Leadership Blog

During my 30 years as a sales professional, manager and now CEO, I have attended thousands of business meetings and events that included a meal. Some have been very formal. Some have been in other countries. Some have been in groups and others one-on-one. I still remember my firs…

When addressing the group at employee social events, I’m known for asking, “Are we going to break the fun meter today?” Everyone usually smiles and it lightens the mood because they know we have a history of creating events that people just don’t want to miss. We recently hosted …

We're giving away VIP Tickets to WE Fest 2015. Get the details and enter to win on the Marco Facebook page. As I sat down to prepare for this blog, I had just returned from WE Fest, one of the largest country music festivals in the country. It takes place in Detroit Lakes, Minnes…

I recently spent a few days at Mayo Clinic. While I wish my visit was under different circumstances, I came to appreciate their operations and learned quite a few lessons that could apply to most companies. Recognized by many to be the best in the world in their industry, you don…

One of the single largest issues I face as CEO is overcoming the challenges that arise when people think of themselves as leaders or want to be seen as leaders – and they don’t have any followers. Leadership isn’t a title. It’s an earned right of responsibility (and influence) th…

It’s no secret that I place a lot of value on mentoring as part of the leadership equation. So, when I received this question, I was compelled to respond. Dave asks: “Mentoring is a personal one-on-one interaction. How would you recommend connecting and interacting with a mentor …

How would you finish this sentence: “2012 will be successful if…?” It’s not an easy question, but answering it is essential to being an effective leader. We need to identify what we want to accomplish so we can prioritize the resources needed to get there. Starting a new year bri…

Do you have the opportunity to do what you’re best at every day? The better aligned your strengths are with your daily activities, the better the results will be. I feel allowing people to play to their strengths is what separates high-performing organizations from the rest. A gu…

Marco’s recent decision to sell its office furniture division was necessary to complete our transition to a technology services company. It made sense strategically; however, it was still not easy. We had been in the office furniture business for over 30 years and it had been a p…

Early in my career as a salesperson, I learned the value of business ethics by establishing credible relationships with my customers. Some of the things I did that worked for me included establishing consistent and competitive pricing (always), providing prompt follow-up, and res…