About Mark Sincevich & Leading with Focus

The Condensed Version of Mark's Bio

Mark's Organizational Value Statement

Mark Sincevich is an executive coach and the Chief Perspective Officer of his company, Leading with Focus. He works with motivated and skilled executives to help them better understand themselves, visualize their potential and visualize their future.

Mark also works with organizations to develop leaders with more focus and creativity. Mark does this through a unique photography angle in his speaking programs and writing. As a result of Mark's programs, his customers gain a fresh perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus and create more business.  

Leading with Focus begins with great personal leadership and there are three key components or legs like a solid tripod. The first leg is creativity, the second is powerful communication and the third, or stabilizing leg, is life balance. And all great tripods have a hook underneath the center column. This is typically for a camera bag or a heavy weight, so the tripod doesn't get blown over by a strong wind. When you lead with focus, how will you maintain your perspective so you and your leadership can survive the next storm? Mark calls this weight a Perspective Pad or personal journal.

An organization or leader needs to have an idea, has to communicate it effectively and needs a balanced life to see the idea implemented and to enjoy the process. And when you keep a Perspective Pad, you will further realize what your accomplishments mean to you and your organization. Leading with Focus is also a self-perpetuating cycle. When more space is given to the life balance leg, the greater the opportunity for creativity to emerge. This allows the cycle to repeat itself.

Mark incorporates his beautiful and inspiring photography as well as the insight of working for over 17 years in various organizations into many of his speaking engagements. This background allows him to more easily relate to his customers and led him to develop the Staash Perspective System (SPS). The Staash Perspective System (SPS) takes its inspiration from photography and teaches that simplicity leads to more powerful communication and leadership. Powerful communication is the second leg of Leading with Focus.

Mark started to develop his background by spending 4 years in public accounting where he learned the Hindu concept of neti-neti. Neti-neti means a little of this and a little of that. Mark realized that he wasn't cut out to be an accountant when he showed up to work on his first day and his then boss asked, "Where's the other half of your suit?" Knowing that accounting as a profession was out of the picture meant that practically the entire financial field was out of the question too. Mark still does his own taxes, but he has trouble balancing his checkbook.

Next Mark ventured into the computer field in sales and marketing for the next 13 years (hence the 17 years total working for various organizations). He earned the President's Club for sales excellence four times and he was also instrumental in the launch of three different start-up companies. This background gave Mark a unique perspective for he had to speak repeatedly about technology to audiences of all sizes. This helped Mark refine his keynote and seminar speaking skills while he was exposed to dozens of sales and personal development training courses.  

After the computer field crashed in the year 2000, Mark asked himself what he really wanted to do with his life. He had forgotten simple math when he worked in the computer field. Thousands of shares of stock multiplied by zero is still zero, not some big outlandish number. Once Mark learned to multiply, he was ready to work on his own dreams instead of the promise of somebody else's. Luckily he had kept a Perspective Pad since 1988 along with his first camera, a fully manual Olympus OM-1 from 1974 until 2001. He reread his Perspective Pads and looked over this photographs. He found three common themes that ran throughout his life, speaking, writing and photography.

Mark usually has his Perspective Pad and a camera with him wherever he goes, and he loves to speak about his experiences. Mark is an active member of the National Speakers Association, the Executive Director of the Digital Photography Institute and a member of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP). Mark is a self-taught photographer, has studied with many professionals including a few from the National Geographic Society and is also a former instructor at the Washington School of Photography.

Mark believes that to be an effective speaker, one must also have a strong grasp of the written language. Even though Mark tends to drop a few books now and again, the foundation of his company, Staash Press, LLC, is based on solid writing in the form of his monthly newsletter, the Leadership LENS and his frequent articles and books. Mark's ability to combine speaking, writing and photography has allowed him to help his customers gain a fresh perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus and create more business.

Mark earned a bachelor's of arts degree in Psychology and a second bachelor's of arts degree in Economics both from the University of Maryland, College Park. Mark is a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and completed post-graduate coursework at the College of Executive Coaching and New Ventures West. When Mark works with Executives and Leaders using his Presenting with Focus coaching methodology for important sales presentations, he has achieved over an 80% win rate! Presenting with Focus or powerful communications is just one of the many facets of Mark's Coaching with Focus program.

He was selected to train with the U.S. Bobsled Team in Lake Placid, NY and has hiked to Bhutan on an international expedition reaching altitudes of over 14,600 feet. He volunteers with many non-profit organizations on a regular basis by donating his speaking and photography. He has helped such organizations as the National Coalition for Disability Rights, the Child Welfare League of America, the Arthritis Foundation and Partners of the Americas.

Mark travels widely around the world and is very comfortable working with people and organizations from various cultures. He is frequently quoted in the media and his articles and photography have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the United States. Mark is the author of three books including The Leadership Lens and Snap: the ultimate guide to digital photography for the consumer. In between assignments, Mark can be found spending time with his family in the Washington, DC area or writing in cafés with character.