I enjoyed getting to know Liliana (and her brother) and it is my pleasure to highlight our outstanding associates around the world who represent RCI so well and help us put the world on vacation!
– OLIVIER CHAVY, PRESIDENT, RCI
Olivier:
Liliana, nice to see you today. Let's say you become the CEO of RCI, what’s your first decision?
Liliana:
In terms of human resources/recruiting, I would see if what we are offering to current associates is appealing to them. Are our benefits and work shifts appealing? This is what I would do for our RCI family.
O:
Tell me something about you that nobody knows? A secret perhaps.
L:
I don’t wear the same socks.
O:
You don’t? So they are perishable socks?
L:
I don’t, and yes, after I do laundry I hate to search for which sock goes with what.
O:
That’s unexpected. Well now I guarantee you that many people will know about this. *laughs*
L:
*laughs* I know they will.
O:
If I ask your colleagues here in Mexico City to describe you in three words, what would they say?
L:
That I am bossy. In a good way, I am bossy. I am passionate about things. If I put my all into it then passion drives me, I don’t give up. And I think the third would be that I am fun to be around.
O:
Yes you are fun, I can tell. Now you are stuck on a desert island. You can take one thing with you, what would that be?
L:
I would take a book. My favorite book ever, "A Dog’s Purpose."
O:
That sounds like a good book. So what has been your most memorable moment at RCI?
L:
When I joined the human resources (HR) team. Officially, I joined in March of last year. I never, ever imagined myself in HR. It wasn’t something I grew up thinking “this is what I wanted to be," until I actually did it and that’s when I fell in love with what I do now.
O:
Where do you want to be in 10 years?
L:
I want to be in a leading HR role, it may be in Recruitment or other areas. I want to be able to change lives and impact people by giving them new opportunities. For those that I bring to the company and those who are already with us.
O:
Let’s talk a bit more about you. What are your hobbies?
L:
I love to dance. I love to sing.
O:
What kind of dance?
L:
Everything... everything! I love to sing. I can’t sing but I like to do so. I like to read. Now with Netflix, I just love to chill at my house watching Netflix after a busy day.
O:
So what did you do this weekend?
L:
This weekend I went to see Avengers. I went to have dinner at Chili’s afterwards. I really don’t have a lot of time to spend with my boyfriend and my family so when I have a little time on my Saturdays or Sundays it’s usually to stay home and have dinner with my mom or spend Sundays with my grandparents.
O:
Are you very family-oriented?
L:
Yes, I live with my grandparents.
O:
So you live with your grandparents. And do you speak with your mom every day?
L:
I do. She got married and she lives like a block away so I see her almost every day.
O:
Does your family know that you are spending time with me today?
L:
Yes, everyone at my house knows. My boyfriend knows, my mom and my brother know. My brother works here as well.
O:
Your brother works here at RCI? Where is he?
L:
Downstairs.
O:
Downstairs? Is he proud of you?
L:
He is.
O:
Who is the most proud of you – your boyfriend, your mom, your grandmother, your brother?
L:
I would say my brother. I think I’m his role model in a lot of things. We’ve grown so much together ever since my parents got a divorce.
O:
Call your brother - I want to speak with or meet him at some point. Let’s find somebody who can call your brother to see if he can join us. He speaks English? And your mom?
L:
Yes he does. My mom does not, only Spanish.
O:
I’m very family oriented so I always think that we should let our family know how much they mean to us and how proud we are of them. I would like to tell your brother how great you are. While we wait for him, what’s the best advice that you ever received?
L:
Comfort zone gets you nowhere.
O:
Comfort zone gets you nowhere - when was the last time you were in your comfort zone?
L:
It was before I was in HR. For about 4 years in my previous role, I would do some shadowing but nothing more than that. I was doing some backup team lead stuff but nothing official. The way that I got here was that they needed help in calling people for interviews. That’s what I started doing in HR, then I moved on from there. But back when I was doing reservations, I won top performer and did some trainings for associates. I was happy with what I was doing but it wasn’t as fulfilling as when I first started.
O:
So I know that you work in talent acquisition in the HR world. What do you want to say to those who are leaving us at the call center to go to the other center in town? Why is it bad to leave RCI, why is this a mistake?
L:
Their mistake is not actually absorbing our DNA. You might be getting paid more where you are going, if money is your driver, but if you really are passionate about what you are doing, make sure you are focused on how the company is giving back to you. If you had asked me earlier on when I first got here, I probably wasn’t thinking of staying here the 5 years that I have now but being able to learn new skills, to do other things and to give back, has been great. Not just focusing on me but also being focused on giving back, like with Christel House. Your job has a purpose, it’s not just about making money. Making money is fine but you are also doing something good for other people, you’re not just here for an 8 hour shift. We are sending people on vacation - we are making them happy.
O:
Ok, good! Any questions for me? Ask me anything that you want.
L:
What do you think about our office and what you have seen so far?
O:
Yes, I can see. So any other questions for me before your brother comes?
L:
Yes - so far you have seen RCI as an overview. Things are going good now but what would you say that we need to do differently? You know the saying, “you can’t get different results if you are doing the same thing”. I read your bio and I know you had a millennial viewpoint at your previous company, do you plan on bringing that over to RCI? Doing things differently to evolve our company?
O:
Wow! You did your homework, and you are right about me. First, I think we need to enhance the entrepreneur (startup) mindset and focus on the top line. Regarding the core business of RCI Exchange, we need to keep some things as is because it’s doing great but we also need to create new opportunities on the full vacation experience – the holiday experience, club, reward, and we need to think about the new business model. Regarding millennials, I am a father of a 29, 26, and 20 year-old and unfortunately, but luckily, I know that the best ideas are now coming from them and not from me anymore. At my former business, when I implemented EXCOM-Y, millennials who participated had access to any information from my Senior Leadership Team. They came up with ideas and out of the 10 that we took, they influenced five and we changed three dramatically. Those three that changed were key, strategically the most important, and allowed us to have the exit we needed at the time. The world is changing. The new generation is coming and with a completely different mindset. I must make sure that we learn and understand from millennials, and then deploy.
L:
Yes!
O:
Because there is no way back. It’s a fast train. Your generation is a fast train, fast-paced. With social media and such. If we don’t realize that we have to learn from you, we will hit the wall. You are spot on.
L:
Interesting. Though I was helping out before, once I officially joined HR, I told my boss – we have to do something with Facebook. They already had Instagram but we needed to do something regarding recruitment through Facebook. We have more work to do, but we are getting there.
O:
You should go above and beyond. You should request an invitation to their leadership meetings to bring ideas. My job is to make sure that the best ideas from the younger generation, with great passion and vision, are shared with me so that we can evaluate and deploy.
L:
Yes! I agree, we have to evolve.
*Liliana’s brother enters the room*
O:
Is that your brother? Hi, come in! What is your name?
D:
Daniel
O:
Are you proud of your sister? She is amazing!
D:
Of course, and yes, she is.
O:
So Daniel, tell me something about your sister that we don’t know? Because I know something that you actually might not know.
D:
She’s like my mom basically. She always encourages me to do the best.
O:
*laughs* You mean she’s bossy?
D:
*laughs* No, not bossy but she is always trying to get the best out of me and get the best out of herself.
O:
She’s older than you and like a mother to you?
D:
Yes.
O:
Do you know that she doesn’t keep socks after doing laundry?
D:
*laughs*
O:
You knew that?
D:
Yes I did, probably.
O:
She is amazing, I’ve enjoyed getting to know her today! I just want to share the pride - Liliana is amazing. So Daniel, tell me about your work? Do you like it? How long have you been with us?
D:
Yes I do, I came in December.
O:
December? So she is the one who encouraged you to apply?
D:
Yes, she did.
O:
What do you like the most?
D:
I’m happy, I enjoy it. It is easy to be here.
O:
How do you feel about the culture?
D:
It’s pretty nice - I get along with all of the people here!
O:
So you have been welcomed? That is great. Liliana, any more questions for me?
L:
No, I just want to say that I look forward to hearing from you at the town hall as you share where our business is going and your plans on how we will evolve.
During my time with Liliana we tried to reach her mother, who was working. Mostly, I wanted to express the gratitude and great pride RCI has in Liliana and how her contributions have helped us impact the lives of associates. She is dynamic and has a lot of great ideas, and we are pleased to have her on the HR team. I enjoyed getting to know Liliana (and her brother) and it is my pleasure to highlight our outstanding associates around the world who represent RCI so well and help us put the world on vacation!