I discovered Enrico Cerni through his publication “Dante per manager,” in which the author, with insight and originality, guides readers on a journey of “management” through the Divine Comedy and its characters, where the final goal remains Paradise, the kingdom of corporate virtues, in which the blessed serve as role models for behavior, both medieval and contemporary.

Reading Enrico's texts is like unwrapping a gift he offers to readers, showcasing his vast linguistic and substantive expertise along with the ability to make complex concepts accessible, fostering profound and stimulating reflection that is never banal.

I couldn’t miss his latest publication, the “Atlante della complessita''”!

In my reading journey of Enrico’s latest work, I found new insights and a method I wish to share not only for their beauty and usefulness but also for how they resonate with my approach to life and my work as a coach. It's impossible to mention them all in a blog post! So, I’ve selected a few.

• Firstly, the structure of the book allows for free navigation: an approach that empowers the reader, respecting their rhythm, pace, and emotions. Everyone can explore the various “routes of complexity” in their own unique and creative way. This is precisely how I believe one should approach the journey toward knowledge and awareness: with openness and respect for one’s inner rhythm, gradually, each time discovering new tools and perspectives, navigating with a balance between comfort and challenge in the flow of discovery.
• Even the quotes and bibliography at the end speak to the author’s originality and professionalism, fueled by his care for the reader.

• Among the routes analyzed, I was particularly struck by the one dedicated to feedback, where the author makes an innovative reference to the concept of “pharmacon,” which means “both a medicine and a poison; partly an antidote and partly a toxin.” Like every route of complexity, the feedback route is fraught with uncertainty: when we act, we do not know the output of our interlocutor! And uncertainty, always lurking in the background of complexity, reminds us that it is never static and brings both attraction and repulsion with it: risk and opportunity.
• Another route that resonates with me is that dedicated to systems and interconnectedness, themes dear to my heart that echo the idea that every action we take has effects that extend beyond our immediate understanding.

The book shows us how complexity can be inhabited, not dominated.

I often invite my Coachees to “stay within” the flow, allowing thoughts and emotions to emerge naturally, without immediately pigeonholing them (as our sequential thinking tends to do!), without fear of losing ourselves, trusting the process that will unveil each time anew and uniquely. Similarly, Cerni encourages readers to have references while also being ready to go beyond them: “methodos is the path to take to reach a certain place… it signifies research, investigation…  anyone who wants to search must have a way and go beyond it… method is not a rigid scheme; it is not a standard.”

Amid all this positivity, the only aspect where I feel I must challenge the author of the “Atlas of Complexity” is the proposal of a list of interwoven routes at the end of each chapter. While I intuitively appreciate the suggestion, I wonder: why indicate these intertwining paths when the beauty of discovery and its journeys are exquisitely individual? Each reader has their unique journey, and the potential for interconnections and perspectives is infinite.

In conclusion, Cerni tackles complex themes, unraveling them with love, competence, professionalism, and a poetic lightness that makes reading (or rather, navigating!) not only informative but also particularly enjoyable. A navigation that, if internalized, expresses its transformative potential: the journey through complexity becomes an inner journey within the first complex system we inhabit: ourselves.

In a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world, the ability to navigate complexity is a fundamental skill we can all cultivate. To inhabit complexity means embracing uncertainty and acknowledging that there is not a single truth but a multitude of perspectives that render our shared journey surprising and rich in meaning.

Happy reading!