Grounded Leadership for Uncertain Times

Life is the continuous search for the new and the improbable, the only way to survive" -ERNESTO ILLYIn July 2025, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion organized by the Ernesto Illy Foundation, one of the initiatives marking the centenary of the entrepreneur's birth.On that occasion, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, commemorated him for his ethical integrity, sense of responsibility toward the community, and passion for innovation and research.My task was to refl ect on the conception of leadership embodied by Ernesto Illy.In this article, I set out to reconstruct his vision and situate it within the present context.I suggest, in particular, that the departure of many contemporary leaders from this conception has, at least in part, contributed to the widespread distrust and pessimism that now weigh upon the future.Given the historical context in which Illy's experience unfolded, it is important to clarify that this refl ection is not fueled by nostalgia or by a longing for a supposed "golden age" of entrepreneurship.On the contrary, it is intended as an interpretive lens for understanding many of the adverse phenomena we're seeing today, both within organizations and across society.Let me now anticipate the thesis I'll argue at the conclusion of this refl ection: the model and the set of values that inspired