Leadership
Three Steps to Increase Your Capacity for Action
I wish I could do more. I hear that statement a lot from leaders around the world. The demands on their time, their skills, and their presence are always escalating, always making it seem like there’s never enough of the leader to go around. Usually, the emphasis is on the more in that sentence: I…
Read MoreMark Cole: Growth is Worth It
Earlier this week, John Maxwell wrote a blog post on A Leader’s Silent Investment. I was captivated by this thought and wanted to spend some time unpacking this further with you. I fully affirm John’s belief that personal growth is a leaders greatest silent investment. Let’s break this down… What makes personal growth silent? Well,…
Read MoreA Leader’s Silent Investment
If you’re a young leader—whether that’s by age or experience—then I want to talk to you today. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so I’ll cut to the chase: Personal growth is a leader’s greatest silent investment. By that I mean, it doesn’t speak up, it shows up. When we’re…
Read MoreMark Cole: You Need To Focus
It’s true. You need to focus–and so do I! I chose to write on this topic this week because I have discovered that the more opportunities I’m involved with, the more difficult it is to engage in focused thinking. We must face this hard truth about success: you will not achieve it if you are…
Read MoreMister Rogers: Leadership with Lasting Impact
What do you think of when you hear the word, “neighbor”? Depending on your age, you’re likely to think of Fred Rogers. Or, more accurately, Mister Rogers. That’s because Mister Rogers is one of the most iconic television personalities in American history. A mild-mannered Pennsylvania man with a passion for encouraging children, Mister Rogers became…
Read MoreTwo Things Every Leader Should Avoid Like the Plague
Several years ago my friend, Dave Anderson, released his book, Up Your Business: 7 Steps to Fix, Build, or Stretch Your Organization. I remember reading it with excitement, and even developed a teaching on some of the most important lessons I learned from the book. There are so many good ideas that Dave presented, and…
Read MoreThree Ways to Fan Your Flame and Avoid Burn-out
A few years ago, I was considering a crazy idea. I was thinking about retirement. I was in my late sixties, and things were going well. It was the right time for my team and myself to think about the future and what it was going to look like. As we talked, it seemed like…
Read MoreMark Cole: Choose the 10: A Recipe for Unity
The 4th of July was always an important holiday for the community where I grew up. I’ll always remember the anticipation waiting for the sun to go down and the real celebration to begin. Fireworks! I love fireworks for 2 reasons: 1) Everyone seems to love them, and 2) Nothing screams a unified celebration quite…
Read MoreFive Freedoms
Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…Broad, wholesome, charitable views of [people] and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” I’ve spent the past two weeks traveling around the globe, with stops in Vietnam, Oman, Myanmar, and Kish Island. It has…
Read MoreMark Cole: Lasting Impact
My dad was the first influence in my life to teach me the importance of relationships. In his words, “The only thing that will last is what you invest in people.” Acquisitions and possessions will all fade away, but what you place inside of the people around you will remain long after you are gone.…
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