Costantino Delli is a leadership architect, author, and founder of the COS™ (Creative Optimum Self™) Philosophy and Integrated Leadership Intelligence. 

His work unifies inner mastery with operational excellence to drive sustainable transformation in complex organizations.

Born in Taranto, Italy, Delli later immigrated to the United States at the age of eight. Early experiences with hospitality, mathematics, storytelling, and adversity shaped a leadership philosophy grounded in precision, empathy, and human-centered execution.

He earned academic scholarships and graduated from Mercer County Community College with a 3.97 GPA before transferring to Rutgers University, where he completed his studies magna cum laude in mathematics and business.

Delli began his professional career in executive management and scientific analysis at Wells Fargo and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), working on highly technical defense systems. He later joined Bloomberg, where he built financial trading systems for global banks and was mentored by Michael Bloomberg in speed, accuracy, and reliable systems design.

He subsequently served as an Assistant Vice President at Deutsche Bank and led consulting initiatives at Valinor, Inc. A professional and personal breakdown in 1995 catalyzed a transformative inner journey that became the foundation of his life’s work.

In 1996, Delli formally articulated the Creative Optimum Self™, integrating inner awareness with creative expression and disciplined execution. That same year, he became a principal performer in the Screen Actors Guild, appearing in national commercials, television, and later in the HBO feature film Live from Baghdad.

In 1997, he founded COS Enterprises, Inc., serving clients such as Guardian Insurance, Citibank, and Ziff Davis Media.

Between 2002 and 2004, Delli worked closely with Sherry Lansing, Chairman of Paramount Pictures, advising on leadership and creative strategy. During this period, he was also a senior consultant at J.P. Morgan Chase, contributing to the strategic evaluation of a major infrastructure outsourcing initiative following the Bank One merger under CEO Jamie Dimon.

In 2007, Delli published The Way: Live Your Dream — It’s Not a Secret, articulating a framework of five inner and five outer steps for service and leadership excellence. That year, he registered trademarks including COS®, Creative Optimum Self®, Creative Optimum Solutions®, and founded the COS Foundation®.

In 2012, he was featured as the sole guest in a CNBC-recorded interview with Ritz-Carlton leadership on service excellence, leading to a lasting professional alignment with Arne Sorenson.

In 2016, Delli founded COS™ 4 Excellence, a boutique consulting practice delivering Integrated Leadership Intelligencethrough four pillars: Efficiency, Execution, Leadership, and Empowerment, and five dimensions of intelligence: Source, Emotional, Cognitive, Social, and Cultural.

In 2025, he expanded the framework with COS AI Mirror™, a human–AI integration system designed to reflect higher wisdom and emotional clarity, and founded COS™4 Life to extend the philosophy beyond business.