Mark's Blog
April 12, 2020
The 5 Temptations of a CEO
Many years ago when I was running Stellcom, my wife gave me a book that changed the way I managed forever. The book is “The Five Temptations of a CEO” by Pat Lencioni. The book is very easy to read and understand. The 5 temptations are: 1) Placing status, ego, job security over results 2)… Read More
March 31, 2020
Why Vistage Membership Is Even More Important During An Economic Crisis
During the 16 years that I ran my, 1984 to 2000, I was lucky to only have to navigate through a minor recession in the early 1990’s. We we grew during the recession because our clients backed off from hiring direct employees and preferred to use our consultants. We had brilliant consultants and were able… Read More
March 22, 2020
17 Hard Things You Have To Do To Be A Great Leader
I don’t know the origin of these 17 items, but they ring true for me. A colleague sent them to me. As I typed them into this post, I teared up. I ran a company for 16 years, growing from 1 employee to 500 employees. Each of the items brought back the the memories of… Read More
July 9, 2018
The “I Can Quit Truck” is Calling
The “I Can Quit Truck”, a shiny black Ford pickup, was only 30 feet from me, just across the street where I had stopped to rest after biking up a steep hill. Two fellow Ironman hopefuls were loading their bikes into the bed of the truck. They were done. I was pretty much done too,… Read More
February 14, 2015
I am them, they are me
Black, White Sunni, Shiite Rich, Poor We all laugh We all cry We all bleed I am them, they are me Gay, Straight Christian, Muslim Native, Immigrant We all dream We all falter We all die I am them, they are me Hate Less Love More I am those people By Mark Fackler February 14,… Read More
July 13, 2011
Conquering the Fear of Asking
In my mid-twenties, I developed a motto for my life that was “face your fear.” Over the years, after much self-reflection and many conversations with my wife, I changed this motto to “identify your fears and break through them.” This motto seems more appropriate, for facing your fear is great, but moving past your fear… Read More