Giorgio Carera is the CEO of FAE USA Inc. the U.S. subsidiary of FAE Group, a Trentino-based company specializing in the production of heavy equipment for forestry, road and demining applications. But to call him just a manager would be reductive: Carera is an enterprising visionary who has experienced firsthand all the stages of building and consolidating a business abroad. His professional journey starts from Lake Garda and arrives in Atlanta, passing through Bangkok, Amsterdam and Chicago.
A path that required dedication, a spirit of sacrifice and a deep understanding of the American cultural context: “I also integrated thanks to my wife, who is American. The combination of the Italian culture with the American culture helped me a lot, both from a human point of view and in business. It allowed me to understand the American mentality, to fit better into the social and professional fabric, and to build solid relationships. This mixed cultural ‘formula’ has really facilitated my work.”
When he moved to Atlanta 20 years ago, the U.S. office of di FAE Group was in its infancy: “It had been in existence for just over a year and had only two employees. I was lucky enough to take it over from the beginning, taking care of everything: sales, finance, marketing inventory…I was a factotum. Today we are a solid company, with more than 50 employees, our own headquarters, built by us, and a well-established structure.”
The sector in which Carera operates is not typical Made in Italy: no fashion, food or design. “We deal with heavy products, mainly for forestry, road construction and demining.”
One of the main areas is fire prevention: “Our machines are used to remove underbrush and create firebreaks, which are essential to protect the West Coast nature parks. At first it was difficult to get environmentalists to understand that we were not destroying nature, but safeguarding it. It took time, but today that awareness is growing, but there is still a long way to go.”
In his book Sales Leadership & Business Development – Boots on the Ground, Giorgio Carera summarizes his management philosophy in a clear formula: leadership is practiced in the field, not behind a desk. “Being physically present allows you to make more correct and strategic decisions. My philosophy has always been this: boots on the ground, the power of presence. But be careful: being present does not mean micromanaging. You have to be able to delegate, but to delegate effectively you have to be well aware of what is going on behind the scenes.”
A view that contrasts with the current trends of smart working, webinars, remote calls: “Yes, that is true, but I believe technology should be complementary, not a substitute. The personal relationship is critical. When a client sees the CEO on a job site, he understands that we are really involved. Reputation is built that way, with presence, not with slides. Then sure, technology helps us do amazing things, but it can never completely replace human contact.”
In his book he also insists a lot on the importance of ethical and transparent leadership: “Ethics and transparency are everything. Customers immediately sense whether you are sincere or not. I grew up with these values and try to pass them on to my employees as well. Ethics are not taught at forty: you either have it or you don’t. Therefore, when we hire new employees, we look for people who share our values, because they represent the company.”
Carera insists on the importance of leaving a legacy that goes beyond numbers: a legacy of values, a method to pass on to new generations. “I want to leave something that will remain, to build a group of young people capable of taking the company forward in the same way we have built it so far. Ownership has been engaged for more than 35 years, I have been engaged for 20. The goal is for the company to continue to do well, in fact, even better. That is the hope: that what we have built will not be dispersed, but will be enhanced by those who come after.”
The secret is to always consider achieved goals a new starting point and never an end point: “Absolutely. I am never satisfied, and neither is the company. My dream is to continue to grow it, to take it to number one in the United States, where we are already very close. Work-wise, I dream of new products, diversifying to reduce risk.”
The article Giorgio Carera: “Leadership? It is built in the field. And with ethics” comes from TheNewyorker.
