Mark Cole

Every year as we approach Thanksgiving, I’m reminded of the importance of gratitude in leadership. And I always come back to a very important question—how do I cultivate a willingness to be grateful? The truth is, the best version of you is a grateful you. But it is more natural to be entitled and selfish than grateful and humble. As...

If your life in any way connects with other people, you are an influencer.  My good friend Tim Elmore shared an amazing statistic with me several years ago that I’ve never forgotten. Sociologists tell us that even the most introverted individual will influence 10,000 people during his or her lifetime. Everyone influences someone! That means the question we should all...

All great leaders read. And I’m not talking about skimming through the newspaper each morning over coffee. I’m talking about devouring knowledge! Did you know that the average American only reads one book a year? Compare that with the fact that the average CEO reads four to five books a month. Some of the most successful leaders throughout history were...

Character is every leader’s most important quality. And like any quality, it can be developed. With each choice that you make, you are creating your character: Adversity doesn’t guarantee to develop character, but it does always reveal it. When a leader faces any setback, crisis, or obstacle, he or she will be met with a decision between two paths: character...

Is any leader really comfortable being known as a beginner? I don’t think so. I’ve observed that most leaders have a natural desire to become an expert. But this doesn’t always lead to success in leadership—as John Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” To continually grow and learn, you must approach as many...

Adversity is inevitable. Challenges, setbacks, disappointment, criticism – you won’t be able to avoid these for long. The most important question is, how will you respond to adversity? If there is anyone with reason enough to respond to his circumstances with a negative attitude, it’s Rob Mendez. Rob was born with what they call tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder that...