“The businessman who acts with values and ethics does not appear in the newspapers”.

Santi Tarín is vice-president of the Associació per a la Recerca de l’Excel-lència, which spreads a series of values among company directors, managers and governors – Tarín participates in a conference on urban mobility, organized by ABE, the Foeg and the UdG, which takes place this afternoon at the Sala de Graus of the UdG.

Albert Soler Girona 14.11.2018 | 00:32

“The businessman who acts with values and ethics does not appear in the newspapers”.

An entrepreneur running a company with ethics and values is an oxymoron with power?

Comencem fort (riallada). No, home, what happens is that when a businessman acts as he should act, that is to say, with values, ethics and principles, it does not appear in the newspapers. The opposite cases are notorious. ABE was born precisely for this reason, to give light to excellent people.

Who is excellent?

Whoever is successful, triumphs, earns money or manages well – because they don’t have to run a company -, but only if they do it respecting everyone and everything. If he does not respect everyone, he will be a winner or a successful person, but he is not excellent. Without values it is not possible to be excellent.

I thought that the goal of a businessman is to make money and that’s over.

Jo crec que no ho pensava (riu). The objective of an entrepreneur is to contribute value to society. And earn money, that is, value for itself. If he only adds value to himself, he is not a good businessman. It is not excellent.

Wouldn’t it be good to bring this idea of values also to the governors?

Look, we are precisely working on a survey that will allow us to define the profile of the ideal politician.

Suposo que no existeix.

No ho sabem. What we want is to get the message to young people. With entrepreneurs, it is difficult for veterans to change their way of doing things, but what can be done is to explain to young people not to do things in any way but in an ethical way, looking at the long term. With politicians the same, we want the political profession to improve, to become attractive to people with talent and values. If we do not do that, we will never have politicians as we need.

Is there any politician with talent and values today?

Mmm… n’hi ha. What happens is that those who are best known are the ones who don’t have it, and they ruin the image of politicians in general.

Corruption is inherent to the exercise of power?

It is that I am a real optimist.

Ja són ganes.

If you are not optimistic, you cannot be an entrepreneur. Ho has de ser per nassos. Fins i tot més que optimista has de ser una mica… temerari: tira milles i a veure què passa.

Back to corruption and politics.

I have seen many cases of people who walked the path of values and ethics and when they have had power they have torn themselves apart. Ho he vist, yes. But if we assume that this is not possible, we will not do anything. We have to try and think that the human race does not per se fall into corruption, when it has the capacity to avoid it.

Avui parlaran de mobilitat urbana. Do the municipalities procure it prou?

Well, there are no two councils alike. Jo segueixo pensanto que ganes de perjudicar no n’hi ha en absolut. However, sometimes you see some of the things you say: how did they come to do that! Things can be done to improve.