I celebrated Italian Day with Ben Bruno of Intero Real Estate Morgan Hill and the Intero Morgan Hill team. For a little history, Morgan Hill was the first office that opened at Intero Real Estate Services; it is an iconic location, one that truly reflects the uniquely collaborative, family-first culture that defines Intero to this day.
To celebrate Italian Day, we all safely came together, and it felt like a big family reunion. The warmth from every member of the team was palpable, and it reminded me of growing up in a welcoming Italian home.
This post is dedicated to that heritage, and the leadership lessons we can learn from the Italians.
A model of innovation. In a 2016 Harvard Business Review article, writer Eric Weiner said for inspiration to create the ideal model of innovation, we should look to the Italian Renaissance.
“Those hoping to launch the world’s next great innovation hub older…remarkable genius cluster: Renaissance Florence,” he wrote. He recalls the story of the Medicis of Florence, who were “legendary talent spotters,” and used their immense wealth to sponsor talent and help it flourish. One day, Lorenzo Medici was walking through Florence and saw a 14-year-old boy sculpting a faun (a half-man, half-goat figure from Roman mythology). Lorenzo was blown away by the meticulous detail and the boy’s extraordinary ability to seemingly unleash this creature from within the stone. He invited the young boy to live with him and his children, where the artist could hone his craft. That boy’s name was Michelangelo. This model of innovation, wrote Weiner, is one we can learn from, because talent when spotted should always be fostered with proper mentorship and support. It’s how we can create the next generation of world-changing innovators.
Everything is marked by perpetual improvement. In 1503, Leonardi da Vinci had gained prominence for his work and could pick and choose what commissions he wanted to take on. He decided his next endeavor would be a portrait of a Florentine merchant’s wife, named Madam Lisa Giocondo. As he traveled from Milan to Rome to France, da Vinci carried the painting with him, constantly tweaking and improving it along the way. It was found in his studio when he died and today, the Mona Lisa is considered one of the most valuable paintings in the world. Can you believe da Vinci thought there was room to improve it?
The recipe for leadership is always changing. If you’ve ever had home-cooked Italian spaghetti and meatballs or cheesy chicken parmesan, you know there’s probably no recipe book that contains the exact culinary creation. Italian cooks craft dishes from the heart and soul, adding a pinch of this, a sprinkle of that and ultimately, the outcome is delicious. They practice their art, they change their recipe over time, and they understand that success in cooking (like success in leadership) is not a strict recipe to follow but a lifelong pursuit. Some Italian chefs spend years perfecting the most seemingly simple recipes and may never admit that they’re “just right.”
So, what’s the message? Italian heritage is based on family and fun. It’s what we felt with Ben Bruno, Manager Steve Barsanti and his team at Intero Morgan Hill and it’s the culture we should seek to build in our offices, among our teams and even inside our homes to better connect with family and friends…the Italian way!
This article is adapted from Blefari’s weekly, company-wide “Thoughts on Leadership” column from HomeServices of America.
