Don’t miss this fantastic leadership interview with Dr. Mark Brainard, @DrMarkBrainard, the fifth president of Delaware Technical Community College.  Dr. Brainard has a wealth of leadership experience in a variety of capacities. He spent over three decades in a series of executive-level leadership roles in the higher education, business, government, and legislative arenas in Delaware. He has served as chief of staff for the House Minority Caucus in the Delaware State Legislature, Director of External Affairs at DelDOT, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources and Legal Affairs at Delaware Tech, Executive Vice President of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, and Chief of Staff for Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner. His experiences and genuine belief in providing a first class education that meets the needs of students and the community is evident throughout this podcast.

• Listen to what Mark says about how Del Tech has evolved through their efforts to truly listen to their community–businesses and students–to not only attract and prepare learners, but to ensure that they fully meet the needs of the future.
• Even as president of the college, Mark emphasized how critical it is  to learn from people in every position in the organization. He stated, “leaders are made when no one is looking.” The organization is not one person, it’s everyone.
• Mark reinforced that our peak performance comes from exercising regularly, especially in positions that don’t require a lot of physical activity. Major takeaway–don’t miss it.
• In light of his successes and various positions held, he stressed a true desire to learn current and cutting edge technology that is changing the way we live.
• Mark attributes much of his success in life to reading, a huge part of his ongoing development as a learner and leader. He reminded of us of the power in having an E.Q. along with an I.Q. Be sure to check out Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence as well as Robert Cooper and Ayman Sawaf’s Executive E.Q.
• Finally, you have to hear what he says about how we are programmed to deal with situations and life and the mistake we may be making along the way.

Dr. Brainard’s interview is jam packed with practical advice for leaders, and it’s a must for anyone leading an organization who is service-oriented and constantly evolving to meet the demands of those who they serve. Of particular interest is his focus on making connections, networking, and finding the right people to take the next steps for the organization to stay healthy.

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Joe & T.J.