Lessons from Italy: Focusing on Your Craft in the Age of AI
Traveling through Northern Italy reminded me that some of the most important work can't be rushed — and that AI is most powerful when you know what to protect. · Read more →
I spent the last week traveling in Northern Italy in the Emilia-Romagna region which includes the city of Parma. It’s the official production location of Parmesan-Reggiano cheese and Parma ham (prosciutto). We also explored nearby Modena for the official district of the traditional balsamic vinegar production.
You can’t explore this location without experiencing the craftsmanship that goes into the traditions and the day-to-day work. We met experienced people of all ages that were passionate about the work they do.
The Parmesan production requires care at every step. From the cows to the cheese making to the aging. If any step is skipped or any part isn’t to spec, it cannot be considered Parmesan cheese in Italy. The aging process is anywhere from 18 months to 36 months. It’s a lot of work and then a lot of waiting.
The traditional balsamic vinegar production requires 12 years before a completed product can be sold. It also needs to meet careful review to be stamped with the official seal. Another example of the care in the production and process but an extremely long wait to see the outcome for the efforts.
There is also wine production in the region. Our diligent tour guide stepped us through every part of the process. They are experimenting. Fostering new grapes. Trying new methods. Everything requires patience. A new grape planting will take at least 5 years to produce wine. The young team of seven all work every part of the production. They wait years to see how it turned out.
The work I saw these people doing has caused me to reflect on my own work.
In this age of AI where everything can be done faster, more polished, and information is at our fingertips, I think it’s more important now than ever to understand the places to go slow.
Things that come to mind that shouldn’t be rushed are a new colleague’s onboarding, decisions on restructuring, adding new lines of business, or communication on impactful changes to people’s roles and lives.
For me, the things that are important to my work is the personal connection, developing a team against their strengths, and fostering new ways to work. The more time I can spend in these areas working directly, the better the outcomes. A personal connection takes time and intention to develop.
You can’t rush building trust.
Where AI fits in this world is to take things off my plate that don’t need the time and attention. They are the things that take me away from the real work.
The things I genuinely love doing are the parts that take time, focus, and human thought to develop.
These posts I’ve been writing weekly are a great example of matching the Italian intent for craft. I have written about how I don’t use AI to generate these posts. I easily could and many do without issues. What I get back from putting in the work on them is what pays dividends. The time I put in creates reflection and thought around how I work with my clients. It helps foster new ideas I’ve brought back to the people I work with. It’s also helped refine my communication both in how I speak in-person but how I’ve narrowed my focus on the work I do and how I do it.
At about 6 months of weekly posts, it’s nice to see the progression in my efforts and the impact it’s having on my clients. It’s just one small example of a place where putting in a little time, leads to improvements. I’m lucky I haven’t had to wait 12 years to see real outcomes from these posts.
I am also very diligent about recording meetings and utilizing the transcripts for my notes. It allows me to be present and engaged in conversations with clients without trying to multitask. It’s a quick way to build trust and respect the time another person has given you. There is no quick path to building a real relationship. These little efforts matter and pay dividends down the road.
There are many things AI can and should do for each of us. I’d recommend using it with intent. Make sure you understand what parts of your craft are important and the time you should carve out to maintain and improve it.
As a leader, you can never go wrong spending extra time on your people, your strategy, and investing in your own well-being to show up for your team. If you’d like help refining your craft or putting some care into your team, this is the work I’m doing to help teams leverage technology to focus on the parts of the work they do best.