Mark is recognized globally as an expert on leadership, customer service and organizational performance. A member of the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame, he is the author of 8 books including the international bestseller, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary. Mark teaches his clients to BE EXTRAORDINARY™.

Drive to Completion

Larry Bossidy’s book Execution was a bestseller. My friend Sam Giest just wrote a book called Execute…or Be Executed. Both books speak to the crucial need for leaders to create results. The road to Hades, as it is often said, is paved with good intentions. The road to success is paved with results. Nearly fifty…

Consider

The best way to deal with jerks is not to be one. Gratefulness is a path through trials and disappointments. Mastery creates confidence. We make our decisions then our decisions make us. C.S. Lewis said the most important question isn’t “What do you think of God?” The most important question is “What does God think…

Hesselbein on Leadership

Frances Hesselbein is one of my favorite leadership thinkers. She helped reinvent The Girl Scouts of America and it thrived under her leadership. Of late she is involved with the Peter Drucker Foundation and writes and speaks on leadership issues. She is a livewire and a delightful person. Here are some of her ideas I’ve…

Living in the Past

Nostalgia is a powerful force. Research shows that we are all capable of creating an idealized memory out of a less-than-ideal past. There are psychological benefits to that, but not when you’re trying to lead people into the future. Obama has, somewhat surprisingly, positioned himself as an old-school Democrat with a bad case of nostalgia.…

How Far You’ve Come

That’s what you should focus on, says Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, a premiere coaching organization. Don’t focus on where you wish you were. Most people focus on where they want to be and become discouraged by the gap between the reality and the desire. To feel legitimately good about your life, focus on…