A business opportunity in Tuscany

The view from our hotel room

June 2007

This is a post that I cannot go into too much detail about but basically when travelling in Florence, I ended up hopping on a train the next day out to Tuscany and went to a meeting with the owners of a beautiful italian bath and body products brand. I didn't even have a suit. I went to the meeting looking like I was dressed to go out to a nightclub.

The meeting was in their factory which was literally a farmhouse surrounded by vineyards and olive trees and dogs running around with Italian women handmaking the products inside. It was like stepping back through time!

The company set us up at 5 star hotel Villa La Vedetta, part of the 'Leading Hotels of the World'. It was so luxurious! It would've costed $2000 a night if we had to pay. Rachel and Carl who were in Florence came over and we all drunk beautiful Italian wine and acted like kids whilst posh politicians and other important people had a function below our window. The bed was the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on - you must try premium Italian linen before you die!

There was many dramas on the way from Florence to Rome and the company but this would be something you'd have to ask me about rather than read it here ;)

I had to make a very big decision - whether to fulfill my dream of working on an island in Greece during summer or starting something huge for my career by taking a risk and going back home. I chose the former.

Using Emotional Intelligence in the Amalfi Coast

The view from our balcony

June 2007

The Amalfi Coast was the first stop of my European travels so I use this as an excuse for my stupidity for hitchhiking with an untrustworthy stranger. I also blame it on the breathtaking views- how can one be put in a dangerous situation when you have panoramic, grandiose mountains with olive trees and vineyards sprinkled beautifully across it and an occasional quaint italian villa peeping over the cliffs? The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in the world.

I had walked down over 1000 steps by myself to explore a little cove that I spotted from our villa and spent the day floating in crystal clear water. I had to go back up the mountain to Pogerola but unfortunately the bus was running on 'Italian time' and didn't come.

So this combined with me being absorbed by the beauty of the place was why I said "Yes" when an Italian guy drove past on his scooter and offered me a lift up the mountain.

Now these mountains are dangerous - you constantly hear honking as that's the only way to let other cars know that you're coming around the corner so you don't smash into each other.

While I was thinking, "Hah! I wonder what everyone in Sydney is doing now compared to this!", the Italian stopped in the middle of no where.

"I am just stopping for a smoke," said the guy in his Italian accent. I panicked internally.

"O-okay", I said as I quickly looked around for other people.

He puffed his cigarette slowly, eyeing me the whole time.

This was when my emotional intelligence started to kick in. Being in Unilever's Futures Leaders Program meant we got a lot of training on soft skills such as EI. We got tested on our EQ (a measure of EI) as opposed to our IQ and really learnt how to use our emotions to manage and influence other people.

My first reaction was to panic but luckily he didn't see it as that would've meant he knew he had power over me. After the initial panic, I controlled my emotions and tried to think strategically on what I should do. I could either run away down a path that I found when scanning the area with my eyes (and reassured myself that I used to be amongst the best sprinters and hurdlers at school) or stay in the situation and deal with it with the outcome that I wanted.

The Italian grabbed my hand, then smiled, and said, "Will you give me a kiss?".

Immediate repulsion! But I contained myself and laughed smilingly and lied, "Oh no... I can't. I have a boyfriend."

"I have a girlfriend too. She lives in Positano. But we are in Pogerola now. Different place," he insisted. (Soooo Italian).

This conversation went on for a bit longer and there was a point where he looked a bit angry as from his point of view, he had driven me up the mountain and deserved something in return.

Feeling really scared (but not showing it on my face), I rejected him in a friendly, playful way to not harm his ego and in the end, he actually drove me all the way to Pogerola, dropped me off and left without saying anything.

Although we learnt how to use our emotional intelligence in the workplace, the course also helped me work out how to manage my own emotions and be conscious of how I deal with other people socially. Having strong EQ in the workplace is said to lead to more open communication with subordinates, resolve conflicts with win-win situations, and make you more successful with coping with environmental demands.

It's been awhile...

Wow.

Its been awhile since I've updated my blog due to the fact that I had been travelling a lot and did not have the diligence to report on the immense amount of stories and serendipitous happenings in the past year.

As I sit in a quiet apartment in London (arrived yesterday... yes, I did get a bit sidetracked and was in other parts of the world before returning yesterday), I'll try to write about some of the stories in the past year.

I have been also putting it off because the experiences I had simply could not be put into words. As said in the book Life of Pi, "But language flounders in such seas".

However, I'll try to convey the best I can. And the great thing is - it's not over. I'm about to embark on another journey so will report on them too =)

Mel x