Inspiring Stories Eurosystem

ELITE interview to Gian Nello Piccoli, Chairman of Eurosystem.

What does the expression "entrepreneurship" mean to you?

It means believing in an idea, seeing it shape and deciding to risk. Designing and planning the strategy needed to develop it, evolving it, first, into a project, then into a "prototype", and finally into a tangible result. People, products, services, customers. Ideas come to life and become a reality thanks to a great deal of determination, courage and vision. Entrepreneurship is not only, though, creativity and enterprise. For businessmen, the real challenge is to acknowledge that the initial intuition can modify over time, and that it must do so, to remain successful within a fluid market. Remain anchored to a fixed idea is a mistake that has a bearing on its success.
 

What was the most significant experience or lesson you learned in your professional path?

I learned that a good idea, without planning, organization and perseverance, only remains a good idea. For a businessman foreseeing beyond the present, and taking action - which is the original meaning of the word "entrepreneur" - is a natural attitude, our mindset. The decision to "undertake” certain actions is not rational doing, instead, it is based instinct and implies risk-taking. Self-organization, establishing a pattern, and anticipating its development are all necessary conditions for the success of a project. This is what happened in Eurosystem when we conceived a new idea of economic growth. To achieve it, we designed an ambitious and well-thought plan that has, recently, brought together four business units in the northern and central part of Italy. Moreover, we launched the reorganization of our management, we invested in human resources and in experimental projects for our product innovation program. A business plan supported this idea, that yielded results that did not disappoint our expectations. This is certainly one of the most important lessons I have acquired. The other is that learning is a continuous path, even when you have been an entrepreneur for many years, and this is what helps a person to evolve, along with his vision. It’s a great journey.
 

How does your company stand out in such a competitive market?

Thanks to our trustworthiness. This is our greatest value we offer our customers and that distinguishes us in the market. It comes even before our services. The solutions we create, build, integrate are a proven guarantee, behind which, there is our brand and our competence. Within this brand, our customers recognize steadiness, expertise, professionalism, responsibility, and the ambition to reach excellence, that has guided us for forty years. A special achievement that this year we celebrated with two important events, dedicated to clients and our employees. Eurosystem was born, in fact, in the eighties as a software house, and since then, it has become one of the main system integrators of Northern and Central Italy in software solutions for Industry 4.0, analysis data, IT systems and services. These are software and infrastructure technologies that we design and integrate to "create" innovative solutions that support companies working in a new, faster, more agile and data-driven way. The digital transformation has imposed changes in business models and organizational processes. It brought forth the need for new skills, has opened many opportunities but also forced our small and medium companies to leave their comfort zone and review their organizations, often amid a confused scenario. In this context, our role is to transfer a "digital culture", by explaining to entrepreneurs how they can get the most out of their specific operating market. Our external and internal credibility is built on these issues.
 

What is your motto?

Change before you have to. This is a quote from Jack Welch, who is an example of change that creates unparalleled value. You have to challenge yourself to grow, otherwise the market will do it.
 

What kind of entrepreneur do you represent within the ELITE network?

I am the entrepreneur who always looks at what he would still like to be.
The businessman who hopes to always have the ability to change his mind, to question himself, to review the ideas he has, and, as I was saying above, to turn it into a great goal to be achieved.
I am also the entrepreneur who believes that change needs confrontation, drive, small insights that seep in and open new avenues of thought, not only for those who lead a company but also for its employees. That's why last year we joined ELITE, because we were aware that at the heart of innovation there are people and their ability to transform. Within ELITE the company is carrying out a project to support the cultural and organizational evolution of our management that will result in a better and more transparent organizational growth.