5Minutes
Clarity
Are we solving
the right problem?
What do we know,
and what are we assuming?
The people who shaped how I think
Some of the biggest lessons of my career had very little to do with buildings. They came from the people around me and the way they taught me to look at the work.
My journey started in Buenos Aires, took me through Brazil and Italy, and eventually brought my family and me to New York more than two decades ago. In 2016, we moved to South Florida, where I continue to live and work today.
Moving to the United States with my family taught me not to take stability or opportunity for granted. I’m grateful for the life we’ve built here. That gratitude has never made me less ambitious. It has made me more determined to do meaningful work and make the most of the opportunities in front of me.
My father was an Italian builder who believed our work had the power to improve people’s everyday lives. Watching him, I learned that dedication is what turns work into craft. He also taught me that growth was never optional. We had a responsibility to keep learning, improving, and creating more value.
My mother taught kindness. My sister taught accountability. Long before I understood anything about business or architecture, they were already shaping the way I saw the world.
What Carlos Helped Me See
Early in my career, another mentor changed my perspective. Carlos, an incredible leader at one of Argentina’s pioneering advertising agencies, pushed me beyond architecture and construction. He introduced me to business development, positioning, and the importance of understanding the people behind every product or service.
One afternoon I asked him a simple question: “Carlos, what is a brand?”
He replied: “Carmelo, a brand is how you communicate the truth in a way that builds trust.”
That idea stayed with me.
In 1998, two years after we met, Carlos challenged me to look closely at how I made decisions. He pushed me to identify what was distinctive about my approach and make it clear enough for others to understand. That conversation helped shape what I came to call the 5-5-5 System.
The thinking had been taking shape through years of work. Carlos helped me recognize the pattern and put it into words. I have used and refined the system ever since.
The question
When I was seventeen, my uncle, one of the most creative architects I’ve known, left me with a question that has guided me ever since.
“Is there a better way?”
It taught me never to accept decisions simply because they were familiar or already approved. Look again. Question assumptions. Search for the better answer before problems become permanent.
It also shapes how I lead. I hire first for attitude, curiosity, and potential, and second for credentials. Experience should guide the work, not end the conversation.
Where it led me
Every project, mentor, and conversation has shaped the way I think about the work today.
And one question still sits at the center of it all: Is there a better way?