Blog
In this #LuxeTalentBlog, discover the incredible career path of José J. de la Vega, Country Manager South Europe & UK, at Luxe Talent. In this interview, José talks about his experience and his career in Luxe Talent and shares some of his best advices to evolve internally in a company.
How did you start your career at Luxe Talent and what position do you currently hold?
I have always been moved by people, which is why I decided to study Labour Relations and Human Resources. Later, I study complementary higher education in Talent & Hiring Management. The beginning of my professional career was in the UK where I worked in Retail Management and HR consulting.
6 years ago, in 2018, I returned to Madrid and joined the Luxe Talent team as Senior Consultant EMEA, within the Iberia team, under the leadership of Carolina Ramos. It was quite an opportunity to get into this position, as my main objective: to re-establish senior, executive and corporate positions, and to develop the market in that sense, was a great professional motivation.
Two and a half years later, I was promoted to Manager for the Spain and Portugal team. I could say that it has been my biggest challenge to date, full of successes, some failures, but a lot of learning. All this has allowed and led me to lead, since last June 2024, the management of Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal) and UK as a new market within Luxe Talent, receiving the support of our new Team Manager in Spain, Desirée Montero. I face this new responsibility with great enthusiasm and surrounded by the best team!
How have you managed to develop your career into a high-level position?
There are innate competencies that, although they can be developed over time, are a vital part of a successful position of responsibility. I would highlight:
- The ability to lead, especially in times of difficulty.
- Resilience, always maintaining a positive attitude
- Flexibility and/or continuous adaptability
Positions of responsibility are positions where there are countless situations on a daily basis that demand of us, and in accordance with a common guideline and the company, we must be prepared to deal with and manage the specific conflicts that may appear. Skills such as analytical skills, strategic vision, thinking "outside the box" and tenacity complete a framework of key competencies to succeed in any position of responsibility.
Training adapted to people management provides us with a theoretical and normative framework that structures our day-to-day work with the team and gives us a more strategic vision of the position. But without a doubt, direct management of the team and daily learning by facing situations both with the internal team and with external partners helps us to grow professionally, and is the best way to "learn by doing".
Having good relationships within any organization also helps us to understand our colleagues, to see other points of view, to understand other focuses, and in the case of Luxe Talent, to have the ability to learn about other markets and realities. All this makes us grow both professionally and personally, and makes us better managers.
This, together with a continuous and positive work, always oriented to offer the best service to our partners, has contributed to many successes and learning that have made me grow and develop professionally. In Luxe Talent, our work counts, and for this reason I believe that the direction thought of me to promote me to my new position, I will continue to demonstrate my ability to manage and achieve results on an ongoing basis!
How do you initiate a request for professional development within your company?
The key to internal development within a company lies in communicating our desire for development to management and being transparent about our intentions from the outset. There are also other aspects to consider when expressing these promotion intentions. Among them, one must wait for the right moment to communicate it; above all, it is important to consider the economic level of the company, since the right moment for one as a person will be difficult, if not impossible, to arrive. It is essential to demonstrate with actions that each of us is a key element for the company and that we have the company's success in mind when preparing our internal evolution speech. We cannot forget to include in it the aspects that motivate us together with some of our most outstanding results and achievements!
How to convince coworkers to accept the change?
It is important to remember that a promotion does not only affect one person, but also an entire team. Therefore, this change must be officially communicated with the support of management. Also, afterwards, I recommend scheduling a meeting with the new team along with individual meetings (when appropriate), because they will be the ones who will help us in achieving the new objectives. Important: a promotion does not excuse us from listening to and accepting feedback from our colleagues! Although the most important thing as a team leader is to modify work habits gradually and never implement them abruptly: the key is to give the necessary time to adapt and assimilate the change.
Once you've got the job, how do you ensure your career progresses successfully?
I could summarize my key points for success-oriented career development as: accept and assume new responsibilities, continue to train and develop skills (either personally or with professionals such as the Retail Academy), and keep our goals in mind and communicate them to the rest of our team.
Tips for growing within your company?
My advice to those who wish to evolve in a company is:
- Conduct a skills assessment to understand what evolution you really want to achieve.
- Do not be afraid to ask for an evolution, the normal thing is to want to grow and continue to develop as a professional.
- Prepare well for this evolution.
- Remain determined and do not give up if the first request has not gone as expected, everything comes in its own time!
If you want more tips, follow us on our social networks: LUXE TALENT on Instagram, LUXE TALENT on LinkedIn, or in our academy RETAIL ACADEMY on Instagram, RETAIL ACADEMY on LinkedIn.
