5:00 - The essence of entrepreneurship is timeless
10:08 - What makes a good leader?
18:55 - Biased language
25:46 - Being inclusive in a cost-efficient way
28:34 - Few women in top positions
Elisabete Ramalho is an international executive with 20 years of experience in digital transformation, technology, manufacturing and consumer goods, who is currently active as an industry lead at Google.
Elisabete's maternal grandparents were a big inspiration for her. They ran a successful bakery in a small town in Portugal during the 50s and travelled all over the world. Elisabete's grandparents taught her the value of working hard and of staying humble, and also of intimately knowing the needs of each of your clients — they knew everyone's name and order as soon as they walked through the door.
During her career Elisabete has formed a clear opinion on what it takes to be a good leader. According to her, a good leader:
- Allows their team members to co-create the company strategy;
- Is always ready to acknowledge they're wrong, and always eager to learn;
- Focuses on a person's strengths when giving feedback;
- Avoids biased language and promotes diversity in hiring;
- Makes people feel comfortable enough to speak up, and gives credit where credit is due.
At Google, good leadership is measured by cross checking someone's annual performance review with employee retention, talent acquisition and team satisfaction rates.
"If you have the right people on your team, goals should be co-created. It can't just be up to one person to decide."