According to Alessandro Bertoldi, businesses are founded on three basic elements: People, Ideas and Capital. Among which, one of the most striking elements to ensure the success of any business is its People.
To make the most out of every individual’s untapped potential, Alessandro Bertoldi launched Elite Academy. Thus far, the transformational leader has trained and coached countless people in many small and medium-sized companies. His vision is to create a multicultural and multinational company where individuals from all walks of life — different ethnic groups, religions, and cultures — are encouraged to put their best foot forward.
Alessandro’s ambition is to imbibe different sources of knowledge and spread it among people who share values such as freedom, respect, solidarity, and trust by generating the right economic return for those who are a part of it.
In this Exclusive Interview, Alessandro Bertoldi talks about his journey, Elite Academy, and shares his invaluable ideas on leadership.
What do you think makes someone a transformative leader? How do you integrate the same thinking into your leadership?
A Transformative Leader is the one who adapts to the environment in which he lives, making his skills compatible and required by the environment itself or, even better, creates and transforms the environment around him in order to make it compatible with his desires, ambitions, Vision.
In my opinion, there are two types of leaders from this point of view, someone adapt to the environment, and someone generate, by influencing it, the right environment for themselves.
The second is the real Transformative Leader, the one who impacts on his environment, transforming it and, of course, evolving in turn.
Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader that you can remember?
My first manager experience goes back In 1990, when I was 22 years old. I was invited in the plenary manager meeting of the company for which I was working as a salesperson located in Florence.
After a few months of activity, I was invited to participate as a guest.
I was very nervous, I had never attended a meeting of this type, all the best were present and I, as a newcomer, felt out of context.
At one point I felt called, in front of everyone, by the President of the Company, he invited me to stand up and comment on my promotion, in record time, to Sales Manager.
My blood ran cold, I was afraid, but I got up and spoke. My intervention was bad, but I remember with pleasure the moment when I got up and spoke, I felt like a Leader for getting up, despite the fear.
What prompted your interest in training and coaching? What was the idea that led to the formation to Elite Academy?
The truth is, as a boy, I was very shy with women; I just couldn’t communicate with them and it frustrated me.
To overcome my difficulties I started reading, the first book I bought was by Alexander Lower, “The language of the body”, then I bought the first training course, it was 1989, for over thirty years I have been reading, studying, participating in developmental courses and I use other Coaches to improve myself, despite this I believe I am at 20% of my potential, perhaps.
Being the Co-Founder of the organization, what is the role played by you in the day-to-day proceedings?
I am very focused on the activity related to establishing and maintaining a privileged relationship and developing PR with clients who, despite being a company, are always made by men and women.
I constantly try to get to know People of value on Linkedin, I love this Social, which has allowed me to start over or to start new initiatives several times, thanks to the ease with which it allows you to find the right Person. Thanks to this tool I was able to internationalize my activities in Malta, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria.
I am also involved in selling; I love selling and I consider it an extraordinary moment to apply and refine Leadership.
Finally, when I follow a client directly, as Project Manager of the planned consultancy, I am obsessed with understanding what to manage, how and what results to produce, I immerse myself in the client’s business reality and experience the company as if it were mine.
Being a global leader, industry expert, serial entrepreneur, trainer, and coach, how do you ensure work-life balance?
I have the privilege of having my partner Ana M. Alvarez as the wife and mother of our daughters, she is worth 60% of my ability to produce and remain in partial balance.
In December 2021 I discovered – never had this happened to me – the disease. Without her I would not have gone anywhere, I am extremely grateful to have known her and to have been lucky enough to have her close for these 27 years.
Today I am much more aware of the value of creating a Family that shares a Vision, it is an incredible strength.
I admit that what has happened in these two years has allowed me to focus more on myself, so the health crisis was – for me – an advantage from this point of view.
Precisely due to the fact that this aspect is not my strong point, I cannot claim to be balanced, but I am working on it.
What has the journey been like for Alessandro Bertoldi over the years? Looking back, what would you have done different if you were to start again?
My journey has been a constant battle, first against my behavioral limits, then against my father, then against my mother, then against the market and, ultimately, against anyone.
If I could, I would change, in my past, my management of aggression towards the environment around me, I have spent a lot of energy in useless or counterproductive battles, harming myself or others.
What has been the biggest roadblock during your journey? What has been your biggest learning?
My behavioral limitations were the biggest obstacle; the fact that I could overcome them the best learning.
Not knowing how to relate to my father and mother marked me a lot. Today, being a father myself, I realize that what I have endured can be an advantage in better understanding my daughters, Isabel, aged 16 and Eleonor, aged 7. I find myself today, in reversed roles, living moments similar to those I lived as a child or a boy. I have so much to learn in this area and I am grateful for the opportunity to do so!
Looking at the changing work environment and trends globally, what would be your advice for emerging business leaders?
Businesses are founded on three basic Elements: People, Ideas and Capital.
In my opinion, today people are the most important element to ensure the success of your business, focus on this ingredient!
Particularly created conditions where each individual belonging to the company can be valued for what it is and not just for what it is for.
Finally, what does the future look like for you and Elite Academy?
I imagine that I am creating a multicultural and multinational company, able to support Entrepreneurs in managing their business development.
I want to be able to help Entrepreneurs make their businesses prosperous.
Consequently, making Elite Academy a unique company desired by those who are looking for an unconventional, politically incorrect, and effective partner in managing the growth of their businesses.
As far as I am concerned, I want to create a condition of my life where I am not free to live and work anywhere, feeling myself as a citizen of any place where I decide to live a shorter or longer period of my life, obviously without having to worry about my income, which is guaranteed by the work of wonderful people who work primarily to achieve their goals and who, by achieving their results, allow me to reach mine and those of my family.
