Author Archives: Mark

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 … Continue reading

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Getting Ron Off The Streets

Ron is a homeless friend of mine. I met him in 2009 during my Homeless Project. He is in his late 50′s. He is an alcoholic and has been on the streets for about two decades. He clothes are dirty, … Continue reading

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A followup on Ron my homeless friend

A friend of mine just posted on my blog his experience with the homeless. To quote him, “After our brief talk, I could see tears welling up in each of their eyes. I think it’s easy to forget that the … Continue reading

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Tattoos on the Heart

I just finished reading a wonderful book called “Tattoos on the Heart” written by Gregory Boyle (Father Greg), a Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, CA. Father Greg has been working with gang members in … Continue reading

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Social Venture Partners International Conference 2010

I recently returned from my fourth Social Venture Partners International Conference, held this year in Long Beach, CA. Hundreds of fellow SVP partners from around the world gathered to learn, share best practices and, of course, have a great time. … Continue reading

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Learning about the homeless, August 2, 2010

For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to … Continue reading

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Fackler’s Five

These are some conclusions about running a business that I have come to after 19 years in Vistage and working with hundreds of CEOs. 1) If you are worried about an action that has to be taken, you have already … Continue reading

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Preventing an Economic Meltdown

When I saw some of the news clips and read some of the accounts of Congress grilling the Goldman Sachs executives, I was struck by the irony of the situation. Below are the steps to the national/global financial meltdown: 1 … Continue reading

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Learning about the homeless, April 6, 2010

I posted the following on my Facebook page a few days ago: I gave a cell phone to a local homeless guy who I have been helping for the past year. He had asked if he could borrow my cell … Continue reading

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Letter From A School Principal – The Power Of TKF

The following letter was sent to TKF after a Violence Impact Forum (VIF). The author is Patricia Ladd, the principal at Correia Middle School. She has very eloquently described how our work at TKF changes the lives of so many … Continue reading

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