PA ‘s dixit

My name is Cristina and I’m a PA. This is how I present myself, with my name and my profession, which is part of me in an innate way. Jobs are done, professions are loved.

For some years, I dedicated myself to the hotel sector, always searching for the part closest to dealing with the client. It seemed impossible to me, to simply do a role, listen, repeat, nod and do what was expected of me. Little by little, I got in touch with more exclusive contacts, in the sense of dealing with high demanding profiles. There I really saw how the price is not only the size of the product or contracted service, but the attention and dedication that the professional shows. I offered time, dedication and a good experience! I always wanted more, to be more useful to clients, to assist them in everything necessary. I was able to do this and still enjoy it at Alberta La Grup.

Without specific training (it does not exist) I was forging the skills and abilities necessary… Every day you learn!

The Lifestyle Institute is born, a pioneering school for the creation of a Personal Assistant, Concierge service and Lifestyle.

The Lifestyle Institute was born in Barcelona to train the Personal Assistants of the 21st century. Students who start their training and professionals who are looking to re-invent themselves and members of the public in general that want to acquire or amplify their knowledge in Lifestyle.

by Elena Castelló | Press The Lifestyle Institute | 3rd December, 2019

TLI is the first school in Europe of lifestyle, personal assistants and concierge service; it has been founded to prepare professionals of the twenty first century to become professionals at an international level.

TLI emerged in a vibrant and sophisticated environment, Barcelona, a modern and refreshing city, known for its vanguardista vision and its international lifestyle, its cultural richness and affluence of its visitors from all areas of the globe. Barcelona is the ideal place to inspire students of TLI, who will be trained with highly demanding professionals in contact with clients of the highest purchasing level, the so-called top 1%.

How did The Lifestyle Institute begin?

The idea for a high quality professional training center where students can train in Personal Assistants, Concierge and Lifestyle of the future came from the mind of Lourdes Carbó, founder and director of Alberta La Grup. Lourdes has spent 20 years developing her work in the field of Personal Assistants, from being the executive to the senior manager of the family businesses and companies, Lourdes has led Alberta La Grup. After 10 years of working as a Personal Assistant in a family business, she started her own project, Alberta La Grup, the first Spanish company specialized in professional Personal Assistance, Lifestyle Management and Concierge services, which also provides unique travel experiences. It´s services are aimed at clients of high and very high purchasing power, a social elite in which having spare time is a privilege.

Alberta La Grup operates in London, Geneva, New York and Dubai. In 2017, it was chosen as one of the top four agencies of Luxury Concierge in the world by the Portfolio International magazine.

Lourdes Carbó realized the lack of an international training school that opened the way for professionals of the future. “Throughout all these years in the business, we have realized that there is a gap in the professional school market,” explains Lourdes Carbó.  “That is why we decided to start our own school. That is how The Lifestyle Institute was born.” With its impeccable training and study program, The Lifestyle Institute is a spin-off of the ultra-personalized and retailer spirit of Alberta La Grup.

What exactly makes a good Personal Assistant?

We have designed our programs to answer this question. Thanks to them, our students will discover that being a Personal Assistant is not only a profession, but also a lifestyle. Those whom we have renamed as Personal Angels®.

What training can be obtained in The Lifestyle Institute?

In TLI we will impart high level training to prepare students to acquire the competencies, skills and aptitudes that permit them to become first class Personal Assistants for the social elite and international leaders. Who we have renamed Personal Angels®. A postgraduate of 288 teaching hours, 3 modalities (2, 4 and 8 months) and a reduced number of 14 students per every edition. This timeframe allows students to follow the whole course or in months, until the duration is completed.

In addition to the First Postgraduate of Personal Assistantship, students can study many topics related to lifestyle thanks to a wide range of short courses – Capsules-, as well as summer courses, intensive courses and immersion courses which last a few days, and are open to students of all levels and the general public. Many of these courses are designed for visitors who can also get to know the city.

TLI also enables its students to get in touch with the most prestigious Personal Assistants in the world – some of them working under the command of well-known businessmen and celebrities – who give master classes and are part of our circle of experts and “Influencers”.

TLI was born with an international profile and both the PA Postgraduate Program and classes will be taught in three languages: Spanish, English and French.

The contents of the Program

The Postgraduate´s Personal Assistant Program includes everything from the identification and the different functions of a Personal Assistant to an exploration on luxury, looking at time management, training and management of domestic staff, multitasking, private client culture, 137 skills and capabilities of a PA, emotional intelligence for PAs, management of high level contacts, social manners & cultural codes, yacht etiquette, etics in luxury, Luxury and its shadows, the art of serving, client relationship Dos and Dont’s, UHNWI lifestyles, symbols of social status, how to manage UHNWIs lifestyle, Philanthropy, global residency management, apps and AI for PAs, Travel managing for the 1%, social protocol, constructing a personal brand, etiquette within an international world of businesses or the art of seducing a negotiation or a telephone conversation.

The themes of the intensive and immersion courses range from the different cultures of luxury, the art of giving, training of domestic staff, protocol for children, packaging gifts, styling a table, the optimization of resources in everyday life or an introduction to the art of collecting or wrapping…it total there are 140 courses.

Our students will be trained as professionals in excellence, with a passion for an urban lifestyle, a multitasking ability, they will also obtain a total ´connection´ with the private client and an impeccable personal ethic of confidentiality and ultra-personalized service, which is both efficient and has an exquisite attention to detail.

Who is our Postgraduate’s Program for?

The Postgraduate Program is directed at men and women, of all nationalities, that want to start a professional career, or for professionals that want to heighten and update their knowledge, but also for professionals of other areas that want to reinvent themselves and entrepreneurs that want to start a new business.

The selection and admission of the students will be highly demanding in order to achieve a reduced number of students (up to 14) so that training and specialization is of the highest quality. The Postgraduate has three modalities (2, 4 or 8 months duration) and courses will be face to face, but they can also be online. The courses will be taught in English, French and Spanish.

Not just an investment of a training but a profesion

An International job exchange. The candidates don’t simply invest in a training, but in a profession, because TLI will guide them from the first moment they are admitted, to get a job according to their capabilities and expectations, thanks to the PA’s only head hunting services and agreements we have established with leading international recruitment agencies. The very extensive postgraduate programme is one of its kind in Europe, and it prepares the students for a profession that is relatively new for some people, but highly rewarding and equally gratifying.

Much more than a school of prestige

TLI wants to be much more than a prestigious school. It wants to convert itself in a space of multifunctional meetings where debates and events are held and many more activities related with the lifestyle sector.

There is also an Observatory of market trends and reports, to provide intelligent tools for all lifestyle brands and products (big and small businesses)

TLI will also organize professional events where inspiration and information is found. TLI has the intention to convert itself into a “think tank” on lifestyle and the workforce of professionals who are dedicated to it. It wants to be the epicenter of a community of professionals centered on the 21st century lifestyle. Also, TLI will hold days of reflection to share professional experiences, facilitate “networking” and celebrate “pop-up-events” with recognized luxury brands.

If you wish to re-print this article or photos, that’s fine. Just include the biography at the end of the article. Thank you! Copyright © by The Lifestyle Institute

PA: Personal Assistant, Personal Angel

A different philosophy. “Without a doubt, our philosophy of work is different.” Lourdes Carbó claims.

by Elena Castelló | Editorial Alberta La Grup | December 2018

Lourdes Carbó, founder and director of Alberta La Grup, had a great intuition: a “personal assistant” is like a personal guardian, an “angel”. Just like in the finance world where we speak about “business angels” – the figure who helps entrepreneurs start their business investments and supports them – a “personal assistant” is much more than merely an “assistant”: it is an “all round helper”, who watches over their client. Therefore, Lourdes has created the expression “personal angels”. “We wanted to deepen the the scope of the concept of a personal assistant.” explains Lourdes Carbó. The quality of service at Alberta La Grup and their 360 degree attention requires a new title.

“There is no law establishing what the functions of a “personal assistant” are. But, our work provides a much broader vision of their tasks. Therefore, our professionals are “Personal Angels”. What type of work defines a “personal angel”? From receptionist to managers secretay or secretary of the department, up to “Office Manager” or “Executive Assistant”. A “Personal Angel” does more than just organising travel, answering phone calls or managing important documents” adds Lourdes Carbó. A “Personal Angel” also carries out all the personal affairs for a client. It is a complex job that requires a lot of sensitivity and intuition.

The right hand

A “personal angel” is a professional with compete confidentiality, the first person to go, because they are the person you confide in more than anyone, to resolve all aspects of your personal and professional life, and because they are the most capable of doing so, as if it was done by the client themselves: this is one of the definitions that Lourdes Carbó likes the most. “Yes, a personal angel is your absolute right hand” she explains. “They are the figure that you delegate any management to”  Therefore, their work goes beyond the agenda, flights, calendar, calls or bureaucratic procedures. They also tackle more personal tasks, medical appointments, leisure… “They are like the eyes and the hands of the client” says Lourdes, “Always by your side to coordinate and execute.”

An endless list…

The attitudes and capacities that a “personal angel” that can develop when working with a demanding client are infinite. They have to deal with not only their intellectual, but also their psychology. The “personal angel” is always available to respond in the best way. At Alberta La Grup we have complied up to 137 skills and abilities that characterise what this means. Listed below are only a few of them: Good manners, diplomacy, discretion, confidentiality, a good memory, the ability to multitask, multilingual training, complete availability, – especially to travel-, ability to react quickly, have a network of contacts.. These are characteristics that you learn with good training and experience, but that are also part of a persons character and personality, such as emotions, self control, the capacity to organise and anticipate, the intuition to understand situations and capture the needs of the client.

A “Guardian Angel”

Our “personal angel” watches over and cares for their client (like an angel does, of course!) How? Putting their needs first and looking after their interests. “A “personal angel” is always one step ahead, says Lourdes. Negotiating to obtain the best possible results. Therefore, it is essential when defining them to use words such as fidelity, honesty, and above all, loyalty.

What are the clients like who demand a “personal angel”?

At Alberta La Grup, we work, above all with personal and private needs. We take care of the organisation of private trips, medical appointments, family agendas, domestic life, activities for children, the international arrival of guests, extensive changing rooms or private celebrations…”We travel with the children, we know who has an allergy, what they like”, describes Lourdes. “A good “personal angel” can get to know all the brands and models of private planes and helicopters. Or the Jimmy Choo collection from the past three years. Not an expert in fashion, but has the right contacts.”

A good contacts list

Therefore, a “personal angel” responds daily, getting rid of stress.The everyday life of a “personal angel” is a permanent challenge, but the preparation and professionalism allows them to resolve everything efficiently and without nerves. The key aspect: a “personal angel” always knows where to find the necessary information. From where to repair a delicate piece of jewellery for a family, to where to find fencing classes, the best flowers in the city or to make a reservation in the most demanded restaurant at the moment.

Implication within a discreet and intelligent distance

A “personal angel” is always accessible and has a very close relationship with their client – which is essential, given that they manage confidential information-, but at the same time, they know that they do not belong in the environment. Between closeness and intimacy there is a fine line which you must not cross, and a “personal angel” knows this very well.  “I always say that we are like ballerinas, because we enter, tip-toeing into a house, but we are not part of it.” says Lourdes.The formula: you have to distance yourself to not lose the perspective, whilst being close enough to understand the necessities of the client. It is only in this way that the results will be impeccable.

If you wish to re-print this article or photos, that’s fine. Just include the biography at the end of the article. Thank you! Copyright © by Alberta La Grup

What is a Personal Assistant?

“Many clients don’t want to seem rich, but rather express their personality and feel emotions.”  Gilles Lipovetsky, in the introduction to La fórmula del lujo (The Luxury Formula) by Susana Campuzano

by Elena Castelló | Editorial Alberta La Grup | February 2020

To better understand what a Personal Assistant is, we can start by discussing luxury itself. With their discreet and efficient demeanour, the Personal Assistant becomes a somewhat vague figure whom nobody is quite sure what exactly it is that they do.

Do they help manage paperwork?

Do they organize the day-to-day tasks of someone’s professional and domestic life?

Are they in charge of all those small details that someone with a very busy life can’t take care of?

The answer to all these questions is yes, but a Personal Assistant is so much more than that: their mission is to make all the experiences that a client has stored in their imagine possible.

Creating time so that the client can live each moment with maximum intensity. The classic values – exclusivity, excellence, the private client philosophy, attention to detail, sense of urgency and discretion are at the crux of what a Personal Assistant does in in their daily work (which is why at Alberta La Grup we refer to them as Personal Angels).  But it is also vital for them to search for sensations, emotions and the pleasure in every moment. A Personal Assistant is not only there to help, they are there to create dreams. They perfectly embody luxury in the way that we have come to understand it today: experiential, exciting, precise and well informed. However, if we look at the evolution of luxury over the last century, we can also understand what the true essence of a Personal Assistant is and why at Alberta La Grup, we refer to them as Personal Angels.

Quality, exclusivity, innovation, tailor-made care and high prices: these are the elements that define luxury, according to what researcher Susana Campuzano explains in her book, La fórmula del lujo (The Luxury Formula). In the beginning, with the focus being on haute couture, it wasn’t difficult to identify these values. The world of luxury was directed solely towards the social elite, who wanted tailor-made products that were completely handcrafted. This remains much the same today and lives on in the DNA of the greatest brands, which have nowadays become century-old institutions. The definition of luxury, however, has become somewhat more complex. The need to adapt to a globalized market and earn the trust of new millennial clients is paramount to keep progressing and not get stuck in the past with the older generations, meaning that with their long-serving elegance, the big brands have started to seek out new strategies. With this change, ‘new luxury’ was born in the sense that a product alone is no longer enough; clients have changed their perception and the kind of things that they long for.

Choosing a brand means feeling identified with the story that they have created, which nowadays is a message of experience, imagination and, on occasion, defiance, much in line with the culture of the younger generations of today. Of course, the classic values of luxury still have their place, but without this new kind of philosophy, they would lose their touch. It is essential to demonstrate a lifestyle that takes the consumer away from the habitual and allows them to become the protagonist in their own story; the hero of their own life.

And this is where a Personal Assistant’s work lies: in earning trust, fulfilling wishes, making life easier and bringing what is most longer for to life.

Could there be more of a dream job than this? Without a doubt, the answer is no.

If you wish to re-print this article or photos, that’s fine. Just include the biography at the end of the article. Thank you! Copyright © by Alberta La Grup

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Mayordomos del S.XXI

Personal Assistant
“No oirá nada ni verá nada, sólo servirá”.  “El mayordomo” Lee Daniels (2013)

por Elena Castelló | editorial Alberta La Grup | Febrero 2020

El anciano Cecil Gaines, interpretado por el actor Forest Whitaker, rememora en la película “El Mayordomo”, de Lee Daniels, su vida en el servicio doméstico, desde su adolescencia en una plantación de algodón de Georgia, en la que sus padres eran aparceros, hasta 2008, cuando es recibido por el Presidente Obama, tras trabajar medio siglo en la Casa Blanca para las familias presidenciales, desde finales de los años cincuenta, cuando es contratado como mayordomo del presidente Eisenhower. La historia está basada en hechos reales y describe la evolución de la sociedad norteamericana y del problema racial a través de la mirada de este hombre siempre “al servicio de”.

Pero, además de este retrato social y racial, la historia de Cecil como mayordomo tiene mucho que aportar sobre cómo han cambiado algunos papeles esenciales en el funcionamiento de una gran casa y sobre el papel que hoy desempeñan los nuevos mayordomos.

Cecil recibe como formación la frase lapidaria que encabeza este texto y que describe una forma de servir antigua en la que la entrega del mayordomo y su discreción son absolutas. Una mentalidad de corte británico que invisibiliza al mayordomo y le somete a una férrea disciplina.

Hoy, esta caracterización resulta difícil de compatibilizar con el servicio moderno. La misma palabra servicio resulta obsoleta. El concepto contemporáneo de la mayordomía es el del asistente: un profesional que es un cómplice activo, un ejecutor, alguien capaz de resolver todos los problemas que puedan surgir. En este concepto ya no caben definiciones por sexos y, aunque la discreción sigue siendo un requisito esencial, el trato es igualitario.

¿Qué otros rasgos definen a este mayordomo del siglo XXI?

Y, ¿qué es lo que le anima? ¿Cuál es el espíritu hoy de estos modernos mayordomos? Al contrario de lo que le enseñaron a Cecil, hoy es esencial la iniciativa. El mensaje es “nosotros nos ocuparemos de todo”. Esa es la respuesta inmediata a la petición urgente. El tiempo vuela y las necesidades se multiplican, se hacen más complejas. Y el nuevo mayordomo actúa siempre sin perder de vista lo que es importante y actuando en consecuencia. Y, algo esencial: conservando la dignidad, el respeto y la integridad. El nuevo mayordomo no es un sirviente, es un colaborador. Y su una entrega es profesional, pero también personal. “No hay nada más satisfactorio que esa expresión de plenitud y absoluta confianza que percibes en la cara de nuestro cliente cuando ve sus deseos cumplidos”, explica un Personal Assistant de hoy.

Por eso, al moderno mayordomo le hemos bautizado como Personal Angel.

Él cuida, vela, consigue, resuelve, colma. Sabe que debe enrazarse para conocer el terreno y así ser efectivo, detectando quiénes son las personas que pueden ayudarle. Y así se va construyendo una red de contactos que es uno de los valores más importantes de un Personal Angel. Conoce mejor que nadie el valor del tiempo, que permite obtener el resultado que se busca. Solo así es posible conseguir lo que se pide cuando se pide.

Un equipo bien entrenado lleva a cabo hasta 800 tareas para su cliente. Viajar, traducir, cuidar, comprar, verificar, comprobar, coordinar, cuidar, organizar, planificar, supervisar, comparar, escribir, llamar, describir, explicar, conducir, programar, pagar, notificar diseñar, ejecutar, decidir resumir, investigar, seducir… Son sólo algunas de las acciones del nuevo mayordomo. Y en todos los idiomas posibles.

Si deseas imprimir el artículo total o parcialmente, está bien. Únicamente, incluye la referencia biográfica al final del texto. Gracias! Marca Registrada © Alberta La Grup

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21st Century Butlers

“They won’t hear anything, nor see anything, only serve”. The Butler” (2013) – Lee Daniels

by Elena Castelló | Editorial Alberta La Grup | February 2020

Cecil Gaines – played by actor Forest Whitaker – recalls his life in domestic service in Lee Daniels’ The Butler. The film goes from his teenage years on a cotton farm in Georgia, when his parents were sharecroppers, to 2008, when he is hired by President Obama after working in the White House for presidential families for half a century from the late 1950’s; as well as being hired as a butler for President Eisenhower. The storyline is based on real events and it describes the evolution of North American society and the racial issues within it, through the view of a man “always in service”.

However, in addition to this social and racial portrait, the story of Cecil as a butler also has much to say about how essential roles in the functioning of a great home have changed and about the new role that modern butlers play today.

As training, Cecil is told the phrase that heads this text, which describes an old-fashioned way of serving in which the butler’s discretion and services are absolute. This is a British court mentality that makes the butler invisible and subjects them to a strict discipline.

However, today this characterisation cannot be compatible with modern service. The very word ‘service’ is obsolete. The modern concept of the butler is that of the assistant: a professional that is an active helper, an executor, and someone who is capable of resolving all the problems that may arrive. In this concept, there is no longer room for definitions by gender, and although discretion continues to be an essential requirement, the treatment is equal.

What other traits define this concept of a 21st century butler?

And what is it that encourages them? What is the spirit of modern butlers today? On the contrary of what was taught to Cecil, today initiative is essential. The message is “we will take care of everything”.  This is the immediate response to an urgent request. Time flies and needs multiply and become more complicated. The new butler acts always without losing sight of what is important and acting accordingly. And something essential: conserving dignity, respect and integrity. The new butler isn’t a servant, but a collaborator. And their approach is professional, but also personal. “There’s nothing more satisfying than the expression of plenitude and absolute trust that you see on a client’s face when their desires are fulfilled,” explains a Personal Assistant of today.

And thus, we have baptized the modern butler as a Personal Angel.

They care, watch, manage, resolve and fulfil. They know that they always have to be in the know and be aware of their environment, thus being effective, and detecting those who they need to help. Meanwhile building a network of contacts, which is one of the most important values of a Personal Angel. They know better than anyone the value of time, which allows them to find the result that they’re searching for. This is the only way to get what you want, when you ask for it.

A well trained team carries out as many as 800 tasks for their client. Travel, translate, care, purchase, verify, check, coordinate, organize, plan, supervise, write, call, describe, explain, drive, program, pay, notify, design, execute, decide, summarise… These are only some of the actions of the new butler. And in all the possible languages.

If you wish to re-print this article or photos, that’s fine. Just include the biography at the end of the article. Thank you! Copyright © by Alberta La Grup

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