Machen MacDonald
For almost a quarter century Machen MacDonald has dedicated himself to helping business owners, sales professionals, financial advisers, and financial services executives discover their purpose and help them align their focus to achieve dramatic and measurable improvements both in business and in life. His ability to develop systems, based on his clients' mental and emotional foundation, for creating immediate and lasting change has made him a recognized expert in the world of coaching and peak performance. Connect with him on Facebook and LinkedIn . Learn more here .
Articles by Machen MacDonald
- Opinion
Stop Waiting for Success: Start Leading Like It’s Already Yours
Leaders with a mentor mindset know the moment that a desired outcome is SEEN as already true is the moment their leadership begins to make it true.
- Opinion
Most Leaders Never Reach Their Potential Until They Change This Mindset
The obstacle is the invisible ceiling we have accepted as truth. If you want to achieve extraordinary results, you must first learn to DREAM.
- Opinion
Stop Managing Everything: How Great Leaders Focus on What Matters Most
That is why I encourage leaders to adopt a simple framework called F.O.C.U.S. If you are a CEO, business owner, or leader who feels overwhelmed, I have some good news.
- Opinion
6 Moves That Turn High Performers Into Leaders Who Multiply Results
Let me show you what that really means using the MASTER framework. There is a moment every leader faces, whether they admit it or not.
- Opinion
Teams Don’t Need More Pressure—They Need Ownership To Perform at Their Best
This is where the OWNERS framework becomes powerful. It is simple, practical, and it works.
- Opinion
Stop Managing Time—Master Your Energy With the FOCUS Framework
Control your energy, not your clock, use FOCUS to get more time by doing less. LEARN Control your energy, not your clock, use FOCUS to get more time by doing less.
- Opinion
Drop the Mask, Lead Better: A New Standard for Real Leadership
Lead stronger by choosing to CONNECT more deeply, not control more tightly. LEARN Lead stronger by choosing to CONNECT more deeply, not control more tightly.
- Opinion
HAPPY Is Built Through Hard Conversations, Not Comfort
If you want a HAPPY business, stop chasing happiness and start building it through disciplined discomfort.
- Opinion
You Don’t Need All the Answers—Just Need the Courage to Say “I Don’t Know”
What the fog of uncertainty is actually trying to teach you, and the one move that changes everything.
- Opinion
Strong Leadership in Volatile Times Begins With a Strategic Pause
If you want to be the kind of leader people trust when things get messy, you have to build the muscle of P.A.U.S.E. Let’s make it practical.
- Opinion
One Outcome. One Owner. One Metric. Total Alignment.
CALM is a short set of moves that turns urgency into alignment. It is not soft. It is not slow. It is focused.
- Opinion
Scaling a Business Starts When You Stop Being the Hero
If your organization cannot grow without you, it is not because your people are incapable. It is because the system has learned to depend on you.
- Opinion
Does Your Mission Statement Actually Move Anyone?
If I asked ten of your team members to recite your company’s mission statement, how many could? One? Two, maybe?
- Opinion
No More Guessing: How Great Leaders Hire Without Regret
Stop debating what a great team looks like. Build one. And understand that the way you hire reveals far more about you than it does about the candidate.
- Opinion
Great Teams Don’t Wander—They’re Given a Map
If you are tired of reactive leadership, if you sense your team is capable of more but cannot quite unlock it, then this is your call to action.
- Opinion
Why Feeling Like a Fraud Is Actually a Sign You’re Growing as a Leader
Allow me to share something you won’t hear in most leadership circles: impostor syndrome is not a problem to fix.
- Opinion
Real Leadership Begins When Control Stops Working
Let me offer a roadmap for stepping into your leadership power. It is simple, memorable, and deeply effective. We call it P.O.W.E.R.
- Opinion
The Fastest Way To Win Q1? Slow Down.
One of the most provocative principles I share with clients this time of year is this: The fastest way to move forward is to S.L.O.W. down.
- Opinion
Stop Leading From Fear: The FAID Framework Every High-Performer Must Know
You will learn how to spot FAID, shift out of it, and lead in a way that inspires trust, possibility, and bold action in yourself and in others.
- Opinion
Feeling the Weight of Leadership? Try SMILES Instead
What if your most powerful decisions didn’t come from grinding harder, but from smiling more?
- Opinion
The 5-Step Leadership Framework That Turns Uncertainty Into Clarity
This model is deceptively simple. But it works—especially when fear or indecision threaten to stall momentum.
- Opinion
Why Great Leaders Don’t Decide Alone: The ASK Method for Better Decisions
The smartest leaders, the ones who consistently make better decisions, operate with a paradox: They don’t rely solely on themselves. The Ask.
- Opinion
Strategic Delay: The Leadership Habit That Separates the Good From the Great
The smartest leaders I know are the ones who choose to wait. I know that might sound a bit backward and not intuitive for great leaders.
- Opinion
Paralyzed by Choice: Why Even Great Leaders Get Stuck—and How to Break Through
There’s a hidden cost to decisions you’re avoiding. It’s not just missed opportunities, it’s erosion #leaders #decision
- Opinion
How to Solve Anything: Why Everything Really Is Figureoutable
Five essential steps that guide leaders through assessing any situation, engaging their best thinking, leveraging peer input #leaders
- Opinion
From Chaos to Clarity: How to Shift From Uncertainty to Hopeful Momentum
A seven-step framework to help you reignite your momentum, sharpen your focus, and take your next best step forward. #hopeful
- Opinion
Lead Yourself First: The Inner Journey of Entrepreneurial Success
This is the path of B.E.S.T.R.O.N.G. — eight inner milestones every founder must walk through. Let’s step into the story…
- Opinion
The CEO’s Secret Weapon: Why Slowing Down Speeds Up Success
Who challenges your assumptions? Who calls you back to your own wisdom? Who helps you distill the noise into clear, confident action? #CEO
- Opinion
Reignite Your Leadership: A CEO's Guide to Team Motivation and Self-Care
6-part framework using the acronym IGNITE to help you re-engage your people and fuel sustainable growth—without sacrificing your sanity or soul.
- Opinion
The Stoic Leader’s Guide To Thriving in Uncertain Times
By following our ENGAGE framework, leaders can inspire their teams to thrive even when the path forward seems unclear. #thriving
- Opinion
The Stoic CEO: Making Transformative Decisions with Clarity
This ancient wisdom carries profound implications for modern business leaders facing crucial decisions that shape their organizations' futures.
- Business Growth
The Secret to Confidence? Embracing the Unknown
To truly succeed, confidence is essential. Confidence is exhilarating, a feeling we all naturally crave. #advisors #confidence
- Business Growth
High-Performance Culture Through Carefrontation
PERFORM model, a seven-point plan to achieve excellence while staying aligned with the company’s vision, mission, values, and objectives. #advisors
- Business Growth
Embracing Status Grow: Moving Beyond the Status Quo
The potential of Status Grow, encapsulating its essence through the GROW acronym – Growth, Release, Opportunity, and Willingness. #growth #advisors
- Business Growth
Embracing Status Grow: Moving Beyond the Familiar Comfort Zone
The potential of Status Grow, encapsulating its essence through the GROW acronym – Growth, Release, Opportunity, and Willingness. #growth
- Business Growth
12 Ways To Find Business Opportunities in Difficult Times
tough times have always provided great and lucrative opportunities. The trick is to know what to look for. #business #opportunities
