In a new book on leadership development – Leadership Excellence: Empower Your Leadership with The Model for Sustained Leadership Success — Dr. Philip A. Iannuzzi Jr., an award-winning leader and writer, business and educational leader, research scholar, retired U.S. Air Force colonel, wartime commander, military pilot and aerospace industry leader, draws on over 40 years of leadership experience, study and research to empower current and aspiring leaders with insights and actionable strategies to sustain their leadership success over the long term.
In Leadership Excellence, Iannuzzi urges leaders across all professions to lead from a foundation of core values and enabling attributes. He identifies three essential core values — Character Shaped by Integrity, A Service Mindset and The Continuous Pursuit of Excellence – as well as three enabling attributes (Trust, Concern and The Will to Lead) that fuel long-term leadership effectiveness.
Despite breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, automation, robotics and machine learning, Iannuzzi argues that a team’s enduring success still hinges on one indispensable element: effective leadership.
Iannuzzi lived in South Philadelphia as a toddler before moving to Torresdale, where he went to St. Katherine of Siena Elementary School and graduated from Archbishop Ryan High School in 1979. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University and was commissioned as an Air Force officer through the university’s Air Force ROTC program.
After serving 24 years on active duty — including 13 moves around the country and overseas — Iannuzzi, his wife, Maria, and sons Philip, Andre and Stephen returned to the area and settled in Doylestown. Their three sons went on to earn their bachelor’s degrees at Penn State University.
Drawing from a body of literature, research and leadership best practices across business, the military, government, higher education and multinational organizations, Iannuzzi introduces the Model for Sustained Leadership Excellence. This framework provides an integrated model of leadership principles and best practices for current and aspiring leaders to apply in their roles.
A retired Air Force Colonel and command pilot, he held senior leadership roles in the Department of Defense, including assignments as Pentagon program manager, major command division chief, flying squadron commander, director of global flight operations and director of NATO’s Joint Task Force Operations Center.
Following his military service, he spent 15 years in the aerospace industry with The Boeing Company, where he served as a site leader for Boeing’s C-17 Globemaster Aircrew Training Center, and later as senior leader in Boeing’s learning and development division, providing workforce development solutions for the company’s global Defense, Space & Security workforce.
A lifelong learner, Iannuzzi completed his doctorate in educational leadership at Delaware Valley University in 2020. He earned a Master of Science in Systems Management from the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California. In addition, he completed three master’s degrees through in-residence fellowship programs: a Master of Air Mobility Operations from the Air Force Institute of Technology, a Master of Strategic Studies from the Air War College and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.
As an educator, he taught leadership courses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. As an Air Force instructor pilot, he trained pilots to fly, fight, and win — preparing them for global missions and combat operations.
He now devotes his time to leadership development education through writing, teaching, research and consulting. Outside of work, he enjoys golf, travel and spending time with family and friends.
Whether leading a business, nonprofit, government agency, educational institution or military unit, Iannuzzi’s insights provide a practical and principled path for leaders seeking to sustain long-term excellence.
Leadership Excellence is available on Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that foster leadership development and expand educational access for future leaders. ••
