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Robert Pizzini’s bestselling book ‘Elevate Your Leadership’ is a groundbreaking read that has been hit with readers, and reviewers offering them a comprehensive way to achieve their goals, and make their dreams a reality. This book was born of his desire to share with others the simple yet effective practices which gave him the ability to not only help his company and employees survive the COVID-19 pandemic but thrive in the chaos.
Pizzini is not only a bestselling author, leadership coach, and speaker he is also a 26-year US Navy Veteran in Special Operations and current CEO of iFLY. He first introduced the framework of the book as a company-wide leadership development and team-building seminar. During the pandemic, Elevate Your Leadership grew to be a very popular three-day online seminar. It is no surprise that this book has been deemed the read of the year, and we were thrilled to have a chance to catch up with this thought leader to learn more about him, his book and what’s coming next.
Congratulations on your new book, Elevate Your Leadership. How did this book come to be?
Roughly 5 years ago I was looking for leadership development for my 6-person management team and ultimately all 40 of my employees. We attended local programs which were very good, but they did not have the impact that my military leadership development had throughout my career, so I designed and delivered a leadership development program for my team, which grew and evolved into a one-day, in-person event and an online course. The book was a natural progression from there and enhances my course offerings. I also discovered that as I wrote the book to inform others, I learned and further informed myself. It’s been a fun journey.
You describe yourself as an “unconventional mentor.” What qualities does this entail?
The main quality in my unconventional approach to leadership is energy. I am a high-energy leader, presenter, speaker, and hockey coach. Beyond energy, my unconventional approach includes encouraging current and future leaders to personalize their brand and own it. Leadership should be a very personalized endeavor meaning that no two leaders should be alike. We can disagree on a process or problem and both be right, or both be wrong. This uninhibited thinking is the key to discovery. I also encourage risk-taking. Leaders must identify, evaluate, mitigate, and accept levels of risk. One can manage risk and realize gains, rather than miss opportunities by avoiding risk altogether.
Something tells me that you truly enjoy flying, being that you’re a US Navy Veteran, but can you tell us how iFLY came into your life and what it’s like to be the CEO?
My last assignment while on active duty was to facilitate sustainment and advanced training for Navy EOD diving and parachuting. In the parachuting role, we would use commercial wind tunnels in North Carolina and Arizona. While there we would see other operational units from Virginia Beach and other military bases throughout the US. We also saw the family amusement and recreation side of the business. My teammates and I would talk endlessly about how Virginia Beach would be a great location for an iFLY given the military training requirements, beach resort tourism, and a very active local population. I was convinced that someone would eventually establish an iFLY in Virginia Beach and I was well positioned to be that person. Upon returning from a nine-month deployment to Iraq, I knew retirement was near and it was time to get serious about life after 26 awesome years of wearing the nation’s uniform. I looked into what it would take to open an iFLY in Virginia Beach, and we opened our doors six years later.
Being the Managing Partner and CEO is a responsibility and privilege that I pay close attention to. I have 40 teammates who rely on me to make good decisions. The Navy instills core values that guide our decision-making, and I use core values to guide my actions every day. Decisions and actions are for the good of the ship, then shipmates, then self, and the same goes for any business. We act in the best interest of the business and our teammates, and this approach enables the best employee and customer experience possible.
Who is your role model and what is the most valuable lesson you learned from them?
I have several role models who have influenced me throughout the various stages of my life and continue to influence me. The lessons I learned from them are many, but the most significant include being a good listener, a good communicator, ask good questions, encourage others to problem solve, give back at every opportunity, and most importantly, be a lifelong learner.
- Do you have plans to continue to write more books in the future? What can your fans expect?
I hope to grow my podcast, write a few more business books, (Elevate Your Team and Elevate Your Business), and perhaps write a novel based on US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), which would hopefully…certainly.. become a blockbuster movie. Finally, as an entrepreneur, I am always looking for business opportunities and hope to help other in their entrepreneurial journey.
For more information about Robert Pizzini and ‘Elevate Your Leadership’ head over to Amazon.
