Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE, is president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea studio dedicated to developing leaders in business and in life. Mark is an international bestselling author and noted authority on leadership, team building, customer service and change.

Mark Sanborn graduated cum laude from The Ohio State University. In addition to his work as a business educator and author, Mark continues to be an active leadership practitioner. Most recently he served as the president of the National Speakers Association.

Mark holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association (NSA) and is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame. He was recently honored with the Cavett Award, the highest honor the NSA bestows on its members, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the speaking profession. Mark is also a member of the exclusive Speakers Roundtable, made up of 20 of the top speakers in America.

Mark is the author of eight books, including the bestseller The Fred Factor: How Passion In Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary which has sold more than 1.6 million copies internationally. His other books include You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere Can Make a Positive Difference, Teambuilt: Making Teamwork Work, The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do and his most recent book, Up, Down or Sideways: How to Succeed When Times are Good, Bad or In Between.

He has created and appeared in 20 videos and numerous audio training programs. His video series Team Building: How to Motivate and Manage People made it to the #2 spot for bestselling educational video series in the U.S.

Mark’s list of over 2400 clients includes Costco, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, FedEx, Harley-Davidson, Hewlett Packard, Cisco, KPMG, Morton’s of Chicago, New York Life, RE/MAX, ServiceMaster, ESPN, GM, IBM, Avnet, Sandvik and John Deere.

“We each know how good we have become,” Mark says, “but none of us knows how good we can be. One of the most exciting opportunities we get each day is to pursue our potential.” Mark Sanborn challenges his audiences with this message and provides insights for extraordinary living.

A Speaker is Born

Mark Sanborn gave his first speech at the age of 10 in a 4-H safety speaking contest. He did so poorly and lost so badly that he decided to try again. After that he was hooked. Public speaking became his passion and eventually his vocation.

A graduate of The Ohio State University, Mark worked his way through college as an After Dinner Speaker. After graduation, he was an Account Executive, Regional Manager and Associate Publisher in the magazine publishing industry.

Mark Sanborn entered professional speaking full-time in 1986.

 What Drives Mark Sanborn?

Once asked what he would like as an epitaph, Mark explained, “Malcolm Forbes asked that his gravestone read, ‘While alive, he lived.’ I aim beyond that. As a result of my life, work and relationships, I would hope my headstone someday reads, “While alive, he lived. While he lived, he loved. Because he loved, he served. And when he served, he led.”

He resides in the greater Denver, Colorado area with his wife Darla and sons Hunter and Jackson. Mark is also an avid downhill skier, scuba diver and motorcyclist.

Leadership Keynote Topics

Up, Down, or Sideways

How to Succeed When Times Are Good, Bad, or In Between

Discover practical ways to prepare for and deal with change— good, bad or otherwise—by focusing on the mindsets and methods that never change. Predicting the future is easy; predicting it correctly is very hard. Since we can’t be certain of what the future holds, what should we always be doing to ensure our success regardless of what happens?

The Fred Factor

How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

This leadership keynote is the basis for Mark Sanborn’s international bestselling book, The Fred Factor. In this revealing leadership keynote presentation, you will discover the secrets of extraordinary individuals who have learned how to reinvent themselves and their work to create added value for customers and colleagues without spending more money to do it. If you are looking for a high-content presentation that will educate, entertain and impact, this is the speech.

You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader

How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference

Develop your genuine leadership ability when you understand that true leadership is not a function of title. Learn how to exercise little “l” leadership through developing power with people. This leadership presentation is based on Mark’s best selling business book of the same name.

The Encore Effect

How to Give a Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do

A remarkable performance on stage commands an encore. The Encore Effect—Mark’s latest, high impact presentation—teaches you how to achieve the kind of extraordinary performance on the job that leaves your customers, colleagues and community clamoring for more.