ELISA'S STORY STARTS WITH US

People say that one of the main qualities of a leader is to shift the focus from the ‘I’ to the ‘we’. It's not just stylistic exercise, nor even the strict execution of some American textbook team management rule. It's something innate. An attitude cultivated, nurtured and shared.

For Elisa Marcon, coordinator of De Rigo’s licensing marketing office and brand manager of the Tous and Yalea brands, the word leader might feel cumbersome and inappropriate. However, certainly not that of an activator of a healthy team spirit. The one where you feel like you're part of something important. The one where you make others feel part of an extraordinary shared story.

A young multitasking woman, Elisa has an innate ability to simultaneously manage daily activities ranging from professional to personal, but what is striking about Elisa is something else. It's how she manages them. With listening, kindness and that total focus on making the people she relates to feel good. This is where the ‘I’ gives way to the ‘we’. It is here that, with small gestures, we overcome problems together and rejoice together in our achievements. That's what a good atmosphere is. Not something idealised, but a modus operandi that everyone is constantly working to maintain.

It is a bit like a game of chess, where there are no pre-packaged strategies and moves, but an ability to dialogue, supported by active listening and the awareness that everyone always has something new to learn from others. Dynamic equilibria, you might say in physics. Certainly, there are at least two things that contributed to Elisa becoming what she is today. The first is strictly personal, a life spanning Italy and Spain and the birth of her little girl. Becoming a mother allowed Elisa to see the world from a different perspective and to work even harder to seek a better one than she found. With a sense of responsibility. With centrality given to founding values and an ethic of doing.

The other is certainly Elisa’s work for De Rigo. Being part of an international group has allowed her to further open her mind by working with different entities and countries. Travelling, getting to know other cultures, talking to branches worldwide every day. Specifically, what Elisa does allows her to interact with most of the company's functions and to participate in all the phases of eyewear production: from creative input to approving the collection, its presentation to commercial partners and in-store delivery, also helping to prepare material for the retail outlet. From marketing strategies to eyewear worn by people.

What shines through when talking to Elisa is the enthusiasm and passion that marks her work. Work, that precisely for this reason, becomes a way to express herself. She feels lucky for that. She feels lucky to feel part of a team. Because Elisa is not an ‘is’, she is a ‘we’. And if something really doesn't work out, she will strive to make it work, maybe even sing about it. Because Elisa is passionate about music. But that’s another story.