Ieri ho avuto il piacere di fare visita alla Mazzanti Automobili (www.mazzantiautomobili.it) e incontrare il suo Fondatore e Presidente, Luca Mazzanti.
Luca Mazzanti e la Evantra
Abbiamo fatto una chiaccherata a tutto campo per un’oretta, in modo schietto e genuino fra toscani DOC a cui piace andare all’essenza delle cose, alle loro radici e da li costruire.
Sono rimasto affascinato dalla visione e concretezza di Mazzanti, quarantenne, unita a quell’umiltà tipica di chi ha saputo riconoscere e sviluppare giorno giorno un sano senso di identità: valori e principi su cui fare sempre leva; in qualsiasi circostanza, di fronte a qualsiasi avversità.
Una frase di Luca che mi ha colpito a livello di sviluppo personale e anche imprenditoriale è questa: “Le cose che durano nel tempo sono quelle che prima nascono robuste dal dentro e poi si sviluppano fuori, il processo inverso è destinato a non durare.”
Questa riflessione assume un significato particolare oggi, in una società, in contesti imprenditoriali, in cui è l’immagine, la forma, che rappresenta il punto di partenza per percorsi che si rivelano pieni di ‘malattie’ e dalla vita breve.
Avremo il piacere di approfondire meglio tutto il contesto della storia, presente e futuro della Mazzanti Automobili e dello spirito imprenditoriale di Luca Mazzanti, dalla prospettiva del tutto particolare del libro “Innovazione a tutto gas!” (innovazioneatuttogas.it) che sto riscrivendo e ampliando nella sua edizione internazionale.
For years now the concept of Brain Plasticity has been pointed out and articulated at several levels, from the deep scientific one to the one suitable (for terminology and contexts) to a wider audience.
By becoming aware of the potential we have to shape and develop our way of thinking in more positive and active ways, we have in front of us the choice to step-up our pathway to continuos self-improvement and success (defined in any which way most suits us).
This empowers us to be more effective in our daily lives as well as professional lives, it empowers us to embrace change and uncertainty as a way towards progress and growth rather than regress and doubt, it empowers us to give our very best of our experiences (our wisdoms and insights) at any age and, most of all, it empowers us to experience and fuel a sense of hope that needs to energise ourself and from us spread contagiously to others.
Why don’t we talk more about this topic rather than letting ourselves and many other people clutter and get the potential of our brains stuck?
We do always have a choice! Let’s become aware of it and constantly use it for a better future that it is always possible, no matter what; we just need to let our brains express the very best to find solutions.
Looking at things from different perspectives it is always illuminating. All this is fine, yet what about when we start pointing out that nowadays what is considered as the most effective leadership (current definition upcoming) scientifically do have psychopath traits (of course at several levels of intensity)?
Classic Psychopathic Greed
Increasingly, given the complexities of todays society and business context (complexities that, by the way, are created by all of us, they are not there by nature), you are an effective leader if you can deal with all of this, find solutions and opportunities by acting in a ruthless fashion devoid of emphaty. This is what surfaces from a recent scientific research, and from opinions of so called ‘experts’, featured in a recent coverage by CNN ‘The Business View’ “Does being a psychopath make you more successful?” .
Now, let me express my very own opinion. I do not want to consider myself an expert on leadership (although I have being researching and actively working on the topic across several cultures during the last 25 years and I constantly strive to improve my very own); I want to state this as a person that is trying to bring back to attention some ‘common sense’ (by now certainly not so common).
Defining leadership simply by the ability to get things done, no matter what, it is not only short-term close minded, but even extremely destructive of current resources (any kind of them, including mental and emotional energies). When the principles, the values at the foundations of our actions are so short termed no wonder that at the social, economic and organisational level we end-up in the total chaos we find ourselves in!
Within all of the damages, destructions and chaos generated by this kind of ‘psychopath mentality’ we have now the opportunity to show how a focused on long term, visionary, emphatetic approach (geared towards understanding the real issues that are at stake and that are keep on surfacing if not properly addressed) can improve things on sorts of areas and dimensions.
Leadership is something perceived by many as ‘power’ over others, to many it is a top-down forced approach.
In actuality the real leadership, the one that lasts, solves actual problems, finds and develops actual opportunities for good, it is the one recognised as bottom-up. Is the one that leverages not on power imposition, rather on power recognition bottom-up. Most of all leadership is not a role, it is a state of visionary sense of responsibility and inspiration consistently demonstrated through behaviours.
How many ‘psychopaths’ are able to show this? How many of us, even if not ‘psychopaths’, have the guts to understand and show the real and inspiring (actual problem solving / opportunities finding) leadership we all need?!
During the premiere presentation of the italian edition of ‘Innovation full throttle!’ (innovazioneatuttogas.it)at the press room of the Misano Adriatico (Italy) track, Samit Naik (co-founder of Synergy Pathways and author of the book Appendix) points out key concepts of of the potential of this connection to be explored.
A recent article published on Forbes ‘The Resilient Person’s DNA’ by Rob Asghar got me thinking about how resiliency is relevant to all of us (in our daily personal and professional lives), within the turbulent ever-changing times we are by now used to confront ourselves with.
The Resiliency Factor
Resiliency is a concept much more articulated than persistence because it is multidimensional in its essence. While being persistent is related to a sense of unbarred determination towards reaching a goal, no matter what kind of barriers are encountered along the way; being resilient means all of this integrated by an attitudinal make-up sourced by nature and nurture.
As Asghar points out by quoting Winston Churchill “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”, it is the attitudinal dynamic factor that in its essence constitutes the ‘DNA make-up’ of the resilient person.
Resiliency means to be genetically wired, reinforce or created this wiring through specific targeted thoughts that generate constructive behaviours no matter what we are set to deal with.
Key characteristics to this line of thinking are the solid belief that everything that happens to us has it serves a scope and it has a meaning: wins or failures set us on paths ‘to make eventually good things happen’ no matter what.
Sometimes a win can have a short term positive impact, while a failure can be the first step towards a longer lasting positive impact given that we handle it with resiliency: aware, constructive and proactive thoughts, behaviours and actions.
Given all of this, it is much tougher to be resilient than persistent; at the same time resiliency is the only way to truly deal with the complexities (including the all reaching negative influences) we cannot avoid to deal with and we can make work for us not against us.
Nel 2006 abitavo negli USA da dove contribuivo come corrispondente alla rivista ‘Persone e Conoscenze’. Questo è una parte dell’articolo pubblicato sul numero di luglio 2006 della rivista e che per molti versi mi ha permesso di comprendere molte cose riguardo a eventi di quella che definisco ‘violenza sociale’ troppo spesso manifesta negli USA.
‘Patrol car’ della Polizia USA
In presa diretta da dentro un giubbetto antiproiettile… (*)
Ricordo quando verso gli anni ‘80 spesso mi godevo in TV le avventure dei CHiPs (California Highway Patrol). Uno dei momenti immancabili di ciascun episodio era quello del briefing da parte dello scorbutico sergente (talmente antipatico che ne ho rimosso il nome dalla mia memoria). I mitici Poncerello e Baker si trovavano loro malgrado scomodamente seduti a dei piccoli tavoli ordinati su tre file di fronte al ‘pulpito’ dal quale il sergente assegnava le aree di pattugliamento e informava su problemi in corso o potenziali. Il tutto si svolgeva in un’atmosfera mista fra sterna militare professionalità e goliardia. Non avrei mai immaginato che mi sarei trovato a vivere ‘in presa diretta’ la scena. E’ successo in una notte fredda Leggi tutto “A proposito di eventi di ‘violenza sociale’ negli USA… Per una notte ‘poliziotto di quartiere’ su una patrol car…”
Durante un recente seminario organizzato da LifePlan a Piacenza dal titolo:
Imprese Italiane: Tutte Possono Internazionalizzare. In un contesto di crisi è indispensabile guardare oltre, verso nuove opportunità, verso l’estero
Riccardo (assieme ad altri colleghi del gruppo di lavoro fra cui Andrea Morici e Paolo Fassione) ha presentato alcuni concetti pratici chiave per affrontare qualsiasi progetto di internazionalizzazione.
Si può internazionalizzare in modo efficace ed efficiente agendo in modo consapevole e proattivo su questi aspetti…
In recent weeks German companies such as Bosch (technology automotive), Otto Group (mail order retail) and Daimler (automotive) have been strengthening an important trend and recently a famous italian fashion brand, Bottega Veneta, joined it: senior workers knowledge are involved again into relevant operational and strategic projects.
The reason for this? Quite simple. In a world where too much seems to be driven and controlled by technology people still count and their knowledge, matured during several years of actual work experience, is a unique asset that not even technology can match.
“Space Cowboys” seniors back at NASA…
“Space Cowboys” is the name assigned to this program (conceptually taken from the movie Clint Eastwood, shot in 2000 featuring skilled seniors were taking the role actual heroes).
We need to place close attention to what is happening here and totally revaluate the dynamics of companies/workers relations are shaped and managed. No longer is the time of sides taken just out of political principles.
When we focus on actually creating value added, knowledge is the key asset and the flow of knowledge (in all of its forms: skills, attitudes, experiences) is the key reference point that needs to be developed sustained and preserved, no matter where it comes from.
Ayrton Senna passed away dramatically 20 years ago in Imola during a tragic Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend during which another driver died: Roland Ratzenberger. Senna has been the global Number 1 start in Motorsport: venerated in his home country, Brasil; loved by thousands of fans (many of which not even F1 fond of racing) in Italy, Japan and many other countries around the globe.
Ayrton Senna (1960 – 1994)
No doubt he had an incredible talent, no doubt he had an unique personality and intensity of focus in whatever endeavour he was involved into. Improvement of his talent and self-improvement overall were his constant object of reflection, awareness and action.
He has left a legacy on all of this well beyond the staggering track records. This is the legacy to reflect upon on two perspectives: his philosophy of life; the entrepreneurial perspective he developed throughout his own career.
Constant focus on talent improvement and self-improvement (some of his life philosophy quotes):
“I continuously go further and further learning about my own limitations, my body limitation, psychological limitations. It’s a way of life for me.” “I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence.” “Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose.” “And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.” “I am not designed to come second or third. I am designed to win.” “These things bring you to reality as to how fragile you are; at the same moment you are doing something that nobody else is able to do. The same moment that you are seen as the best, the fastest and somebody that cannot be touched, you are enormously fragile.” “The danger sensation is exciting. The challenge is to find new dangers.” “Racing, competing, it’s in my blood. It’s part of me, it’s part of my life; I have been doing it all my life and it stands out above everything else.” “If you have God on your side, everything becomes clear.” John Bisignano: “There’s only one word that describes Ayrton’s style, and that is: fast. He would take the car beyond it’s design capabilities. He would brake later, fly into these corners where the car was just over the edge, and somehow, he could dance and dance with that car, to where it stayed on track.”
Awareness and focus on self-entrepreneurship
1) “With not afterward promotion your victories are almost worthless”. He was always aware of the importance of communication, concrete public relations and the need to have an input on them personally to ensure that they matched the message he wanted to share.
2) He always negotiated by himself on his contracts (just with the help of a trusted accountant for the book keeping) with tough team owners or sponsor managers. Always aware of the value of his brand within a specific context.
3) Before the dramatic end of his career and his life he had already implemented business plans to progressively import top brands products and services from Europe and the USA to Brasil.
4) He understood that self-entrepreneurship goes well beyond making money simply for oneself “Wealthy men can’t live in an island that is encircled by poverty. We all breathe the same air. We must give a chance to everyone, at least a basic chance.” He did it in a channeled entrepreneurial way in many area of Brasil. To develop long lasting results, he invested heavily on children’s future and opportunities for self-improvement.
Overall the essence of his legacy is about a clear focus on improvement: talent, self awareness and development, professional approach to any endeavour at hand.
