Luca Bianchi, Leader Human Resources of Leroy Merlin Romania: The ethos of everyday work revolves around the notion of mutual sharing and support

People are every time the real factor, the starting and the ending point of every initiative in my career

Before reaching HR, I had the opportunity to have a real rich and diversified career in the industry, dealing with Finance (Accounting and Performance), IT (Processes, Project Management), Trade (Store Management), and several M&As to live and manage (3 in Italy, one here in Romania). I can say that there are two common elements in every experience I had: PEOPLE who have been every time the real factor, the starting and the ending point of every initiative. And people are everyday different, there is always room for surprises, most of the time very good ones. The second element is curiosity, which always gave me the opportunity to discover and learn new things in a very natural way.

For me, professional accomplishment means good results for sure, but also things I learned, and I think I can say I learn something interesting in every situation, also in the worst failures. In general, I love all the projects where I have been able to put different profiles of people working together in a spontaneous way, it’s a sensation I like very much. It is a never-ending challenge, so I hope the most valued professional accomplishment will be the next!

Instilling the Culture of Sharing

In our company, we uphold a strong cultural principle known as the Culture of Sharing, which is deeply rooted in our core values of simplicity, humbleness, a spirit of performance, honesty, exemplarity, generosity and respect.

This ethos revolves around the notion of mutual sharing and support. We not only share a common commitment to our Vision, Mission, and Values but also freely share our knowledge, always eager to learn, teach and serve others. Additionally, we contribute our individual talents to the collective pursuit of our goals, prioritizing the success of the team over personal gain. Most importantly, we share in the ownership of our collective achievements, celebrating progress as a unified entity. We hold great admiration for individuals who prioritize the question “What can I do for the organization, for others?” over “What’s in it for me?”.

The reality of business becomes more and more complex, and the HR department is not an exception

We need to grow with the organization, offering services more and more effective, adaptive and structured. In a world where Change is the new Status Quo, we need to explore new trends and to adapt to new realities, like the evolution of hybrid work, the artificial intelligence, or the talent attraction (especially in young generations).  But at the same time, we have the fundamental role to always put our human centric culture in the center of our debates, remembering that there is no technology that can compete with the variety and complexity of the human being.

The leadership style

I really believe in exemplarity and in the capacity to ask for feedback, especially to the teams we have the honor to coordinate, or to our peers. We are in a world where hard skills and competences are more and more chased, but the capacity to create a good atmosphere, where people are able to leave their ego outside the door, and to work in a constructive and collective way, remains for me the most important skill. So, I like leaders able to create this kind of environment, like Reed Hastings at Netflix, or Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid  if we look at the world of sport.

“Search for your Ikigai!” for career starters

My advice is to “Search for your Ikigai”! In Japanese culture, Ikigai represents the convergence of four essential elements: what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for. It’s about finding your true purpose and meaning in life.  Money, success, career – these are just good consequences of the fact that we work in a good environment, where we have the privilege to follow our passions, and where we can learn something new every day. This process takes time and mistakes are a necessary part of it. So, enjoy the trip, with a long-term orientation, without falling in the tentation to abandon a place where you feel you can be yourself just for a money rise. If you enjoy what you do, and you have every day new opportunities to grow your competences, stay there, and the rest will come.

Sharing: The Power Word for 2024

Sharing, sharing, and again sharing. We need less competition and more collaboration, especially in a moment where the world seems to be more divided than ever. Curiosity about new avenues for collaboration ignites my drive to explore innovative solutions and embrace diverse perspectives.