The secret of happiness? Ask the right questions.

Interview with Giulio Xhaet, digital strategist and head of external communication at Newton spa

Musician, communicator, creative and trainer. It is no coincidence that Giulio Xhaet has become one of Italy’s 5 LinkedIn Top Voices on labor issues at a time of enormous historical change such as the one we are currently experiencing. Now a partner and head of external communication at Newton spa, a consulting firm specializing in communication and training, Giulio recently brought out “Da Grande,” for Sonzogno: a book that aims to help people ask themselves what their vocation is in order to understand what we want to do, who we want to be, and what we can become, regardless of our age.

Giulio, let’s start with you. What did you dream of being when you grew up?
The musician. In fact, I even did that, up to the threshold of 30. Then, my path changed, and I became involved in communication and then training.

Some may reproach you that this path of yours has been nonlinear. What would you say to him?
In the world of horse racing there is a curious term-“the dark horse”-that identifies those horses that for much of the race seem almost cut off from the possibility of winning. And who then, however, surprised everyone and played for first place, turning the tide of the race. We often come to reap results precisely because of, rather than in spite of, a series of even very different experiences, and find unexpected momentum from them.

This is precisely the message you are relaunching with your book.
That’s right, it is. Multidisciplinarity has always fascinated me. And also the world of work interests me in looking at it from an anthropological and social perspective and not so much from a production or performance perspective.

Work today, especially for the younger generation, is also a source of anxiety.
It is true; personally, behind this anxiety, I read a stronger tension to question who we are, where we want to go, the meaning we give to what we do every day. It is a tension that can be very positive, as long as we spread the tools to channel it in the right direction.

What are you referring to?
I am a great believer, for example, in the power of questions. Through the book I developed a path of eleven questions, which I then compiled into what I called the personal purpose canva, that I think can get people to look in the mirror and then take action.

In conclusion, if you had to choose one of these eleven questions, which one would it be?
I think maybe I would ask the person in front of me when was the last time they felt really happy, and why.

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