, email was in it’s infancy.

Though that immediacy…. immediate information was not as a highly requirement as it is today. So, the leader has not only to adapt to the way your relationship is relating with the younger generation and inspiring them and embracing their way of thinking but also that immediate reaction; the immediacy need of fulfillment.
And you have to adapt in this way of technological progress because they are born with it, mainly gen Z.
They are the first generation that know about internet. So, the new leaders had to adapt to that way… there way of thinking and the way they relate to technology and speed.
So, those leaders are truly inspiring because they have quickly adapted they learn and they embrace them.

Lauren: When you are identifying leaders this can be done you know internally at your company or externally when you are hiring or even you know at congresses or events or in your everyday life. What processes do you undergo to identify leaders?

Montse: It’s the way they…. I think it’s the way they portray themselves. The confidence, they trust they also inspire in others because I think trust is a very important feature; reliability. You can identify leaders… even my hair dresser, everywhere.
And because the way they portrayed in talking with conviction, with confidence and inspiring trust to the others.
And that person who recognizes their weaknesses and at a conference with people who say I’m not better for the subject and this… this and then you want to listen to them.
You do want to listen to them. So, I think for me the leaders after the whole had this conviction, self-confidence without being cocky, and creation of trust. Reliability.

Lauren: And can you give some examples of great leaders, well they can be people you know or people you don’t and you know, why you believe in their leadership skills.

Montse: I mean me… I had been very…. very blessed working in great companies like L’oreal.
And I’m currently at Coty. I would say my current CEO, Camillo Pane, is incredible and I truly admire him because he’s passionate for what he does, incredibly clear in visionary, talks with conviction but at the same time has humbleness; that makes him so approachable where at the same time inspiring. He’s a truly there for me, motivating change and empowering people to be their own entrepreneurs.
He’s giving recognition when needed, when needed and when awarded. I think for me my current CEO; I truly admire him, he’s transforming the way we’re operating in beauty. So, that will be for me one peer one and as a world, I think that Obama
Because he was true to his values and he motivated change and open minded.
Not only the US but in the rest of the world. He made possible the first chance of having a black president and he took the whole world with his convictions and he’s inspiring rhetoric. So, I think I will highlight those two for a moment.

Lauren: Okay thanks and for those of us who wish to build on… on these skills what would you suggest that we do?

Montse: I think that reading… reading not only book’s but reading magazines and interacting with other people, networking, online and off line. I see… I love listening to Ted; I love listening to speeches of women. There are so many inspiring women nowadays. I really … am… is a topic that I’m absolutely passionate about, the most fascinating women. But listening to them to what they have to say, and children; there are very inspiring children like Malalah, like super genius Rahul who is the most down to earth boy and he’s incredibly clever. So, I think a listening, radio podcast programs; it’s very interesting because you capture ideas, the way they … not only the way they think but that way they also say it.
For me sometimes content is important as the forums when you’re trying to have those inspiring and authentic ways of portraying yourself.

Lauren: And for you, when you identify a leader in your team, what actions do you take to get the most out of their abilities?

Montse: First is empowering them … empowering them to take their positions and come up with solutions when the problem arises. Let them drive it, guide them when necessary and certainty … certainly recognizing their value.

Montse: And not only recognizing their value only in a one to one, or in the formal of feedback day. It is even the small thing to the big, big presentation. To the small email that it was like change the way someone relates to a project or a launch to you know a big project that they have led. So, it is as important recognition and the value they bring into the team; it is very important, I think. So, empowerment, guidance, inspirations and recognition.

Lauren: Well, Montse thank you so much for joining us today on our career success podcast. I’m sure our listeners have definitely enjoyed and probably you’ve given them some ideas as well to take with them

Montse: Well, I hope so too and thank you very much again for having me; take care.