Page 47 - AF_SINERGIA_39.DEVEN

47

february 2012

The Future and Advice to Younger Generations

When asked how he perceives and foresees the development of the Mota-Engil Group, he says: “The Group has to continue its diversifcation and internationalisation process. I believe in the Group. We are going through a difcult phase now but we crossed difcult phases in the past and were able to overcome them.”

Taking his geographical and functional mobility as an example, he advises the Group’s new generations to seek international experiences that will add onto life experience and professional experience too. “I think this is a very interesting thing to do. I would even say that it is essential for our development, nowadays, as persons”. Eduardo Pimentel left a guideline for the younger generations: “Work and be honest, be a critic and let the others know what you think.”

Dialogue and openness to dissenting opinions is for Eduardo Pimentel an essential condition for change and innovation in organisations.

“Companies have to keep changing and have to accompany the present and this is attained with young people. They have to say what’s on their mind, they have to be critics and they have to suggest new

ways of working and we have to have the capacity to hear them and to change that which we think should really be changed. This is very important. We have to have the capacity to be in constant change. The younger people are the ones that can trigger this change.”

When there is an open attitude towards dialogue there also has to be willingness to listen to others – a characteristic that Eduardo Pimentel believes to have. “I think I listen to others and it’s quite easy for me to work in a team. Of course many times we don’t agree, but I always fnd a way to harmonise things and deal with the diferent types of people. In this activity of management in which we mainly promote the relationship between people and try to guide them into following the same path and a common objective, I believe it is important to have the ability to hold a dialogue with all kinds of personalities and opinions.”

For the SINERGIA team it was a pleasure to hear his words and to get to know the story of his life, his experience in the Group and his positive message.

“The Group has to continue its diversifcation and internationalization process. I believe in the Group. We are going through a difcult phase now but we crossed difcult phases in the past and were able to overcome them.”