Michael J. Coles, the co-founder of the Great American Cookie Company and the former CEO of Caribou Coffee, did not follow a conventional path into business. He does not have an Ivy League pedigree or an MBA from a top-ten business school. He grew up poor, starting work at the age of thirteen. He had many false starts and painful defeats, but Coles has a habit of defying expectations. His life and career have been about turning obstacles into opportunities, tragedies into triumphs, and poverty into philanthropy.

On this Episode:

•  Learn how the importance of listening turned into Michael's power in communication and sales
• Hear how Michael was able to drive buy-in for a new strategy or vision
• Learn about the importance of teamwork
• Hear Michael talk about not having to be the smartest guy in the room

Key Takeaways:

• Fully engage with every individual you speak to
• Execution triangle- skill set, tool set, and mindset to execute well
• Your team needs to understand why you are doing what you are doing so they can rally behind you.

Tweetable Quotes:

• "The good is what holds you back."
• "People always told me what my limits where, and it always gave me incentive to prove them wrong."
• "You can disagree, but you don’t have to be disagreeable”

Michael Coles:

http://michaelcoles.com/

His book, Time to Get Tough, can be found on Amazon

Resources:

If you want to see how we can help you in digital marketing: https://gregjrice.com/inflection/

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/jointhecommunicationnation