Benedetto Vigna and the praise of error as long as it is understood
The thirty-minute lectio magistralis by Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari, at the University of Urbino for the inauguration of the 2024/25 Academic Year was undoubtedly impactful and encouraged young students to look to the future with optimism and, above all, to think for themselves. But not only that—the speech titled “The Praise of Error as Long as It Is Understood” explained to young people the constructive value of mistakes if made to test a hypothesis or experiment. What makes the difference is the speed with which one analyzes the error, learns from it, and corrects it.
“Do not be slaves to techno-feudal lords”
Benedetto Vigna’s thought is clear and rooted in his life experiences, from the closed doors he encountered for his ideas in the Western world to the great openness and acceptance he found in Japan, leading to his current role at Ferrari.
Benedetto Vigna began with a powerful statement directed at university students: “Your representative said, ‘We will have the world of tomorrow in our hands.’ Let’s make it happen, but don’t just hold a smartphone in your hands. Let’s be careful not to become serfs of those I call techno-feudal lords, who are clearly present everywhere.”
The guidelines at Ferrari
There are six principles that Benedetto Vigna employs at Ferrari in teamwork within the company, the racing department, and the lifestyle division: “Collaboration, continuous learning, humility with confidence, focus, organization without fear, and the will to progress.”
Regarding Formula 1, he made a remark in line with the desire to improve and correct mistakes: “Last year, we had a second half of the championship that was decidedly better than the first part. It’s a pity about the last race, but McLaren deserved it on the track, and we need to respect and recognize areas for improvement.”
The conclusion
Benedetto Vigna’s lectio magistralis ended with a personal wish: “I would like to find something that gives Europe a bit of independence in the digital world and allows the new generation not to be slaves or serfs of all technological tools—like the ones I contributed to, for example, with the gyroscopes in Pokémon Go.”
And finally: “We learn from everyone, always and everywhere. But let’s be careful about the opinion leaders we follow; we need leaders with key insights, and we cannot be slaves or serfs without using our own minds. You come to university to learn what will make you free. To conclude, I have chosen the word ‘dare.’ It has a double meaning in Italian and English. In Italian, it means ‘to give’; sooner or later, something comes back. In English, it means ‘to dare’; let’s dare without fear of making mistakes.”
Leave a Reply