FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS and ANSWERS for Mark Sincevich’s Programs and about Mark <click here for pdf>

These questions and answers will give you a better understanding of Mark and the value he can bring to your organization.

Q1:   When did you come up with the idea of using photography as a way to communicate?

A2: Many of my concepts and ideas were developed during my 17 years of working for various organizations. During this time I continued to pursue my lifelong interest in photography. I realized that photography is one of the best 'awareness' tools, and it helped me to gain perspective on where I was working, what I wanted to work on, and how I wanted to live my life.  

For example, when people use a camera, it helps them to pay attention and to be present when they are taking a photograph. If a photographer isn't present in the moment, then he or she won't be able to take a photo in the first place (or at least a very good photograph). I present this concept when I speak to organizations that it's very important to be present or engaged. Engagement is and will continue to be a very important word in the working world. Employees who are more engaged are better able to focus on the tasks at hand. And their results are much more powerful. In other words, employees who are engaged are more productive!

I have taken the concepts I developed and have been presenting them through my speaking programs to organizations for the last four years. In many of my programs I use photographs, stories and my background as a way to communicate more effectively. This allows me to more easily relate to my audiences. My speaking programs are my way of sharing what I have learned or the best of what I have to offer with others. I have been able to package my speaking programs into something I call the Staash Perspective System.  

Q2:   Where did the name Staash come from?  

A1:   I named the company after my Father whose name is Stanley. My Dad is first generation Polish, so the typical nickname for a person with the Polish name of Stanley is Staash. Also, I named the company 'Press' because I write quite a bit. The foundation for my speaking is based on a solid foundation of writing. I have a monthly newsletter called, "The Leadership LENS", I write numerous articles and have just finished my third book.

Q3:   What is the Staash Perspective System (SPS)?

A3:   The Staash Perspective System (SPS) takes its inspiration from photography. The SPS teaches that simplicity leads to more powerful communication. The more the simple shapes like the circle, triangle and square are used in a photograph, the more powerful the photograph becomes. Whether the focus is internally on the individuals that are an organization's most valuable asset, externally on how an organization perceives the world, or when a balanced focus is required, the SPS has programs designed to gain perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus, and help organizations create more business.  

By teaching organizations about this simplistic concept in photography, it reminds them to have fewer distractions for their employees. Multi-tasking is in the news right now and scientists have realized that employees can't do more than one thing at a time. I don't think we needed a scientific study to figure that one out! Multi-tasking is actually a computer concept and relates to the number of tasks a computer processor or processors can accomplish at one time. We as human beings get ourselves into a lot of trouble when we try to behave like the machines that we have created.  

Q4:   Give me an example of the power of focus?

A4:   Again, my programs help to remind organizations that when their employees have fewer distractions, their employees are more productive. Also, I have seen that technology can create incredible innovations when used in the correct ways. However, technology can also be counter-productive when used in the wrong ways. Let me go back to multi-tasking again.

When a person is under the illusion that he or she can multi-task, they actually jump from one task to another without doing either of them well.   This 'jumping' also increases stress. A typical example of when a person pretends to multi-task is talking on the phone and reading E-mail at the same time. When we keep it simple by focusing on one thing at a time, our results are more powerful. We can feel it when somebody has their energy on a phone conversation versus when they are distracted. The power of focus can be very powerful; however we need to remember to have a balanced focus.  

Q5:   Why is a balanced focus important?

A5:   Let me go back to photography again. The ancient Greeks realized that the most beautiful works of art were divided into thirds. They created this 'Rule of Thirds' and this important rule has been transferred to photography. It's a principal reason why a photograph that has three dimensions in it is more interesting. This can relate to the horizontal, diagonal, vertical and in the dimension of the photograph (fore, mid and background).  

I show photographs that follow the Rule of Thirds, tell a story about how the photograph was created and then remind my audience about balance in their lives. The Rule of Thirds is one of my main themes in my program, "Perspective is Everything - the quest for work/life balance."  

Q6:   How do you use the Rule of Thirds in your "Perspective is Everything" program?

A6:   I draw upon my own experiences when I speak to the Rule of Thirds and I use examples as to what organizations might encounter. In a simplistic way, we need to be reminded that there is a time to work, a time to play and a time to recharge. In my "Perspective is Everything" program I talk about the need for balance in our lives. This can be divided into the physical, mental, social and spiritual components.  

While it is important to have focused and engaged employees, if they work too hard and too long without proper rest, nutrition, social connections, mental stimulation and a spiritual component, then there will eventually be a breakdown in the system. A person will not be able to keep going. I remember when I worked for a computer start-up company. I was employee number 30 out of 180 and we were encouraged to work all sorts of hours in order for the company to have a greater opportunity of going public. I was even promised 40,000 shares of stock options.  

However, there was one problem, I forgot simple math. Anytime you multiply any number, no matter how large, by zero, the results are always zero. I worked fairly hard, but refused to work beyond a reasonable amount of hours. I wanted to make sure that I continued to spend time with my friends and family, exercise, work on my hobbies, read a good book, etc. After one year, I was laid off with over half of the company.   The company never went public. I realized along the way that no matter how hard I would have worked, the results would have been the same in the end. This reminded me that balance is not a destination, but the journey along the way.  

Q7:   Why is it bad for business when employees work long hours?

A7: There seems to be an unwritten, but highly misplaced adage that a 'hard working' employee is a good employee. It seems that employees are always given that pat on the back when they work extra hours and stay beyond what is required. I think that once in a while, this is what is needed. However, when it's encouraged on a regular basis, problems start to develop.  

It's bad business when organizations expect all sorts of unreasonable hours (beyond the norm) on a regular basis. The other parts of a person's life will then suffer. This will lead to a breakdown in balance and eventually the employee will leave. An example of this is how hard employees on Wall Street are expected to work or how certain law firms push their employees to bill hundreds of hours in one year beyond the normal amount.

I have friend from college who left his law firm after 10 years because he was so burned out. He's now spending an entire year traveling the world and getting in touch with himself. It's too bad that he wasn't given the time or didn't take the time along the way. When an employee leaves, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge that leaves too. Also, there is an investment in that employee that cannot be recovered. Therefore, it's a bad use of an organization's best resource, its people, to overwork them.   It's also a waste of corporate resources in the long-term too.  

Q8: How do you encourage the practical use of balance in your programs?

A8:   I do it in a number of ways. I can either address the subject of balance directly or indirectly depending upon the program I am hired to present. This can range from my "Perspective is Everything" program where participants will be given a balance action plan to my "Powerful Communications" skills program. In my "Powerful Communications" program I work with the executive team to make sure that they are most productive during normal working hours. This involves being focused (not being distracted by E-mail and their cell phones) and it means that we plan to end each day after about 6-8 hours.  

Did you know that scientists have done MRI's on people's brains and that those people who work beyond something like 8-10 hours have brain activity that mimics the brains of people who are asleep? Also, having sufficient down time means that the team is able to spend time on maintaining balance in their lives. Besides, some of the best insights have come to me and to others when we are not working too hard on the task at hand. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to step away and come back to a problem. It allows us to be refreshed. This is like using the photography concept of refocusing on an image or coming back to take a photograph of a location when the lighting is better. We tend to get a much better result.  

During the "Powerful Communication" program we work on the technical content of the presentation and then gradually work on how the message is delivered. One goal is to make the content and delivery of the program as congruent as possible. The participants gain perspective by keeping things simple and then their message is more powerful.  

Q9:   What are the benefits to an organization when they hire you?

A9:   I have found that my programs help organizations gain a fresh perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus and create more business.   With this newfound perspective, they are more able to come up with new ideas. Out of the new ideas, a few will be valuable. By the way, new ideas are the lifeblood of any business. Once the new ideas are grouped, the employees can focus on the most important ones. These ideas might range from improved processes, new products or new customer connections. The communication that results from the new ideas can generate more business. Again, it's keeping communication simple and making people and organizations more powerful.

You can find out more information on Mark in the 'About' section.