What is Optocentro’s latest development in the luxury segment?
The main goal we aim to achieve with this practice is not to target the luxury market, because strategically, our company has never sought to position itself there. We position ourselves in the service segment, and as a result, we end up having clients both upstream and downstream. The fact that we have a group of clients that requires us to create a more private and exclusive circuit within the company led us, given the current state of consumers and the restrictions we face, to create a more exclusive space with limited access. The main concept aims to highlight the relationship we have with the client, so that we can be the ones to refer people to this office. The client doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who spends a lot, but rather someone we want to reward with the distinction of being set apart. Hence the decor. The care taken with the space’s image is an attempt to create a distinct segment and service.
When will this space open to the public?
I’m restless by nature, even though I come across as a moderate and fairly calm person. Even before everything is finished, I’m already using the equipment and the space to serve clients. It’s important for clients to be involved in the evolution of processes within organizations, making them partners in the process and deepening our relationship so it stands the test of time.
When it comes to the classics, we don’t even have to think twice. These are brands like Cartier, Lindberg, or Silhouette. These are segments that, thanks to technological innovation or the rare materials used, deserve this distinction. Here, we’ll try to create an environment conducive to a more relaxed shopping experience, a more exclusive selection, and one that helps build trust with these customers.
Did the new space require a rethinking of logistics at Optocentro?
As the longest-tenured employee at this organization, I don’t actually have a fixed workspace
. After my last interview with ÓpticaPro, we acquired the upper floor, where I’m currently using a conference table to work. We use that space for training and meetings. It was an opportunity that arose; a 300-square-meter space, with consultation rooms taking up half the area, as well as a recreation area and cafeteria for our employees, in addition to a warehouse.
Was the space already getting too small?
Interestingly, the space is always too small. People’s lives have this aspect: we keep accumulating and adding things, and we end up feeling that space management is a determining factor in organizations—and particularly in Lisbon, given the price per square meter. Our logistics have improved immensely, since we gave up an office just 100 meters away and ended up centralizing all our services in this building.
The world moves forward, and we will continue to encounter and overcome obstacles over time. In fact, this is an ongoing process; there’s no way to say the work is all done and nothing more needs to be done. It’s like a relationship between a couple: you have to nurture it emotionally. Interpersonal relationships in companies are a source of emotional tension. Maintaining leadership involves establishing balance in that environment over time. It’s a constant learning process. To leave our mark, not only on the organization but also on the world, requires a great deal of nourishment, especially on an intangible level. But do you feel proud of your more than 30 years at the helm of Optocentro, or are you a perpetually dissatisfied person? Human ambition encompasses various levels of achievement that come to an end once they are realized. Necessity, society, the world, and the pace at which we live demand it; they ensure that challenges are constant and new projects keep emerging. The ambition is to always continue seeking the most appropriate path. I don’t believe that at 57 years old, and in a company that’s 35 years old, everything is done—especially since consumption habits change, as do expectations and even products, with new technologies. It is impossible to say that our ambition has ended. For me, ambition is not about material comfort, but about leaving that digital footprint that stems from the image others have of us and our work.
I have a vision of service that even I haven’t been able to fully realize. No matter how much we look at organizations and define them based on whether they provide good, average, or high-quality service, I believe that none of us have managed to put the true meaning of service into practice. At Optocentro, I believe we still have a lot of work to do to achieve service optimization. The concept is this: a customer sees a pair of glasses and thinks of Optocentro. When vision is mentioned, they think of us, or one of our professionals. We all have to work hard on these tools to achieve optimization, far beyond the technical aspects.
This echoes what you also mentioned in your last interview with our magazine: “What sets Optocentro apart is its high level of quality, combined with transparency and honesty.” Do you consider this to be your greatest contribution to the company?
Our personal imprint, as individuals with strong character, is not limited to a specific area. We must consider the company’s image and its values—values that extend beyond the company and into society, values acquired through family and education. A source of pride is that, even in the midst of this pandemic, our space is filled with customers. We strive to build customer loyalty not through a purely commercial mindset, but by conveying a sense of added value to the customer during the sale. This is an important factor in maintaining our balance as a company.
We haven’t been spared, naturally. We’ve suffered like everyone else; it’s had a global impact, but I’ve been certain of one thing from the start: I’ve always been convinced that we would remain open, providing services in person or remotely. I was always certain that, being a very traditional business tied to the trust of the two sectors where we operate well—retail and healthcare—the entire recovery process would be more consistent than in other retail sectors. The optical industry today, in general, is doing much better than most other retail sectors because it is a necessity. Other companies with similar values have managed to suffer less from this negative impact.
We’ll never go back to working the way we used to. There’s a variable here: we’ve all become aware that the normal course of life can be disrupted more easily than we imagined. Just look at what happened. We don’t know what unemployment will be like next year; economics isn’t an exact science, and the lack of jobs will be a key factor in determining economic trends in 2021.
Strange as it may seem, I’m always filled with a certain optimism, even though deep down we’re all afraid, because the future is more uncertain. This is a common problem, and we need common solutions. The limit would be the breakdown of society as a whole, and that certainly won’t happen. The most important thing is to try to cherish our customers; now is the time to continue looking at customers in a different way.
The program will continue into a second phase. The goals we’ve achieved are nowhere near what we had hoped to accomplish, but we’re still knocking on doors to achieve the results we aspire to. These government decisions aren’t easy; there are sectors far more complicated than ours, and this program will continue in the near future.
In 2018, he stated that “sometimes we face decisions that aren’t always voluntary; some are experiences we have to put to the test, and in which we may have to backtrack and take a different path, if necessary.” Is this ultimately a reflection of his parents’ love story—a couple from completely different backgrounds who fought for their relationship against all odds after meeting in Portugal?
Instinct leads us to make decisions like that. If we could control the future, we’d be much more pragmatic, and everything would work out much faster. Sometimes, we have to admit our mistakes and look for alternatives to find solutions. The important thing is to gain experience from walking those paths.
I once said that “I already knew Portugal even before I arrived,” through my grandmother and my mother. What do you mean?
My grandmother and mymother are true-blue Lisboners, and the stories I heard were always about Lisbon and Portugal, creating a mental image in my mind. Reality didn’t live up to my expectations, partly because Portugal was undergoing a transformation at the time, moving away from the Estado Novo toward a freedom that was still unknown. My school experience was what captured my attention the most.
Portugal is a racist country—let’s not beat around the bush. It’s a racism that runs deep
beneath the surface, and this behavior isn’t overt, because that wouldn’t be politically correct. We all have mild customs. I’m privileged because I grew up with my mother’s side of the family, so-called white people, and probably for that reason I realized late on that I wouldn’t be “white.” The truth is, I never directly experienced racist behavior toward me. But it’s true that some barriers existed. In fact, I turned my difference into a weapon. Both my last name and my appearance ended up being the privilege of difference. Deep down, we have to know how to turn our apparent weaknesses into our strengths.
As much as I have deep African roots, I am more Portuguese, with a hybrid mindset, because I’ve learned to see the world from a different perspective, outside of any particular group. Today, more than ever, we’ve come to understand the country we are, even though it may not seem like much is happening, but I must say that we have a lot to learn from these new movements that are emerging, such as “Black Lives Matter.”
