The real me

Flash Interview with Rui Mota

C — How do you handle compliments to your work? What are some examples of your own experience?

RM — Usually, I don’t know how to handle compliments, either I run away from it or I just appreciate and move forward as fast as I can. 

The easiest way to deal with compliments is when they are not clearly stated but I can feel them in the actions towards me. I remember that when I came back to Vodafone Ghana after 2 years, most of The VFGH Team was happy, they welcomed me with lots of affection and clearly stated that they wished I was around for that new transformation phase. This is the most rewarding compliment I can get as a professional, I work with passion and that is the only fuel I need for my daily work, although it’s impossible to deny that like most people I like to be recognised for my work.

C — Describe the picture you would post on Instagram to describe your work to family and friends.

RM —  I tried over the years to explain my family and friends what I do and it always seems a bit shady for them so honestly I stopped trying, I only need them to understand that I’m happy doing my job.

To show them I would post a picture in some airport with my laptop (on a Teams call) and my travel bag, maybe with a Celfocus T-shirt and a nice smile.

C — Are you the type of person who doesn’t like to see themselves in pictures? What is your interpretation of that phenomenon?

RM —  I’m one of those that always thinks the picture could be better than what it really is, nonetheless, I like to see myself in the pictures. I love when a picture can capture the mood of the place and the impact it has on me, but the truth is that most of the pictures I really love were not taken by myself (not even the idea was mine).

Probably most of the people that don’t like their pictures it’s because they don’t feel comfortable with themselves, or they are afraid of what others might say about them or the situation. There is a huge pressure nowadays related to all the pictures and posts that you put online, some of us get constantly judged for them and that sure can make you dislike the image that you are presenting.   

C —  In your opinion, do people need to have presence on social media nowadays? How do you do it?

RM —  You don’t need to have presence in social networks, but by not doing it you need to understand that you are losing part of the interaction that exists nowadays. Any decision will have pros and cons and not being on social networks is exactly the same, you just need to list them and take the decision despite what others might say.

In my personal case, I was out of social media for some years, I was a late Facebook user since I refused to be part of a network that was creating the idea of friendship without physical presence. I changed my mind some years later when I understood that in some situations that is the only possible way to keep your friends connected and show them what you are going through, this was even more clear to me when I moved from Oporto to Lisbon and then started to travel around all the time.

On a professional stance, I use LinkedIn to keep my network updated with people I met around the world. I’m not an active user of LinkedIn since I don’t post much or use it daily, but it sure works from a professional standpoint.

Finally, I’m an Instagram user, it is simple and straight forward and that is why I like it. I love to post pictures travelling around the world either on holidays or work, It’s my way of sharing some happiness with my friends. As it is written on my profile it’s a place for random pictures of a guy that is always on the run, so that people don’t expect more than that.

Final note to say that nowadays I avoid Facebook, it became a place where people spread hate and intolerance towards others and that is something that I cannot deal with.

C — Have you ever been in a situation where you came out “looking bad in the picture”?  How did you deal with that situation?
 

RM — If we consider social media photos the answer is no (this is only my opinion), mainly because I can shoot a thousand photos and just choose the one that got the best mood. As a last resort I can publish and afterwards delete it if I change my mind. In “IRL” (in real life) we cannot control everything and once the photo is taken there’s no way back. 

I can remember that the first time in Dubai one of my stakeholders was a woman and she was wearing Islamic vests, when she was introduced, I immediately stretched my hand for a handshake, this was totally wrong and created some embarrassment. Later I apologized for my behaviour and explained that I considered only the western approach and it wouldn’t happen again considering I was already understanding and learning the Middle Eastern approach since my main objective was to work as a Team.      

C — In your opinion, what would the perfect selfie to introduce you to the world look like? Why?  

RM —  The best selfie to show the “real me” would be taken in a sunny day, (Lisbon light is enough) it would have my friends and family around, a suitcase and something that could represent music. 

This need of sun comes from living a big part of my life in a rainy city, Oporto, now while getting old I prefer the comfort of the sun. But more important than anything is that the picture should represent the three most valuable things in my life: family/friends, traveling and music.