Glen Stewart wants to accelerate the passion you have to change the world.
He’s an executive coach and it’s his mission to maximize your potential to make the biggest difference possible – whether that’s by expanding microfinance, combating deforestation, fighting gender inequity or improving access to healthcare.
He wants to organize, mobilize, and galvanize a group of dreamers and doers: think of them as an army of positive change-makers.
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One might call him a bleeding heart, but from an early age, Glen was keenly tuned into the power of human achievement and the difference a single person can make in the world. A globally engaged individual, he traveled as often as he could, and saw firsthand how leading with impact represents the greatest opportunity for lasting change.
In school, he studied how people learn and function best together as individuals and in teams and discovered that leadership training is often not enough. It was through his work as a master coach that allowed him to help professionals and individuals inside and outside of the boardroom discover, ignite, and realized their passion and purpose. His life work and biggest opportunity was to develop and coach leaders to create real, lasting impact in the world.
“Many executives say they want to make the world a better place,” he explains. “But they’re so focused on day-to-day operations, that the ‘big picture’ challenge of connecting their business to a mission-driven purpose is often overlooked or underserved – and this is where the greatest opportunity for gain lays.”
After years of working with people-centric companies, Glen started his own firm, Marquis Leadership, and he works with companies like Starbucks, Microsoft, Apple, REI, Expedia, and Seattle Children’s Hospital to help leaders identify the impact they want to make in the world and achieve better bottom line results while doing it.
“Many people don’t realize that finding your passion and focusing on meaningful impact ultimately drives better results,” he explains. “My purpose is to help leaders connect with something greater than themselves – to offer a roadmap for leaders to grow their potential and create a path to be their best selves, all while creating a lasting legacy they can be proud of.”
He works with a broad range of companies because he believes that there isn’t just one way of changing the world: a tech or investment company can create just as much impact as a university or hospital. Glen is a leadership coach, but he believes that the same lessons he teaches CEOs can apply to any individual who seeks to make a change in the world. Here’s his advice:
1. Turn off Your Autopilot: Become aware of your patterns, see yourself in real-time, and live and lead with intent. Ask yourself, what gets you up each morning? What change are you most passionate about creating in the world? Glen advises individuals not to be intimidated by their goals; one person with a vision can truly change the world. As Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it is done.”
2. See What is in Front of You: Give yourself permission to notice the opportunities that continually present themselves. Vision is part dream and part action. Simply, you must not only dream it, you must do it. Consider exactly what your goals are and how you wish to achieve them. Think in 1-, 5-, and 10-year horizons.
3. Lead with Curiosity: Recognize your triggers, mind the gap, and allow your emotions to provide the data you need to make better decisions. An impactful life is one that never stops pursuing change. Your interests and priorities may change over time, as well. Check in with yourself, and make sure you’re still pursuing change you feel good about. Stay hungry.
4. Measure Your Impact: Many people forget this step, thinking instead, “I’ll know change when I see it.” Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s important to create benchmarks to measure your progress. Create short- and long-term goals and figure out a clear way of measuring achievement.
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