It's a kind of magic

"The sculpture is already into the block of marble. The artist must only free it."

This is what Michelangelo used to say in the 15th century and this is what he managed to do ONLY freeing the sculpture from the marble block.

Nice one, isn't it?
We could say that also nice paintings are trapped into the pencil or the brush and the artist's task is "just" to take them from there to the canvas.

But how?

These are both paintings. YES! Even the first one that looks like photography.

The painter in that case is Diego Fazio a.k.a. Diego Koi while the second one is, as most probably all of you recognized, Pablo Picasso.
What's the difference then? Not that the Picasso woman got stuck while going out of the pen, but the WAY people are using their talent and skills is different. What's behind these skills is always difficult to understand. And it's not only the 10.000 hour rule saying that takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to acheve mastery in a field (see "The Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell)

They are, in my humble opinion, both mastering their field.
They are just showing that in different ways coming from:
- their life experiences
- their ideas
- their skills

To better understand this, let us look at photography.
I am so lucky to live in one of the most beautiful mountain areas of the world: The "Dolomiti Bellunesi"

What's behind these fantastic pictures? Is it just being in the right place in the right moment? (thanks to Federico Musashi)
Is it a question of luck or of being quick at taking out the camera and shot?



Well not only that...

The GREAT RESULTS are always a mix of:

- Training
- Skills
- Passion (love your work)
- Preparation

7 minutes of difference are crucial to take the picture you want to take and you must probably camp for days to take it as the weather conditions as always unpredictable.

In this quick discussion about artists and talent we forgot about some important things though.

How many failures they had? How many times Michelangelo hammered the wrong point? How many Picasso sketched something he didn't like? How many wrong takes are behind a breathtaking picture?
But also, who were their mentors or guides that saw their talents and gave them the directions? 

None of these artists has stopped trying and improving and none was scared or discouraged by the mistakes. They all love what they do and this is the fuel to keep their passion.

This is not only valid for artists though. It's also true in our everyday life!
Whoever manage people has a big responsibility not only for the company they are working for but also for the people they are managing (not to mention the responibility we have for our children).

If you manage people you must understand their talents, mentor and support them when there are problems or difficulties.
Everybody is a nice sculpture trapped into a marble block. It's just a question of be freed.

Have a nice week end

It's just a virus

This winter has been quite good so far.

I don't know if that was because of the mild conditions or because I built more immune defences but fortunately I did not catch any flu nor strange things during my holidays.

Every year infact, as soon as I stop working...
Bam a tiny virus decides to take over the control of my body and obliges me to stay in bed for some days.
Last week though, I started my personal battle with the flu. I was almost giving up but at the end I limited that toa cold and headache.
Clearly, all the ladies that are reading this Blog would say... here it is.
The usual man-flu; it's even been formally defined.

Though for me, average italian man, this kind of flu takes away mental and phisical strength.
And this week this has been worsened by some events that people I know and I work with had to face.

Problems, things like a child or a relative being seriously ill or a job lost that happened and that I did not know anything about because they were either keeping very secret (and I can understand them) or that suddenly recently happened. Everything this week, and it really touched me.

I tend not to believe to "signs" but, probably because I am getting older, I took these events happening during my "man flu" as something to think about how little I should complain. Funny enough, I also got this message from a friend of mine...

Be kind. Always.
Tough target isn't it.
Because if there are people that are VISIBLY fighting a battle, and then it's reasonably easy to be kind with them, and others that are keeping everything inside.
But when you fight you do not need other enemies but allies regardless your battle is outside or inside you. And someone kind at you is an extra help to find the strenght to overtake the problem.

I invite everybody to see this video. Again quite a casual thing that happened this week, a lead I got that is perfectly fitting into the mood of the week.

There is something to learn from every event of our life. Clearly the bad ones are the worse to overtake but WE WILL BE ABLE to overtake them only if we are ready and prepared to do it.

Prepare yourself, increase your competence and live well your life to tackle the bad moments.

Never give up. Never stop learning. Stand up and keep on going.
Have a nice week end

For your eyes ONLY!!!

It is scientific. Men and women are different.

I really did not need scientists to tell me that.
Whichever man is capable to see the small drop of water in the sink that is making your wife mad... please raise your hand.
I think it's a phisical difference in our eyes. Colours and small details are simply seen in different ways.
Look at that example...

Even though I know that, during the Christmas holidays I volunteered helping my "better half" cleaning our flat. In a nanosecond I had a vacuum cleaner in my right hand and a sponge in my left one.
And I promise, I did my best, THREE TIMES.

And the result was...

She had to redo everything simply because the result was not what she thought was the minimum acceptable...
Well, let us say that her minimum acceptable is like the Pope is coming for dinner that very day (not an unrealistic option with our beloved Pope!).
So what happened?

- She was upset (to say the least)
- We lost time
- I have a good excuse not to do it again (that is a strategy too)
- I have a new topic to discuss in my Blog. DELEGATION

In my continuous journey to the "recherche du temps perdu" or better searching for the wasted time rather than lost, this is one of the main topics.
And it is an ART.
Delegate means to have everybody doing what they should do so you can do what you are supposed to do.

I know, everybody would like to delegate BUT...

-it takes more time to explain than to do it yourself
-nobody can do it properly
-the others don't have time either

So we keep on doing things and complaining that we do not have time (and maybe the others work much less than what we do).

In reality I think that there are three main reasons why we tend not to delegate:

1) we do not have clear which are the activities we must do.
What happens if I give away some of my work and I realize I have nothing better to do? The key point is that people must free their time to do what they are good at and what is strategic for the company (or simply what they are paid for)

2) we think that by keeping the knowledge away from the others you will become "irreplaceable".
Sorry to say, guys, BUT normally we can be replaced by someone else. And if your company grows on someone that cannot be replaced you'd better find another company before this "genius" finds one. Maybe it's better to keep your job reaching the results thanks to your extremely professional team.

3) we cannot set a "minimum acceptable" performance for the other's job.
Clearly we must understand that the others WILL NOT DO THE JOB LIKE YOU. It does not mean they will not reach the target but the WAY in which they will reach the target will be different. And we must accept this once we set a "good minimum result".

If you really want the skills of your team to improve, to develop new leaders within the group and to have everybody feeling they are INTO THE GROUP then start delegating.

- Identify who can do the job and tell him why
- Show examples of previous jobs
- Be sure people understand the objectives and the deadlines
- Give everybody the tools to succeed (this is what we want!!!)
- Let people work (and make mistakes) and support ONLY if required

and at the end... CELEBRATE!

Hard task... probably another target we should reach in 2014.

From my side, I promise I will improve on house cleaning... I am not sure I will be able to see the small drop into the sink but I will do my best. It is scientific... men have different eyes.
Otherwise I will start with ballet dancing...

Still have some hope with some practice

Have a nice week end!

Heaven...

Being home on holidays for some days is always a good thing.
Spending "high value time" with your family doing the things you like is quite addictive and makes me start planning my next holidays.
In this Blog I would like to share with everybody some information about places in Italy that are outside the normal Venice-Florence-Rome trip.

Let me then open this 2014 with a Post about Holidays.
Today, in this wintry, rainy and cold day I would like to talk about... SEA!

And this is the type of sea I like...

Where am I?
Is it Barbados, Caribbean islands or some "in the middle of nowhere" place?

No. This is Puglia (Apulia).

The easternmost town of Italy, the first to see the dawn of the new world, the enchanting landscapes of olive trees, the dry stone walls, the coastal towers, the historic farms, the white towns, the national parks, the ancient underground olive-presses, festivals and religious holidays, crystal clear sea, golden beaches, deep reefs, unforgettable sea bottoms, the local traditions and the ancient crafts, tasty food, beautiful little towns, all of this and much more is Puglia!

Taking a trip to Puglia it means to immerse yourself in a unique atmosphere, in which the visitor is captured by the many and varied attractions that this country offers.

Have a look at Gargano, the northest side of Puglia. If you have decided to visit Gargano, one of its tourist attractions are definitely its long coastlines and especially the coastline that goes from Vieste to Peschici characterized by "strange buildings" called “trabucchi”, 

that is old tools for fishing no longer used and converted into restaurants or tourist attractions becoming part of the "Gargano National Park".

If you love the sea and the white sandy beaches, so let's visit "Mattinata", known as the Gargano's butterfly, so called because it is placed on a hill like a white butterfly on a flower, in a typical Mediterranean landscape between olive trees, almond trees and prickly pears. To avoid losing these wonderful places, it is better to organize your holiday by entrusting to reliable online incoming websites, such as www.pacchettievacanze.it (see also their FB and G+ links) which is specialized in Puglia and offers accommodation, holiday packages, tourists guides services and even more.

Have you ever heard of "Trulli of Alberobello?" 

World Heritage Site since 1996, they are typical  buildings erected in the dry without the use of mortar, which end with a particular conical roof. Do not miss the chance to stroll the narrow, winding streets of "Rione Monti" and "Aia Piccola"

and live the experience of staying in a real trullo, catching some good deals as those proposed by www.pacchettievacanze.it.

Otranto, the easternmost town of Italy, it is the first Italian town to see the dawn of the new year. This ancient village, surrounded with the majestic walls of the castle, after knowing the "fear of the Turks", it reveals to visitors telling its stories through the architectural and historical beauties, such as its Cathedral with the majestic mosaic pavement and the chapel of the Holy Martyrs of Otranto, the Castle, the Ramparts, the small church of San Pietro, important example of Byzantine architecture. Live its charming history, discover its alleys and narrow streets looking for panoramic views and small jewelry, let yourself be guided by an expert guide to give voice to this ancient village.

This will be my summer destination... anybody wants to come with me?

Have a nice week end