35 MAGAZINE UNO + 1 Interview of Antonio Garamendi by José Antonio Llorente Antonio Garamendi President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations / Spain Q. The COVID-19 pandemic has by now affected our day-to-day for many months, and Antonio, you are surely aware of the unprecedented difficulties facing today’s business leaders as a result. How would you rate your performance in the face of this adversity? Are you successfully meeting society’s demands, in your own opinion? A. It’s my sincere belief that this crisis has brought out the best in all of us, but at the same time, it has pushed companies’ societal and economic roles to the forefront of global discussion. On an individual level, companies are doing their utmost to preserve business and jobs, and on a grander scale, a social dialogue is developing between organizations of all sizes. The reality is that business leaders have reinforced their already formidable place as society’s driving economic force. This became obvious this past June during our Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE, for the Spanish acronym) Summit. Our main message was that companies do aid in recovery efforts, in some cases forming the cornerstone of that recovery. Our ultimate goal is the common good. If things go well for us, things go well for everybody, and we prioritize thusly. In that sense, I believe business leaders are prepared to stand wherever circumstances require. When we look back on this hardship, we’ll be proud to say we stood with society and upheld our commitments when we were needed most. Q. As a business leader, I’m sure you’ve already learned from all that we’ve faced thus far. Can you tell us what lessons have come from the pandemic? A. I’ve learned many important lessons, because as I said, we are being pushed front and center. We must learn from everything we do, whether it works out or not. Some of these lessons are obvious: The role of leadership plays a fundamental role in times of crisis and flux, such as now. This role is a transformative one, and one that must remain people-focused. Leaders should know how to emotionally rally their communities, drive successful action and adapt to societal needs. A perfect example of this are the temporary lay-off plans we saw earlier this year. Business leaders and trade unions came to an agreement before entering into a dialogue with the government. This agreement was reached through engaged discussion, and the result of this collaboration