ACR International Section

Ciao, Hey all!
My name is Marco, and I come from Italy. 
Currently I am studying at the master programme Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability.

It is the Master organized by the BTH Institute on close cooperation with The Natural Step and its principles.

How can I describe myself in a nutshell?
Let's say that I have always been a curious guy. I have studied communication and social sciences at the University of Salerno, in the southern Italy, and I have always been passionate in understanding the communication mechanisms, and how the the public opinion and the social trends's flows work.

After my degree I had a bad time in chosing my way, and I felt like I have been facing a moral dilemma. In fact, I have the belief that communicating is equal to tell the truth. But somewhere and sometimes, in the marketplace and in the "tough world" out there, things are quite different. Because of this, I felt a frustration thinking about how to take the best from my expertises in communication, but communicating something that was worth believing in. 

If in a business as usual perspective the main skills of a communicator / marketing man usually deal with how to create a compelling and effective message for the audience (whichever it is), I started wondering if I could have gone beyond, with a more engaging cause, where not just the strategy to communicate is valuable, but also the goal itself which the communication strategy is pursuing.

I realized that this economic system is poorly designed and too focused on unnecessary commodities, meanwhile the overall impacts of our current capitalism are rarely taken into account in a proper way.
On the ground of this kind of thoughts I met the concepts of sustainable development. It has been a breakthrough for me. I might even say that I don't choose what I love, rather is what I love that chooses me.

Sustainability means to me trying to restore the system we are living in, in a way that can allow us to survive, not only as a generation but as a species. If we neglect that we are a species like all the other animals, we can keep behaving increasing our harmful impact on an ecosystem which has a limited capacity to sustain us.
We are sitting on this planet like a fat bird is sitting on a tree. We are upon it. If the bird is becoming fatter and fatter, and the tree is systamatically shrinking, how do you think the story is gonna end?


Sustainability means to me working and living for something meaningful. Maybe is just the cutting edge of something that is painfully and slowly emerging in the world. I hope that in the forthcoming years the concept of a development respectful with the environment will be the norm for the political actors and all the businesses.

I followed with great passion, interest and intellectual curiosity the 2008 presidential race in the USA. Truth to be told, I discovered Obama during only the spring. But speech after speech, I found that his programme for a new America was truly convincing and his style deeply fascinating. It happened to me to read, months later, a book with selected sermons and speeches that dr. Martin Luther King gave throughout his life journey. Across dr. King, Obama, and other inspiring leaders, I found a common tread that I deem to be a sort of blueprint for a powerful leadership:

1) A clear, simple assessment of reality;

a simple assessment of today means understanding and streamlining the key issues of today under basic, unifying concepts. For MLK was the brutal reality of segregation, for Obama was the clear understanding of the failed republican policy that has made the American middle class poorer, not richer.

2) A compelling vision of the future;

Where do wanna go? As famously said by Amory Lovins, change is about making "hope possible, not despair convincing". A vision of a desired future on which we can all agree on is fundamental to bring people together, to bridge social differences, to inspire people. Think about the amazing "I have a dream" speech and its everlasting beauty. 

3) How to bridge that 'gap';

considering the means as separate from the ends is not only an old-fashioned mindset - it is simply wrong. In Italian we have a say: "Who sows thorns shall never walk barefoot". That is, it is not convincing talking about peace while waging wars. What we aim to do shall never be considered as separate from the way we do it. Dr. King considered the non-violence of his movement for justice as essential as the goals of the movement.  

4) A sense of urgency;

fundamental is the idea that we have to deal with our problems at hand NOW. It is not too soon to act, nor it's too late. It is the right time. The idea that we find ourselves in a defining moment of history, where our decisions are going to affect future generations as well as the quality of life of our children, is crucial.

Meanwhile, we have a lot of work to do. A huge book yet to write. And I can contribute a verse.

Marco