Congratulations Mark Laufer on being this month’s Vistage NYC Member!
If you know Mark, he’s a contagious guy. Some people just have that natural gift and great smile that attracts people to want to get to know them better, and Mark is definitely living proof of this. Mark is amazing in business, and his accolades continue to increase every year.
Vistage NYC Member Since 1989
Just last month, Mark was featured in the Vistage-Inc-Perspectives new magazine, as well as Inc. Magazine. I’ve pulled the highlights from the article and shared them below
“While many companies struggled during the recession in the late 2000s, Laufer Group International, Ltd. bucked the trend. CEO Mark Laufer successfully took the international logistics company his father founded in 1948 and built it into a middle-market leader in the industry. While 2009 was a year fraught with financial challenges for many business owners, Laufer had a different problem: He had built a business that was bigger than he knew how to manage. Laufer could no longer lead the entire team on his own. He just didn’t know how to go about it without relinquishing control. Laufer says he had the sense to know “that you don’t know what you don’t know.” At the coaxing of a friend, he joined Vistage. Through group and one-on-one coaching sessions, Laufer learned about the outsized importance of corporate culture and the value in aligning people through corporate values and goals. He was so impressed with the program he enrolled his management team in Vistage groups across the country. His team benefits from Vistage speakers, concepts and training, as well as the group dynamic.”1
“My Chair, Mark Taylor, has been one of the most incredible influences on my personal and professional growth,” he says. “He presents business concepts and ideas in broad-minded and cutting-edge ways, both through his selection of speakers and through his personal coaching. He has helped me, as an individual and a CEO, to push the boundaries of our business.” Laufer adds that many of his Vistage group members have become close friends, on whom he still relies for guidance. “We are all here for one reason: to improve our business and to help our Vistage teammates improve theirs.”1
I also asked Mark a few questions that I thought would be helpful, so that everyone can get to know him a little better.
What’s one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from running your business?
Perspective. How people see things differ depending on their perspective. Most people tend to reduce things to “right and wrong.” Running a business taught me that there are, in many cases, multiple right answers, depending on the type of outcome one wants. Differing perspectives usually emerge from differing ideas about the outcome.
Is there anything that you do on a daily basis to get in the right mindset to handle everything that comes at you during the day?
I meditate daily. This provides the tool to allow me never to forget to use perspective.
Any special gems of advice you’d like to share with your fellow CEOs?
The enemy of CEO’s is failing to know how important it is to know that there are many things you don’t know, especially when you think you know everything about a particular issue or circumstance.
What’s your favorite quote?
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. – Mae West
What’s next for your business?
Learning how to operate as a bigger company and to be “best in class.”
Mark brings a dynamic vision to our Vistage NYC group which is ever so much appreciated. It’s no accident that Mark’s successful, he’s always willing to learn, engage in new conversations, and look at things from a different perspective.
If you’re a CEO, executive or business owner that’s committed to raising the standard for your business, you may be a good fit to join our invitation-only Vistage NYC membership organization. Please use the contact information below to reach out to us.
Mark Taylor
Vistage Master Chair
New York, NY
Phone: 212-867-5849
Email: mark.taylor@vistagenyc.com
Established, innovative thinking CEOs that are open to learning are always welcome.
