People
Mark 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.…
Read MoreThe Influence of a Father
This Sunday being Father’s Day, my team requested that I write a blog post on the word “father.” While that may seem like an obvious idea, there’s a deeper meaning to that word for me personally—since 2017, the word “father” has been my life word. You see, for years—decades, really—I have prayed for and selected…
Read MoreWant Better Relationships? Be Relatable!
I like people. When I get out of bed in the morning, one of the first thoughts to go through my head is “Who will I help today?” I am motivated by the interactions that I have with others, and I find great joy in meeting and helping people day after day. Is it because…
Read MoreFive Steps for Connecting with Others
I usually start a blog with a story or some sort of introductory idea to get your brain moving in the right direction. But I’m not doing that with this post. Instead, I want to jump right in and give you five steps for connecting with others. Connection is a critical part of leadership, because…
Read MoreMark Cole: How to Grow Your Influence
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…
Read MoreThe Leadership Reproduction Cycle
The end of the year is almost here, and I know that many companies are going through the same season as my team at The John Maxwell Company: annual reviews. This is the time of year when our leaders sit down with their team members and go over PPFs for the past 12 months: Personal,…
Read MoreThe Shift from Uniformity to Diversity
Have you ever noticed that in many space movies, the bad guys all suffer from the same disease? I’m not exactly a movie buff, but I do observe patterns, and it occurred to me that in many science-fiction space movies, there’s a common theme when it comes to the villains. A lack of diversity. Think…
Read MoreThree Steps to Generosity
This week, America will celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving—a day set aside to be grateful for everything from family to food to faith. While people celebrate in different ways, the point of the holiday is to stop for one day and reflect on the abundant blessings we have. It’s also the official kick-off to the…
Read MoreLeading in Polarized Times
Lately, it seems as though people are dividing themselves into categories, drawing lines between themselves and others that are increasingly harder to cross. All over the world, we are now defined largely by what separates us. As a leader, this makes for a challenging culture to navigate. One of the biggest responsibilities we have is…
Read MoreLeading Everyone Well: Equality and Equity
In our current culture, there’s a lot of conversation about equality. Whether it’s a discussion about race, gender, or other cultural divides, over the past few months news events have forced us to reconsider the way we interact with others. It’s pushed many leaders to take a long hard look in the mirror, and that’s…
Read More