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#FINNFam Friday | Meet Giuseppe Lipari

July 22, 2022

What song gets you pumped?

My roots are 90s hip hop. The team loves it when I play “Can I Kick It” by A Tribe Called Quest. I mean, I think they do?

What is the one professional development tip that has been invaluable to you?

My first Creative Director was a broken record with the “good artists borrow, great artists steal” line. But it fostered an inclination to collect inspiration and feed curiosity. It’s humbling and highly effective. It keeps your creative aspiration high and your creative muscles flexible.

Another tip, much more recently, is using an iceberg as a metaphor for communication. It’s an exercise in seeking clarity. It encourages one to identify priorities, what’s most important and recognize there can still be more below the surface but what truly matters is what’s above the water line. This helps keeps my sometimes-rambling nature in check.

Who in history would you like to have dinner with (you can name up to four people)?

Giotto, Van Gogh, Damien Hirst. I’d have so many questions. And the grandfather I never met; also, so many questions.

What is the one principle that has guided your life and career?

Consider empathy always. I learned early on the power of listening with intent to understand, to reserve judgment and acknowledge that there’s likely a story you don’t see. It’s a powerful and rewarding perspective that can be applied with colleagues, a client, an audience. As a manager navigating the stresses of the pandemic, and as a person recognizing their privilege seeking to be an ally.

What three things would you want most if stranded on a desert island?

I’d say my three kids but that would be cruel—to them.

A still. I’m assuming one can make whiskey from coconuts(?). We can try.

Seeds, optimal growing conditions, time on my hands.

A razor. Because a beard would drive me crazy.