Student finances: how to manage money

Els diners formen part de la nostra vida des de ben petits. Amb les primeres monedes que posem a la guardiola, els diners que ens donen els avis per l’aniversari, la primera feina d’estiu, l’ajuda dels pares per comprar-nos els primers capricis… I de sobte, arriba la majoria d’edat i, entre molts d’altres canvis, per primera vegada tenim el control sobre els nostres diners. Però realment ens han ensenyat a gestionar-los? Serem capaços d’independitzar-nos, d’arribar a final de mes? La resposta és que, sens dubte, sí, controlar tot això està a les nostres mans, i només necessitem una mica d’organització per treure’n el màxim rendiment.

Per què necessito els diners?

El primer estereotip que hem de trencar respecte als diners és comparar-nos amb els altres. Calcular el que tenim o guanyem en funció del que té la gent del nostre entorn no és ni ser objectiu ni realista. Cadascú neix i creix dins un entorn determinat, en unes condicions sobre les quals rarament ha pogut influir. Si estàs estudiant i tot just comences a encaminar el que serà la teva vida, treu-te la pressió de sobre, perquè res està escrit, i l’important no és on comences sinó on pots arribar. Així doncs, el primer que ens cal fer és analitzar la situació actual i determinar el nostre objectiu a mitjà termini. No serà el mateix viure a casa dels pares i centrar-nos en els estudis que tenir la voluntat d’independitzar-nos, encara que per aconseguir-ho hàgim d’invertir part del nostre temps en treballar. Determinar això ens portarà a la següent pregunta: quants diners necessito per viure?

En aquest punt ja hem de començar a jugar amb les nostres finances i diferenciar les despeses fixes de les variables, tal com fan les empreses. Les fixes seran totes aquelles que tenim tant sí com no cada mes, com ara el lloguer del pis, el gimnàs, el preu de la targeta de transport o una subscripció a Spotify. En el cas de les variables, seran totes aquelles en què l’import pot variar d’un mes a l’altre en funció de les nostres necessitats. Per exemple, tot i que el menjar és imprescindible, no gastarem el mateix un mes que l’altre, i justament és un dels punts on podem retallar despesa. Amb això no ens referim a deixar de menjar o comprar els productes més econòmics del mercat, independentment de la seva qualitat. Més aviat ens referim a tot el contrari: apostar per un consum més responsable.

Com puc reduir la meva despesa mensual?

Només cal mirar l’entorn actual per veure que les tendències de consum, és a dir, el tipus de compra que fa la major part de la societat, està canviant, i cada vegada són més les persones que en comptes de comprar en grans superfícies industrialitzades busquen el producte de proximitat, més qualitat i menys quantitat. Aquests petits canvis ens permetran fer una compra amb consciència, prioritzant només els productes que necessitem i cuidant al mateix temps la nostra salut i economia. Algun exemple que podem aplicar a la nostra vida diària podria ser beure aigua en envasos reutilitzables (ampolles de vidre o metàl·liques) i evitar així la compra diària d’ampolles d’aigua, tot substituint-les per garrafes que són més econòmiques i ens duraran més temps.

El mateix podem fer a l’hora de la compra, portant la nostra bossa per evitar comprar bosses de plàstic. Un altre truc útil pot ser organitzar el nostre menú setmanal, per saber què menjarem cada dia i, per tant, què ens cal comprar. Ni més ni menys. Pel que fa a productes d’higiene, podem optar per paquets familiars, on hi ha més quantitat per menys preu, o bé alternatives com les pastilles de sabó o les copes menstruals que, més enllà de ser econòmiques, no generen residus. També existeixen botigues a granel on pots comprar només la quantitat que necessites, sigui de productes alimentaris o de neteja de la llar. Investiga la teva zona i busca l’opció que més s’adapti a la teva butxaca, recordant sempre que allò que s’ha fet sempre, o allò que fa la majoria, no sempre és la millor opció per tu.

Pel que fa al transport, també cal buscar aquest equilibri i valorar alternatives al transport privat, que suposa un cost més elevat si sumem gasolina, impostos, assegurança i reparacions. El transport públic o la bicicleta són dues opcions econòmiques que ens poden ajudar a controlar les nostres despeses al mateix temps que cuidem el medi ambient. Fins i tot en el moment de sortir de festa podem retallar despeses si actuem amb consciència. Reservar amb antelació, aprofitar ofertes i descomptes o marcar-nos la quantitat que volem gastar abans de començar la nit ens ajudarà a mantenir un cert control. Si aquesta última part és la més difícil, un truc pot ser portar en efectiu l’import que volem gastar. D’aquesta manera, no hi haurà marge de passar-nos de pressupost i això ens permetrà gestionar millor les sortides, sense gastar ni un euro més del que toca.

Controla la teva situació econòmica des del mòbil

Aquestes són algunes de les recomanacions que ens ajudaran a mantenir el control dels nostres estalvis, però la tasca important és analitzar la nostra situació particular i fer-nos les següents preguntes: de quins ingressos disposo? Quina quantitat he de destinar a despeses fixes? Què em queda per destinar a l’oci? Necessito estalviar de cara al futur?

Si una cosa tenim a favor, és que actualment existeixen aplicacions per gairebé tot. Controlar les nostres finances mai ha sigut tan fàcil. La majoria d’entitats financeres s’estan posant les piles des de fa anys perquè l’experiència del nou client digital sigui intuïtiva i àgil, de manera que en un sol clic tinguem a la nostra disposició tota la informació que desitgem, des del saldo total del compte (els diners de què disposem), fins a les despeses que hem realitzat amb la targeta, veient de manera gràfica on estem destinant la major part dels nostres diners. Això ens permetrà fer-nos una idea de la nostra situació actual i cap a on hem de dirigir els esforços futurs.

Treballar i estalviar, els dos grans aliats per tenir diners

Una eina clau per gestionar els nostres estalvis són les guardioles digitals, un espai del compte on posarem els diners que volem destinar a una activitat concreta. El funcionament n’és senzill: ens hem de proposar un objectiu, sigui un viatge o alguna cosa que volem comprar, i a partir d’aquí calculem quin import hauríem d’ingressar cada mes per aconseguir-lo. Cal buscar l’equilibri entre allò que desitgem i els nostres recursos actuals. Si volem més diners, haurem de treballar més. Si no podem treballar més, els haurem de gestionar de forma més eficient. Però, sigui quina sigui la nostra situació, prendre el control de les nostres finances i saber en tot moment què està passant al nostre compte corrent és indispensable.

L’últim consell és no perdre de vista que mai caminem sols. Tenim pares, familiars i molta gent al voltant que ens pot ajudar a entendre què significa tot allò que té a veure amb els diners, que, en definitiva, és entendre com funciona el món actual. Tenir el seu suport i seguir els seus consells serà un pilar indispensable perquè aquest primer contacte amb el món de les finances sigui clar i comprensible. Quan prenem el control dels nostres diners, estem prenent el control de la nostra vida.

11Onze és la comunitat fintech de Catalunya. Obre un compte descarregant la super app El Canut per Android o iOS. Uneix-te a la revolució!

One of the most important details when taking out home insurance is to calculate the value of the contents, that is, all the things we have at home. This will allow the insurer to compensate us in the event of a claim or theft.

A home insurance policy should include the value of the contents of the home, which includes furniture, household goods, valuables and jewellery. Calculating their value is easier than we think, as Sara Casals, junior product manager at 11Onze, explains.

The most advisable way to estimate the value of our belongings is to do it room by room, drawing up a list of all the goods and assigning a replacement value to each one of them, which is what it would cost us at the moment to buy the object on the market. We should bear in mind that the valuation of the contents will determine the price of the insurance, so it is not in our interest to value it above the real price, as this would increase the cost of the insurance.

Jewellery and valuable objects such as works of art have a special treatment and must be declared in their corresponding section. Furthermore, regarding this type of objects, “the level of cover that the insurer will offer us will be related to the security measures that we have in the home”, says Casals.

If you want to discover fair insurance for your home and for society, check 11Onze Segurs.

We have carried out a study of the costs of home insurance through a survey on the members of our community who are homeowners, with the aim of analysing the competitiveness of the product that we offer through 11Onze Segurs.

The survey was conducted by 11Onze through our Telegram channel with the participation of 279 users who responded to the question: “How much do you pay for your home insurance each year? They were given the option to choose from a range of prices ranging from €60 per year to more than €400.

The final data shows that 56% of users pay between €200 and €400 per year for their home insurance, while 22% spend between €100 and €200 per year. In addition, 18% pay more than €400 per year. These results are in line with the average annual price of home insurance in Spain, which is around €301 per year.

How much do you pay for your home insurance?

A more competitive alternative

At 11Onze Segurs we believe that you can reduce the cost of home insurance by optimising processes and personalising coverage. That’s why we have a completely digitalised platform, where we do away with paper contracts, physical agencies, management fees, cancellation and contract change fees, which is already a considerable saving, but we also let you modify and adapt the coverages to your needs at any time, before and after signing the contract.

In this way, we can offer you home insurance from €5 per month. Our policy is designed so that you do not pay more for your insurance, offering a monthly or annual fee, without permanence, between 15%-20% cheaper than with traditional insurers. What is the monthly cost of your current home insurance? Do you want to know how much you could save? Try our price simulator by entering some basic data, and you’ll get your no-obligation quote instantly.

If you want to discover fair insurance for your home and for society, check 11Onze Segurs.

To transform an idea into a business, it is essential to have a global vision of the business project. The Business Model Canvas is a strategic management tool that allows you to organise and visualise all the key aspects of a company. Xavi Viñolas, Content Manager at 11Onze, explains how to use it.

If we want to create a company, it is not enough to have a business idea and an entrepreneurial spirit. To find out if a business project is feasible, you have to create a business plan that takes into account all areas of the business over a long period, to analyse the feasibility of the project, defining the objectives and considering the drawbacks.

What is the Business Model Canvas

The Business Model Canvas is a template that allows us to analyse and visualise a business proposal or the opacities of an existing business in a clear, agile and simple way. This allows you to prevent the business objectives from being unclear, unrealistic, or inadequate.

It is also an ideal tool for creating innovative models to generate value for customers. As Xavi Viñolas explains, “It is a very useful tool to explain to potential investors or partners how our business provides value to the consumer and, at the same time, how this consumer creates value for our business”.

The 9 building blocks of the template

Alexander Osterwalder, the creator of the Business Model Canvas, explains the concept: “The best way to describe a business model is to break it down into nine basic building blocks that reflect the logic a business follows to achieve revenue. These nine building blocks cover the four main areas of a business: customers, offerings, infrastructure and economic viability”.

1. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS. That is, who is this business aimed at? Who is our customer? What is our market segment?
2. VALUE PROPOSITIONS. Quite simply, what products or services do you offer that create value for your customers? What makes us different?
3. CHANNELS. How is this product or service distributed? Is it an intangible product or service that you sell through an app or a website? Is it a product or service that has to be sold or provided through a physical shop or office?
4. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS. Here we describe what kind of relationships we have with our customers. Are we targeting a customer who will only buy from us once? Or do we have a business that is looking for a recurring customer, such as a subscription?
5. REVENUE STREAMS. How do we monetise the business – is it a direct sales proposition or a recurring subscription model? How do we price our product?
6. KEY RESOURCES. These can be your factory, your employees, intellectual property, things, or people that are essential to your business.
7. KEY ACTIVITIES. Activities that you do with the key resources and that are necessary to realise the value proposition: marketing, production, sales.
8. KEY PARTNERSHIPS. The people or organisations you need to execute your business model and produce value for your customers.
9. COST STRUCTURE. And finally, all this will cost you money, right? What fixed, and variable costs determine our business model? Is it a scalable model?

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Innovative ideas are vital for the evolution of a country’s economy. These ideas are also essential for start-ups’ growth, but obtaining money to develop them is not always easy for entrepreneurs. That is why we give you three tips to get started.

When we think of setting up a business, the first thing we think about is that we have to ask for money from a financial institution. Even so, obtaining the initial financing to start up a business from scratch can be a real hassle. They may tell us that we lack guarantees to repay the loan or credit we have requested and, in addition, they are going to demand a very elaborated project and a market study that defends our viability.

If we are talking about financing for companies, we may think of the ICO lines, promoted by the State, but applied by financial institutions, which have a limit on the funds to be granted. Once the money allocated to us for a specific period runs out, they cannot give us any more loans. Furthermore, this type of aid is not specifically aimed at entrepreneurs.

First tip: look for programmes for entrepreneurship

The public sector, aware of emerging companies’ difficulties, has lately been implementing different aids and programmes for those wanting to start up in the business world. These aids emphasize groups that are more vulnerable or have more obstacles to achieving their objectives, such as women and young people.

As with any procedure involving the public administration, it turns long and complicated to try to apply for these programmes that help us to start up our business. But, if we are very clear about the project, we must seek the funding we need by all available means. Nowadays, there are grants of all kinds. So we will only have to look for one that fits us like a glove.

Second tip: separate the wheat from the chaff and ask for help

However, separating the wheat from the chaff in these grants can be a complex exercise, because our ideas cannot always be categorized in the pre-established classifications. But surely some programme will be close enough to what we hope for, and we will be able to present our project. In any case, in the administrations there are advisory services, such as Barcelona Activa or Creacció, which have a specific programme for entrepreneurship, although it is only a support.

We must bear in mind that there are programmes that select projects on a competitive basis, such as the INNOTEC programme, which co-finances research and development (R&D) projects up to 70%. There are others that simply help us with tax issues, to reduce costs. They can be very useful, even though paying less tax probably is not going to help us get the project we have in mind off the ground. The important thing is that there is a wide range of options, especially if our fields are innovation and environmental improvement.

On the other hand, the European Union has also developed programmes such as the EU Recovery Plan, within which we find the European funds for digital and ecological transformation, and, more specifically, an exceptional instrument to finance European reactivation after the pandemic. It is the so-called Next Generation EU, endowed with 750,000 million euros, and divided into different calls that include more specific objectives, such as female entrepreneurship.

Because women undertake almost 50% of the initiatives in Spain, according to the GEM Spain 2018-2019 report, which shows that the rate of female entrepreneurial activity has not stopped growing, thus narrowing the gender gap. For this reason, we can find aid and incentive plans exclusively for women, such as Emprenedores Digitals.

Third tip: the key is perseverance

Within this complex world of financing for start-ups, there are initiatives such as the Esmorzars de Finançament, promoted by the Agència per la Competitivitat de l’Empresa (ACCIÓ), which aim to put entrepreneurs in contact with potential investors, the so-called “angel investors”.

To start up a business, a revolutionary idea, it has always been necessary to have a patron who believes in the project, as much or more than we do ourselves. But if it has not yet appeared, we cannot give up. Remember: if the best-known inventors in human history had not persevered, we would not have achieved the breakthroughs and milestones we have collectively achieved. As the famous illustrator Walt Disney said: “All dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them“.

If you want your business to make a giant leap, use 11Onze Business. Our business and freelancer account is now available. Find out more!

The evolution of the qualities that define a good leader cannot be analysed independently of the transformation of society over time. Pilar Oltra, 11Onze agent, analyses how the concept of leadership has changed over the course of history.

Classical leadership, which prevailed from time immemorial until the 19th century, prioritised values such as bravery, strength, shrewdness and even ‘respect’ through fear. Today, concepts such as empathy, or the difficulty of maintaining the motivation and commitment of employees, take centre stage when it comes to defining a good leader.

As Oltra explains, nowadays, a leader “develops his activity from vulnerability, analysing his strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities, as well as his values, emotions and beliefs”, which is fundamental to awaken the positive feelings of his collaborators.

Emotional intelligence

The ability to recognise one’s own and other people’s feelings and to connect appropriately with other people, known as emotional intelligence, helps us to resolve conflicts, to be more empathetic and to communicate effectively. “It makes leadership increase individual, team and organisational performance,” says the 11Onze agent.

A good leader has to be able to combine the achievement of tasks with behaviour oriented towards facilitating relationships between people. As Oltra explains, “leaders are needed to meet business objectives, but also to be skilled enough to involve their teams so that they feel equally inspired”.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

The framing effect is a cognitive bias according to which the same information, presented in different ways, can lead us to different conclusions. Lara de Castro, from the Human Resources team at 11Onze, explains how this distortion of perception can affect our day-to-day decisions.

We all like to think that when it comes to making a decision or a choice we follow our criteria with a certain objectivity, but as Lara de Castro explains, “our critical thinking is not as impartial as we think it is, but rather we respond according to how the question is posed to us”.

There are countless examples of how cognitive bias determines people’s decision-making. It is a cognitive framework where people decide on one option or the other depending on whether the options are presented with positive or negative connotations. For example, if you have to undergo surgery, and you have to sign a document to give your consent: if you are told that there is a 90% chance that it will go well, you are more likely to sign the document than if you are told that there is a 10% chance that it will go badly.

Taking advantage of this intrinsic cognitive bias in people based on how the brain makes comparisons between positive vs. negative, loss vs. gain, better vs. worse, etc., makes it easier for “people, governments and companies that dominate communication to do what they want with us”, says de Castro.

De Castro makes a reflection in this sense: “If we focus on the world of finance, this bias is even scarier, because it suggests that the decisions you make in relation to your personal finances are determined by the way the question is posed, and by whom it is posed”. Hence, the importance of financial education, as being informed is the only antidote that has been shown to be effective against marketing techniques that exploit cognitive bias to influence our decision-making.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

Et farem deu recomanacions perquè puguis gaudir de les teves vacances i estalviar en les reserves i en moltes coses més.

Enguany s’espera que un gran nombre de persones facin les vacances els mesos de juliol, però tindrem diners per a les nostres vacances tan desitjades? Segur que tots estem pensant en l’estiu i, per tant, en les vacances. Molts de vosaltres ja teniu al cap on voleu viatjar, però esteu esperant noves recomanacions per saber si finalment podrem agafar un avió i gaudir d’una desconnexió merescuda.

Les vacances són necessàries per a fer un reset, gaudir dels nostres, cosa que és molt necessària, i recarregar les piles per a tornar a la feina amb el cap serè. També és un moment en què intentem no estar tan pendents de les despeses: solem fer excessos als àpats, en comprar-nos allò que sabem que no trobarem a la nostra ciutat i aprofitem per a anar a aquell hotel que tant ens venia de gust. Per això, us expliquem alguns consells per a estalviar en vacances, i que la tornada al setembre sigui més tolerable i sense maldecaps.

1. Estalvia a un any vista sempre que puguis. El primer pas recomanable és crear un pressupost estimat de l’import que penses invertir en la teva pròxima destinació i així poder crear un pla d’estalvi a un any vista. El mètode més còmode és obrir un compte d’estalvi o moneder al teu banc i fer-hi una transferència automàtica mensual de manera recurrent; així, abans de començar les vacances ja tindràs la quantitat estalviada que et permetrà fer-les sense despeses imprevistes.
2. Reserva anticipada. El món en línia ens proporciona una alta oferta de preus. A més, si tens la possibilitat de tenir les dates de les teves vacances confirmades a l’inici de l’any, podràs estalviar molts diners, obtindràs millors preus al teu bitllet d’avió, tren, o el transport que vulguis. Com més aviat el reservis, molt millor! I el mateix ocorrerà amb l’hotel, inclús et recomanem que reservis en aquell restaurant que has estat seguint per Instagram, mitjançant aplicacions que ofereixen descomptes molt interessants, fins i tot del 50%. És important que revisis a les teves reserves les despeses de cancel·lació, per si fos necessari.
3. Aprofita l’esmorzar. Tothom sap que l’esmorzar és l’àpat més important del dia i que és necessari per a grans caminades. Fes ús de l’esmorzar si està inclòs en les teves nits d’hotel i prepara’t i menja com un rei, aprofita i emporta’t una fruita per a mig matí per si et ve la gana abans que arribi el dinar.
4. Planifica els llocs. Si t’encanta fer una presentació del teu pròxim viatge i compartir-la amb la resta de la gent amb qui hi aniràs, estàs de sort, perquè aquesta és una altra manera d’estalviar diners. Si fas un llistat dels indrets que vols visitar, tens l’opció d’entrar al seu lloc web i fer-ne la reserva. Hi podràs trobar promocions, inclús, si sou diverses persones, us podreu beneficiar de descomptes per grup. A més, tenint el tiquet comprat és possible que fins i tot eviteu llargues cues per a adquirir-lo.
5. Canvi de divises. Tot i que la cotització de les monedes no es pot controlar, abans de canviar diners, consulta-ho amb el teu banc de confiança unes setmanes abans del teu viatge, per a informar-te si és millor esperar als dies abans la sortida. En molts casos, la recomanació serà fer-ho a l’aeroport, car les cases de canvi tracten d’oferir-hi el millor canvi. Una cosa important, en cas que durant el teu viatge vulguis fer les teves compres amb targeta de crèdit, és que canviïs una quantitat, encara que sigui petita, per si sorgeix qualsevol imprevist (tiquet de tren, propina, etc.).
6. Ús moderat de targetes. Com hem esmentat, quan estàs de vacances, l’últim en què vols pensar és en el que t’estàs gastant, però gairebé sempre tenim algun excés… Intenta aplicar les recomanacions que t’hem fet fins al moment i mira d’evitar al màxim l’ús de les targetes de crèdit si no està planificat dins les teves prioritats. En el moment serà una compra impulsiva, però després t’arribarà una suma important de despeses.
7. Ruta en carretera. Si la teva opció vacacional és agafar el cotxe i recórrer alguns pobles del teu voltant, utilitza el GPS, que sempre et recomana la millor ruta perquè evitis fer quilòmetres innecessaris i, per tant, estalviar en benzina. Visitar destinacions prop de casa és una opció molt recomanable; sovint oblidem els meravellosos indrets que tenim prop de la nostra ciutat i que podem visitar sense agafar un avió.
8. Evita restaurants turístics. Planifica bé el teu temps i, quan visitis algun lloc determinat, si és en una zona turística, evita les hores punta per a dinar o sopar: normalment, els restaurants d’aquestes zones solen ser d’escassa qualitat i d’alt cost. És preferible caminar quatre passes i cercar alternatives de llocs que solen freqüentar els locals, preguntar a la recepció de l’hotel, al taxista i, per descomptat, mirar les opcions que trobaràs als cercadors d’Internet.
9. Contracta free tours. Busca’ls als centres de les grans ciutats o pregunta-ho a aquell amic que viatja molt, que segur que n’ha utilitzat. Són guies turístics que et fan un recorregut per la ciutat explicant-te un munt de coses molt interessants sense una tarifa concreta. Si t’agrada, és optatiu deixar-li una propina.
10. Finança les teves vacances. Si ha estat un any difícil i alguns dels consells que hem esmentat no els has pogut seguir, com ara fer una previsió anticipada, no renunciïs a uns merescuts dies de descans, troba la teva agència de viatges més propera i finança aquell viatge que tanta il·lusió et fa; també pots fer la consulta al teu banc i ampliar la teva targeta de crèdit per a poder fer front a les despeses o demanar un petit préstec que aniràs pagant còmodament mes a mes.

L’estiu ja és aquí. Aprofita aquestes recomanacions i comença a somniar despert. I recorda, de la quantitat que t’hagis fixat per al teu gaudi, divideix-la entre els dies de vacances i no gastis més del previst.

11Onze és la comunitat fintech de Catalunya. Obre un compte descarregant la super app El Canut per Android o iOS. Uneix-te a la revolució!

Arriba l’estiu i molts ja comencen a planificar les vacances per poder desconnectar de la rutina fent un viatge o marxant uns dies fora de la residència habitual. Tanmateix, abans de deixar la casa sola hem de tenir en compte alguns aspectes importants per evitar sorpreses a la tornada.

La tornada a la normalitat després de la crisi sanitària va ser motiu d’alegria per a molts ciutadans que finalment podien gaudir de les vacances d’estiu sense restriccions, però també va engrescar a les persones propenses a la cleptomania, a les quals el virus havia trastocat la seva línia de ‘negoci’ habitual.

Els sinistres per robatori en plena pandèmia es van reduir un 23,5% respecte al 2019, però durant els últims dos anys ens hem anat apropant a les xifres prèvies a les restriccions de moviment. En els períodes vacacionals i caps de setmana els robatoris als habitatges solen augmentar i, segons un estudi d’Unespa, Catalunya, amb un 58%, és la comunitat autònoma on tens més probabilitat de patir un robatori a la llar.

Així doncs, et volem donar uns senzills consells que pots seguir per evitar un robatori a casa teva mentre ets fora de vacances o, si més no, pal·liar-ne les possibles conseqüències.

Precaucions bàsiques abans de marxar

• No deixis objectes de valor en llocs fàcilment accessibles. Si no tens una caixa forta, és preferible portar-los a una empresa especialitzada per emmagatzemar-los abans d’amagar-los per algun racó de la casa. Si això no és possible, apunta el número  de  sèrie, la  marca i el model dels objectes per facilitar la seva identificació en cas de robatori.
• Avisa a alguna persona de confiança de la teva absència perquè reculli la correspondència o apugi i abaixi persianes amb certa freqüència, però evita comentar-ho a tots els veïns o publicar-ho a les xarxes socials.
• Assegura’t de tancar bé les portes, finestres, obertures a patis interiors i el garatge. No t’oblidis de posar l’alarma. Tot i això, intenta que l’habitatge sembli ocupat amb l’ajuda d’una persona de confiança que hi pugui entrar de tant en tant o amb un sistema de domòtica que et permeti programar l’engegat i apagat dels llums de la llar.
• No  deixis  cap missatge al contestador automàtic del mòbil o del telèfon fix indicant que  ets  fora. Sempre pots  activar el  desviament  de  trucades o respondre als missatges quan tinguis accés a wifi si estàs fora d’Europa i no vols gastar diners en trucades.
• Una assegurança de la llar amb cobertura per robatori és una opció molt recomanable. Cal tenir en compte que també ens protegeix davant d’imprevistos, com una fuita d’aigua, i pot oferir cobertures en cas d’okupació o robatori a persones fora de la llar.

A la tornada, en cas de robatori

• No dubtis a trucar immediatament a la policia o al telèfon d’emergències 112 si sents sorolls dins de casa o trobes portes o finestres forçades. 
• Posa’t en contacte amb la teva assegurança i tingues a punt l’inventari d’objectes sostrets.
• Formalitza la denúncia i avisa al teu banc si sospites que s’han emportat un ordinador o qualsevol altre suport digital que pogués contenir informació rellevant sobre les teves dades financeres, de manera anul·lin les contrasenyes d’accés a la banca en línia.

Si vols conèixer una assegurança justa per a la teva llar i per a la societat, descobreix 11Onze Segurs.

In general, in organisations, the leadership that has stood out is that of the charismatic leader. A leader who convinces, mobilises and usually has an ego of considerable dimensions. A leader who is cold, not very approachable, who does not care about the mental well-being of his team. He wants a job, a job well done and for the company or enterprise in question to keep going. But true leadership, the kind that brings positivity and benefits everyone in a subtle and influential way for the good of others, is also the kind that gets the best results. But it attracts little attention.

We have all admired a leader who displays confidence and self-esteem (perhaps only apparent, but credible). We have read about it in books, seen it in films and even spent time with such authorities. This, however, need not be the only leadership that works and is effective. In fact, a true leader is one who creates authority around his or her work and who does not understand hierarchies or power. The noise of this “silent leader” is not visible because it does not exist. He or she does not seek the limelight, and even accepts it with a certain resignation. The way to discover one of them is to talk to people close to them, who are eager to tell you about their good qualities.

An authority built on respect for others

Without wanting to be exhaustive, we could list a few characteristics and perhaps discover that we have such a person in our midst. The silent leader rolls up his sleeves to work and make an effort (he gets up very early, very early, and perhaps goes to bed very late, very late to be with the family or to lend a hand in some cause). He makes demands on himself and, to the same extent, he also makes demands on others. He assumes responsibility, even when he has not been the one who has directly made the mistake. We could say that he socialises the profits and keeps the losses (unlike some managers of failed investment banks, who socialised the losses and appropriated the profits. They clearly did not practice silent leadership. Well, maybe when they left with a million-dollar severance package they tried not to make a lot of noise, not rattling the coins, but this exposed silence does not count.

In fact, in the current times where corruption seems to trot unchecked, some voices are calling for more controls to limit the abusive behaviour of those in charge of organisations and politicians. Formal controls are attractive and simple logic leads us to believe that more controls create more control. Such thinking can be called an “illusion of control”. And we have all deluded ourselves at one time or another, dreaming that laws and formalities would prevent four cats from collectively picking our pockets. But no, formal controls cannot guarantee a definitive solution. In fact, they can make things so complex that they put us in a web of formalities that paralyse any action while four cats are looking for a way to find a loophole in the complexity so they can continue to abuse.

And perhaps more controls would be placed on the paperwork ordeal by honest managers. Some formal control is necessary and indicates the good health of the organisation, but wanting to avoid any lack of control is pathological. What do we prefer: to avoid any abuse or to encourage and value its correct use?

Part of our team

Let us return to our leader. Very often he practises by example. He says, “we do this”, and it’s on. No excuses. He is a team player, he has a sense of community. He takes care of the relationships between his collaborators, in fact, there is a real concern for how their work and their life is going. He wants their wellbeing, in capital letters, behind each employee he sees a person. And he trusts. Sometimes he has trust in their possibilities beyond what each of us belief in ourselves, helping to develop the talent that we all have latent. All of us when we are faced with a job for the first time think, will I know enough? Well, he or she encourages and gives room for error, they see the effort behind those who want to work. He or she notices that we all like to do our bit and receive praise or a slap on the wrist punctually.

Everyone finds a small ego in him. We won’t say he doesn’t have one, we’d be lying (and he’d tell us so). But as he knows himself, he only lets him decide minor things. And he apologises and accepts criticism. He does and can take it, he is not offended and does not feel threatened by talent. On the contrary, he wants talented people, and he knows what to say in front of everyone: the merit belongs to Joseph or Mary, or to everyone a little bit. And above all, above all, he is silent and gentle.

If only we could all make this kind of person fashionable in companies. We would all be a little happier and perhaps we would work better. Don’t be afraid of your superior, this will not make the worker in question more productive, it will only lead to apathy towards him/her and towards the job. I hope that if you ever meet a “silent leader”, you will praise him or her from time to time, even if he or she does not like praise very much. Don’t let them lose heart.

11Onze is becoming a phenomenon as the first Fintech community in Catalonia. Now, it releases the first version of El Canut, the super app of 11Onze, for Android and Apple. El Canut, the first universal account can be opened in Catalan territory.