Fear is an illusion.Most of the things we fear never happen. Or if they do happen, they are rarely as bad as we fear they will be. For most of us, fear is the worst thing that will happen to us. Reality isn’t as painful.
Born in Portugal and educated in Switzerland, Cheila Reais Gibbs is a true citizen of the world, having traveled extensively and working in the hospitality industry in several countries, from Austria to the USA. It was during these travels that she acquired a true passion for quality luxury services and a love and desire for opening new and impactful venues.
Create Generate concept was built while Gibbs was working for the best hotel and restaurants in London. She identified a huge gap in the market for good operators in London and worldwide. Building an impressive roster, Gibbs’ first A to Z project was Terry Venables’ La Escondida Hotel in Spain, resulting in the nomination of one of the 15 best new hotels in the world within its first year of trading. The company is now currently working side-by-side with other renowned hoteliers and restaurateurs.
Create Generate has successfully opened, managed, and transformed some of the most talked-about restaurants, hotels, and members clubs, including Bistro du Vin, Soho House’s Dean Street Townhouse, Pizza East in Shoreditch and Notting Hill, Burger & Lobster, and West 36 — to name but a few.
Gibbs shows no signs of slowing down with multiple and continuing plans in the pipeline: returning from LA to open the AllBright Women’s Members Club. From being one of the main speakers at Pure Life Experience, appointed as F&B advisor at HIP Hotels offering support to the hotels on the F&B side of the business and most recently Gibbs was featured together with another 20 extraordinary women on the cover page of Passion Vista collector’s edition “Women Leaders to Look Up to in 2021” celebrating the spirit of womanhood.
Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: I was born in Portugal and educated in Switzerland, so you could say I am a true citizen of the world, having traveled extensively and having worked in the hospitality industry in several countries, from Austria to the USA. It was during these travels that I really acquired a true passion for quality luxury services and a love and desire for opening new and impactful venues.
The Create Generate concept was built while I was working for some of the best hotels and restaurants in the capital where I identified a huge gap in the market for good operators in London and worldwide. My first A to Z project was Terry Venables’ La Escondida Hotel in Spain, resulting in the nomination of one of the 15 best new hotels in the world within its first year of trading. We are now currently working side-by-side with Top restauranteurs and hoteliers worldwide; I am extremely proud of what we have achieved so far.
Was there somebody in your life that inspired you to take that specific journey with your business?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: I take inspiration from Michelle Obama, Richard Caring, Nick Jones, Indra Nooyi, the founders of AllBright, and Margret Hardenbroeck however, I am lucky enough to have several amazing people around me that inspire me daily.
Firstly – my teams; they must keep my pace, wake when I do, sleep when I do, act before I think, and always be on top of their game. I have a deep appreciation and genuine love for those that surround me.
Also, my husband – he truly grounds me and provides me with the encouragement and space I need to be a pioneer in hospitality consultancy. Our life is very busy, my husband is one of the top film sound supervisors, I work in a very fast-paced industry along with having two children (Pablo & Ellie ), and so my work-life balance is very important to me.
Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. What’s the worst advice you received?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: I think the worst advice I ever received, and one that I have heard a lot, is:
“Don’t jinx it.”
I never quite got my head around the idea of holding off on celebrating your wins or achievements. Why would you? Worst case scenario, you get to celebrate once. Best case scenario, you get to celebrate twice!
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: Through the years I have learned to put myself first so that I can be better for the days that roll into weeks and months, where days off are never an option. Sadly, and like many others, I have had to deal with prejudice, discrimination, and sexism, but I have never allowed that to define me, and it is a battle I believe I overcome with grace.
Being a man or a woman is not a factor in determining your commitment, knowledge, or understanding of a business or personal success. A fail-safe strategy to get ahead is to be flexible, open, and honest to what you can commit to. You do not get to be the best without being organized, assertive, and realizing that your best resource in a business is people. Your teams can be your biggest threat or your greatest blessing.
In the past, people wondered if I could lead and hold my own as a woman in business. This underestimation of my abilities became a secret weapon in my arsenal of tools for success. I remember starting on a multi-million-pound hotel & restaurant opening, sitting at the head of the table with
20 burly builders all looking perplexed; within the first five minutes of me speaking, they knew I had earned the right to sit there.
What is most important to your organization—mission, vision, or values?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: My biggest passion is mentoring young women who are a huge source of untapped business acumen. I make myself available to anyone who needs advice to develop their career or business – it is a true passion of mine.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: My business style is to be a coaching leader. Someone who can quickly recognize their team members’ strengths, weaknesses, and motivations to help each individual improve. I assist team members by setting goals and providing regular feedback with challenging projects. I find it helpful to have clear expectations and create a positive, motivating environment for my team.
Unfortunately, this style of leadership is often one of the most underused styles – largely because it can be more time-intensive than other types of leadership but I find it the most advantageous for both myself and my team.
How important do you think it is for a leader to be mindful of his own brand?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: Without self-awareness, leaders can appear a bit arrogant. If you cannot be personable or know when you are crossing a line, how can you possibly lead a company? The need for self-awareness extends to other business situations, too. Think about how crucial self-awareness is in giving sales pitches or handling feedback. For instance, if you are not aware of how you will react or do not have a way to prevent a negative reaction, you could end up getting yourself in trouble.
Self-awareness is also helpful for presentations. Many people get nervous when delivering pitches, speeches, or even notes at a meeting. However, self-awareness can help you in these situations. For example, ff you know you use too many filler words during presentations, practice your presentation and have someone clap every time you use a word you want to avoid. Or, if you tend to sway or pace while presenting, try to limit your ability to move by sitting down at the table with your client or even try using a podium. Self-awareness can lead to self-improvement in these areas.
How would you define “leadership”?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.
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What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: I have these pieces of advice to offer:
- Challenge yourself. My biggest motivation is to keep challenging myself, always. Treat life like one long university education, where you can learn more every day.
- Do work you care about. There’s no doubt that running a business takes a lot of time. Steve Jobs noted that the only way to be satisfied in your life is to do work that you truly believe in.
- Take the risk. We never know the outcome of our efforts unless we actually do it. Jeff Bezos said it helped to know that he wouldn’t regret failure, but he would regret not trying.
- Believe in yourself. As Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” Believe that you can succeed, and you’ll find ways through different obstacles. If you don’t, you’ll just find excuses.
- Have a vision. An entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a desire to create it. Keep your vision clear at all times.
- Take action. The world is full of great ideas, but success only comes through action. Walt Disney once said that the easiest way to get started is to quit talking and start doing. That’s true for your success as well.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Cheila Reais Gibbs: Fear is an illusion (mostly).
Most of the things we fear never happen. Or if they do happen, they are rarely as bad as we fear they will be. For most of us, fear is the worst thing that will happen to us. Reality isn’t as painful.
This interview was originally published on ValiantCEO.
