Mark’s work is built around a simple belief: organizations move forward as one team when people intentionally give one another the gifts they need to succeed.
Where This Work Comes From
Before becoming a keynote speaker and leadership advisor, Mark founded and led a software company for more than fifteen years.
During that time, he watched organizations invest in systems and processes while the real barriers to execution often existed between people.
Again and again he heard leaders say: ‘We have good people, but we’re not functioning as one team.'”
He came to believe that while communication, structure, and process all matter, the deeper challenge is that people often stop giving one another what they need to succeed. That realization became the foundation for Uncommon Collaboration™.
At the heart of that work are The Four Collaboration Passes: Presence, Truth, Grace, and Belief. Together, they help people intentionally give one another what they need to succeed.
Today, Mark brings Uncommon Collaboration™ to life through keynotes, leadership retreats, and advisory engagements that help organizations align people, priorities, and execution so they can move forward as one team.
Organizations Mark Has Worked With
Over the past decade, Mark has worked with leadership teams, associations, government agencies, and private-sector companies seeking to strengthen alignment, rebuild trust, and improve execution.
His clients have included:
- Nissan
- Mars
- Deloitte
- State of Tennessee
- Commonwealth of Kentucky
- Seattle Study Club
- Keller Williams
- Parthenon Management Group
- Florida Dental Association
Mark has worked with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies and state governments to professional associations and leadership teams seeking to strengthen alignment and collaboration.
What People Experience
They’re designed to create interactive experiences that help people see one another differently and move forward together.
Participants often say that:
- Trust deepens.
- Conversations become more honest.
- Alignment strengthens.
- People reconnect around a shared purpose.
- Energy goes up.
- Teams move forward as one.
As one client put it:
“The walls have come down, the energy has gone up, and we’re working together in a healthier, more productive way.”
That’s the kind of shift Uncommon Collaboration™ creates.
You opened up the opportunity for a new dialog at the hospital about how we need to lead our teams differently.
Author
Mark is also the author of The Hippo Solution: Eliminate Territorial Thinking and Unleash the Power of Teams , a practical guide to helping organizations overcome silo thinking and move forward together.
Beyond the Stage
Outside of his work with organizations, Mark is a former high school girls’ basketball coach, including coaching his daughter.
Coaching reinforced something he still believes today: talented people don’t automatically become aligned teams. People move forward when they intentionally give one another what they need.
Let's Start a Conversation
“We have good people, but we’re not functioning as one team.”
If that sounds familiar, let’s talk.