About Elisenda Serra…

When asked to talk about what to look for in a candidate, I break it down into four parts: humanity, intelligence, experience and class. Under each of these concepts can be found a person’s particular life philosophy.

When I talk about humanity, generous people come to mind – people who are optimistic, humble, involved, passionate and dedicated. For some the word may evoke other values, but these are the ones I think of.

When I talk about intelligence, I am referring to people who encourage creativity, who are able to rethink the world whenever necessary without settling for stereotypes – people who are looking to be the best in the world at something and who will not stop until they get there.

When I talk about experience, I like to find people who drink life to the last drop; who have enjoyed great and small experiences; who get excited when they explain what they do and what they have done; who love those around them because they always see the best in everyone.

When I talk about class, I think about how education, poise and knowing how to talk, smile and listen to those around us are values that should be shared if we are to live together in harmony.

Elisenda meets all of these criteria and then some. Her life is intense and generous; she is constantly laughing and she lives life to the fullest. Her ability to get other people’s brains working is infinite and she never sets limits on thought and invention. She has a big personality, and she helps and admires and really cares for everyone within her reach. And she is easy to be around because she is always more interested in helping others than in helping herself.

Finding a person to build a dream with is hard. Finding someone to help you help others, without succumbing to navel-gazing, is even harder. We have built bonds that cannot easily be undone – always aware of the world around us, always looking out for others.

Our dream has come true, as you will read in this book. We have developed a way of thinking and doing that helps companies redefine the way they see their businesses, and which creates tangible results in a very short time. What we once read in Good to Great by Jim Collins, whom we greatly admire, has come true: “First who, then what.” We now have the “who” and the “what.”

Xavier Oliver Conti