This will be a different article from the others I’ve written before. This is an article to remember the person who has been my primary support for a lifetime and recently passed away: My Dad.
In this post, I want to share something deeply personal - a tribute to my father - that has shaped my approach to leadership in ways I couldn't fully appreciate until now.
My dad was a simple man with a great heart and a sharp mind. What my sister and I picked as a sentence on his grave was:
“Honesty was his main value,
Work his life,
Family his love”
Honesty and integrity were the primary values my dad was carrying. He always tried to do the right thing according to his values.
My dad was brave, bold, and passionate - he never shied away from expressing his opinion.
My dad was a teacher. That was his profession. He dedicated over 40 years of his life to teaching “educazione tecnica” (“technical education” in English, but there is no similar subject in the US) in middle school. His students loved him; I often remember lots of his previous students approaching me to say hi to him in the past. Lots of his students came to visit during the viewing as well. He was also a teacher for my sister and me; he taught us a lot about the important things in life.
He transmitted my passion for writing software and programming. In the 90s, he started learning BASIC, sharing his knowledge with me. Because of him, I started programming when I was in middle school. This is when I decided I wanted to study software engineering.
My dad didn’t care about money. He barely spent money on himself and never on unnecessary things. My dad taught me that health and family are the most important things, and he always prioritized family and health for his family. He taught me that accumulating money is not the end goal of life; money is just a way to accomplish important things, and you can have a great life without being rich.
My dad was a giver. He dedicated his life entirely to his kids, especially after my mum passed away almost 19 years ago. He did a lot for my sister and me; we were always at the center of his thoughts. He was not a taker at all. Every time we gave him a present, his reaction was, “Don’t waste money on this.”
My dad was loved by many people. Many people had stories about him, telling us the good advice he could provide with his generosity, good heart, and good spirit.
My dad was a unique man; he was passionate about his vegetable garden. Growing a garden was his hobby and his way of spending time “building” things. It also was his way to provide natural and healthy food for us.
Overall, my dad was a leader. He was a man people listened to and followed. Many of his traits are things great leaders should have: honesty, integrity, passion, prioritization, growing others, advising, and generosity.
Leadership is more than managing teams or delivering projects—it's about embodying values that others admire.
My father showed me that true leadership begins with who you are, not just what you do.
Here are a couple of photos with my father, who dropped me off at Milano Malpensa airport before I returned to the U.S.
Here’s an article from the local newspaper about him (in Italian)
Thank you for everything, Dad. You’ll always be my source of inspiration. ❤️
Grazie di tutto Papa’. Sarai sempre la mia fonte di ispirazione. ❤️
My condoleances my friend. He was a great man, by reading your post and so you are by following your successes and his "teaching". Let's toast about his life and the time spent with you and his students and family on Earth. Love! Decio