MANAGEMENT/ The qualities that create jobs

To manage the complexity, the change, the insecurity and the uncertainty that more and more characterize the current economic environment, the affirmation of the fundamental virtue of the courage to undertake new initiatives with enthusiasm and optimism, and to successfully lead those already under way is required. We need courage to act in line with what we believe without letting fear take over our dreams, and it takes courage to assert our ideas with respect, remaining open to the possibility of changing our minds. According to Aristotle, courage (Nicomachean Ethics, Book III, 10, 1115 b 21-24) is the first among the human virtues because it is the attitude that ensures the realization of all the other virtues and is the golden mean between cowardice and rashness, distinguishing it from impetuousness and anger. Courage allows us to be transparent and consistent in our beliefs, but also to admit our mistakes.

A manager who knows how to generate innovations, knows how to move in the organizational structure without sacrificing his originality and most of the time it is he who molds and shapes his environment, rather than being conditioned by it. He is not unconventional in principle, but is independent by nature and his firm determination to pursue his objectives is an essential aspect of his personality, to the point where he can seem insensitive to the needs and feelings of others. Managers with new ideas to improve the quality of life, productivity and economic growth are numerous, but they must have the courage to be themselves, to overcome opposition and to translate their ideas into concrete and productive initiatives.

Not having the courage to do things because one is afraid of the judgment of others is the vestibule of mediocrity, as R.W. Emerson (essayist and philosopher if the 1800s) wrote: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage”. Ultimately, one needs to have an invincible underlying optimism, which is essential for any initiative, especially innovative ones. If one is not confident about succeeding, every effort is futile. Being without optimism means believing that the negative outcomes are much more likely than the positive scenarios. It is optimism that sustains us on the long and difficult march toward a distant goal, and although it is sometimes difficult to justify it rationally, it is always necessary in the implementation of any project.