Rob “Waldo” Waldman
Professional Business Motivational Speaker and Best-selling Author
Topic Categories:
- Performance Credibility: Combat decorated fighter pilot & real world sales experience
- Proven Content: New York Times & Wall Street Journal Bestselling author and major media appearances including CNN, FOX, Harvard Business Review, and Inc Magazine
- Platform Skills: Speaker Hall of Fame Inductee and Certified Speaking Professional (CSP)
- Educated: B.S. Air Force Academy; MBA – With focus on Organization Behavior
- Community Leader: Philanthropist (www.TheWingmanFoundation.com), Father, Husband, Mentor, Friend
*Fee ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact your Speaker Exchange Agency representative.
Lt. Col. (ret.) Rob ‘Waldo’ Waldman – The Wingman – is a professional leadership speaker, executive coach, and author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Never Fly Solo. He teaches organizations how to build trusting, revenue producing relationships with their employees, partners, and customers while sharing his experiences as a combat decorated F-16 fighter pilot and businessman.
He is a highly experienced combat veteran with over 2,650 flight hours and sixty-five real world combat missions, having flown both in Iraq enforcing the “No-Fly Zone” and in Yugoslavia during Operation Allied Force in 1999. Some of his military honors include five Air Medals, two Aerial Achievement Medals, four Air Force Commendation Medals, and two Meritorious Service Medals.
Waldo overcame massive claustrophobia and a fear of heights to become a fighter pilot and believes that the key to building a culture of trust lies with your wingmen – the men and women in your life who help you to overcome obstacles, adapt to change, and achieve success. In business and life, you should never fly solo!
Waldo is a graduate of the U.S Air Force Academy and also holds an MBA with a focus on Organizational Behavior. He is an inductee into the Professional Speaker Hall of Fame, a prestigious award that honors speakers who have reached the top echelon of platform excellence, and has been bestowed on less than 190 speakers worldwide. He is also a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and his clients include Hewlett Packard, Verizon Wireless, New York Life, Siemens, The Denver Broncos, and Johnson & Johnson.
In addition to his speaking business, Waldo is also founder and President of The Wingman Foundation, a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to build funds and awareness for soldiers, veterans and their families in need.
He’s been featured on Fox & Friends, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, The Harvard Business Review, Success Magazine, INC. Magazine, and Business Week
Flying solo? You might think so. But take a good look around. You have support staff, managers, and suppliers. And you have colleagues, consultants, and significant others.
By building trust in your partners, you can overcome obstacles, adapt to change, and achieve success. When you have wingmen, there is no mission you can’t complete!
Through captivating stories, business lessons, and real-world video, Waldo will take your team on an unforgettable journey of high performance and excellence in extremely competitive and demanding environments.
Be inspired to take to the skies knowing that you have Wingmen to help you face challenges and change with courage while maximizing potential in all aspects of life.
Key Takeaways:
- Promote Open Communication, Integrity, and Trust
- Develop a Collaborative Culture of Teamwork and Mutual Support
- Leverage Preparation to Build Confidence
- Transform Relationships into Revenue Convert Fear into Action
- Lead with Courage, Conviction, and Compassion
The key to building a high-performing organization that encourages innovative thinking, adaptability to change, effective communication, and a commitment to excellence lies with its leadership.
In this high-energy program, Waldo highlights the difference between managing others and leading them to be responsible, empowered and confident wingmen. Waldo will discuss proven leadership principals based on his experience as an AF Academy graduate, decorated fighter pilot, and seasoned businessman.
The program will:
- Instill a “One Team-One Mission” culture of team ownership so that every leader feels fully accountable for the success of the mission.
- Share tools to motivate leaders and staff to collaborate more effectively, adapt to change, and face adversity and conflict with courage.
- Provide tools for personal and professional growth that will give additional leverage for building high-performance teams.
In the world of the fighter pilot, complacency kills. A failure to adhere to standards, maintain discipline and follow procedures not only can cause aircraft mishaps, but it can also cost lives.
The same holds true on the factory floor or a dangerous worksite. Employees who lack attention to detail, focus, and discipline are prone to make mistakes that can impact safety, productivity, operational excellence…and lives.
Waldo will share proven leadership principals based on his experience as an Air Force safety officer and as a combat flight lead where his wingmen’s lives were on the line.
Following his program, the audience will learn peak performance leadership and safety enhancing tools based on three key concepts:
- Commitment to Excellence – Everyone must know exactly what and who they are fighting for. They should emulate excellence on and off the job, and understand that their role is essential to safety, morale, and culture.
- Values Based Culture – Integrity, accountability, mutual respect, and teamwork must serve as the foundation for all relationships.
- Effective Communication – Leaders listen intently and communicate their safety vision with passion. They promote open two-way communication.
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