Expert Interview: Leadership Lessons from Mom

Mark Villareal

Mark Villareal is a two-time international best-selling author, keynote and motivational speaker, coach and consultant. He speaks and is an expert on leadership, culture, business development and strategy. He coaches, consults and mentors leaders, aspiring leaders, managers in development, and management and business teams. Mark Villareal has more than 35-years of experience in building teams and achieving C-Level status within the organizations he has been associated within the last 20-years. He also hosts and teaches webinars and seminars on organizational culture and leadership. He believes establishing the right culture and leadership is the foundation for long term success.

Leadership Lessons from Mom

“Our mothers make the first impact on us. My Mom was the best leadership coach, who chose to be a housewife. Whenever I shared a childhood lesson I learned from her, people said, ‘You need to write that story!’ So, I took 40 lessons from childhood until her death and shared them in my book. I tie each lesson to how I lead and how I teach others to lead.”

Why Is This Important?

These leadership lessons from Mom apply well to business, Mark teaches. Organizations concerned about character will develop stronger reputations. Like individuals with integrity, strong organizations are clear about their mission, vision, values and principles, and they will often list them on their websites. They want to be challenged by their employees and customers. “That’s self-accountability, and it says this is what we’re going to stand on.”

What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?

Some key lessons Mark teaches about building an organization relate to core values, character, integrity and reputation, all of which were central to his mother’s lessons. “I need to teach you that shortcuts will get you lost,” she told him. “The danger of a shortcut is that, when you get lost, you have to go back where you started and you’ve cost yourself more time.” As Mark explains, “There’s a bigger danger of a shortcut: You might have what you perceive as success, but that’s when bad habits are formed. That’s true in business, where organizations cut corners and get lost.”