Talking With. . .Mark C. Perna

Episode guest: Mark Perna Mark's website: www.markcperna.com *** Mark's bio: Mark C. Perna is the founder and CEO of TFS Results, a full-service strategic communications and consulting firm at the forefront of the national paradigm shift in education and workforce development. As an international generational expert, Mark has devoted his career to empowering educators and employers to unleash the tremendous potential of today’s young people. His work has helped countless parents, schools, districts, businesses, and state organizations across North America to engage with the younger generation more effectively. He delivers more than 70 virtual and in-person keynote speeches annually at national and statewide events and spoke at Harvard University by special invitation. Mark is a weekly contributor at Forbes.com and hosts the 90-second micro-podcast The Perna Syndicate. He has published many articles in national publications and is author of the award-winning best seller Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations. Mark is the father of two successful millennials and resides in Cleveland, Ohio. *** Favorite Quotes: “There’s no bandwidth left to do what really teaching is meant to do. . .[Which is. . .] to be a human connection built between teacher and learner taking that human connection and through the conduit of that human connection and doing something extraordinary with it.” “A great teacher tends to inspire someone to become a great teacher and I think that’s happening less today.” “. . .it goes so far beyond just paying teachers more. . .” Regarding taking stuff off teachers' plates: “. . .We’ve got to free people up to create this human connection with kids.” “Many kids today think that education is just another problem they have. . .Education is going to have to pivot. We cannot continue to do things the way we’ve always done it.” Most people do not recognize how difficult teaching is at the tactical level.” You have to decide what the “Mission Critical” things are. . .At the end of the day, what are we trying to get to?” “What are we trying to accomplish in the incredible amount of work we are doing?” “. . .And we’ve complicated EVERYTHING.” Re our current students: "We’ve got to help them see the end of the tunnel. We’ve got to help them take that step.” *** Thanks for listening to The Zen Professional Moment, with your host Dan Tricarico. The podcast that shows you how to maximize your performance without sacrificing yourself. Be sure to check out my online course called INSTANT ZEN: 5 SIMPLE STEPS FOR RECLAIMING YOUR FOCUS, ENERGY, AND PEACE. Just go to www.zenprocourses.com and scroll down until you see INSTANT ZEN. Take care of yourself. Peace