Rio Innovation Week, 2nd Edition

About

Rio Innovation Week is one of the largest technology and innovation events in Latin America, held annually in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together startups, companies, and experts for concurrent talks across multiple stages. Binder was the agency responsible for the event’s visual identity, and it was through them that I covered the second edition, in November 2022, for the partner who was unable to attend all the talks they wanted to.

The request was for a faithful account of what was said on stage, organized in a way that would allow him to understand the content of the talk even though he hadn’t been there. This type of work requires taking dense content, delivered over the course of nearly an hour, and transforming it into a structured, clear text for those who don’t have the full context. Below is the summary I wrote about the first talk of the day, given by Ladmir Carvalho, founder of Alterdata Software.

Summary — Day 1: November 8, 2022 · Speaker: Ladmir Carvalho

The first talk I attended was by Ladmir Carvalho, founder of Alterdata Software, on the topic “An Innovative Environment with the Metaverse in Business,” which took place on the SEBRAE Stage in Warehouse 4 at 11 a.m.

The lecture began with a few empty seats, but as time went on, so many people showed up that the seats ran out, and many ended up watching while standing. It was somewhat difficult for them to see and hear what was being said, though, since unfortunately there weren’t enough headphones for everyone.

Ladmir spoke about how the acceleration of change is essential, given that we live in a dynamic society. For these changes to be possible, an innovative environment is essential. He highlighted the Metaverse as a key element in this context: something that can create problems on the one hand, but is also capable of generating opportunities for companies. To make the most of this, we need to know where we want to be.

Innovation

The first key statement presented was: “The first rule of innovation is to understand that it stems from human creativity.” Thus, the work environment can either foster or hinder innovation. Building on that, he cited a Robert Half survey listing 10 leadership traits, with “inspiring others” ranking first at 43.4%, followed by ethics and integrity at 42%.

The second survey he presented was conducted by Nextview People/DMRH, which found that, of the five leadership characteristics listed, the first one, inspiring and motivating people, is cited by 64% of respondents, followed by consistency between words and actions (54%), developing others (46%), high integrity and honesty (39%), and the ability to collaborate and work as part of a team (38%).

Leadership

After presenting these studies, Ladmir stated that leaders today need to reinvent themselves. In his presentation, he showed illustrations of professionals born in different decades and the leadership style of each one. Leaders born before 1946 adopt a controlling approach, while those born between 1946 and 1964 lead by guiding their team members. For leaders born between 1965 and 1979, the word that defines how these professionals work on a day-to-day basis is “coordinating.” Professionals born between 1995 and 2009, on the other hand, lead by “empowering” their team members, and the leadership style of those born between 2010 and 2024 is to inspire.

The audience participated a lot during this part. There was interaction with some people who were closer to the stage. It was hard to hear what they said because there was a lot of noise in the area from the other booths and from people walking around the Warehouse. These headphones are wonderful because they let us immerse ourselves in what the speakers are saying.

Skills

Next, Ladmir compared the key skills of an entrepreneur to Batman’s utility belt. Suddenly, people saw a giant Batman on the slide for that topic. And that’s when I realized his talk was the most crowded one at Warehouse 4.

He divided these skills into two groups: soft skills, with an emphasis on adaptability, collaboration, and influence; emotional intelligence; creativity and problem-solving; curiosity and innovation; getting things done; productivity; communication and public speaking; negotiation; and sales. The other group consisted of technical skills, which are the specific skills required for a particular field.

Emotional intelligence

He then moved on to the next topic, referring to Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence, and explained that emotional intelligence is the balance between action and emotion. From there, he listed the issues that lead people to have lower emotional intelligence. These are: failing to recognize emotions, failing to understand reasons and emotions, and not knowing how to regulate and balance emotions.

Continuing on this topic, he cited the famous saying, “You can’t change the wind, but you can adjust the sails so the boat reaches where you want it to go,” and explained the meaning of this metaphor. The wind represents the problems, difficulties, and unforeseen events in life that we cannot control. The sails, on the other hand, represent our attitudes and choices in the face of obstacles. And the destination, of course, is the place we want to reach or our personal fulfillment.

Ladmir presented four skills related to emotional intelligence and showed how we can develop each one. They are: observation, through an understanding of emotions; reflection, through control of emotions; empathy, through recognition of others’ emotions; and relationship-building, through how we deal with others’ emotions.

Since emotional intelligence has a lot to do with others, Ladmir presented four ways to learn more about people. They are: asking open-ended questions, letting the other person speak and refraining from interrupting, putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, and discovering the other person’s values.

Ladmir concluded his talk around noon, with the stage packed. He received enthusiastic applause.