“If you want to be first, walk alone. If you want to go far, walk together.”
Beautiful, this old African proverb, isn’t it?
In my opinion, neither of these sayings has to necessarily carry a negative connotation. Choices should always be respected when they are rooted in someone’s sacrifice.
Delegating, or simply involving others, is not easy. There must be mutual TRUST, and you also need to KNOW each other a little.
“If you want to truly know a person, walk a few moons in their moccasins first.” – This is what the Native Americans used to say.
Our grandmother did almost everything by herself. Her husband, Ferruccio, was a firefighter. He helped her, supported her, did lots of handiwork, and was particularly good at painting.
Yet, in practice, she did it all herself. And she gave us everything wonderful we have today.
Times have changed since then. All our lives are more hectic now, distracted by countless stimuli we don’t necessarily need.
Moreover, evolution is teaching us the importance of taking care of our bodies, dedicating some time to movement, and eating well. And it is a sacred right to have time for that.
DOING EVERYTHING ALONE is almost impossible, and even harder to DO WELL.
For example, in our work. It is, willingly or not, a team effort. It involves interacting with (many) people. It is extremely varied, spanning cooking, hospitality, IT, accounting, handiwork, and creativity.
From the grandmother’s early years to today, the major goal for change lies in the organizational structure.
We want and need to SURROUND OURSELVES. And rely on those who walk a part of the journey with us, because every team has someone who leads and others who follow. But also someone who everyone leans on in times of difficulty. Or when they need someone who says nothing but makes them feel at ease.
This path is not easy. It’s winding and uphill.
We work 7 months a year in a period where unemployment benefits have decreased and are paid in installments, never on time. Where a generous summer salary is no longer enough to live well in winter. And even if it were our priority, without significant structural investments (and perhaps that wouldn’t even be enough), we are not able to stay open 12 months.
However, we strongly believe in one thing: we have always treated people well, and both our grandmother and father have always shown respect to everyone who worked with them.
This is why we are confident that, by meeting the “right” people and understanding that delegating is not neglecting but rather becoming stronger, we will take a BIG LEAP forward.
