Today we honor the life of Tom Cole and his 37-year career in investment banking. He ran the leveraged finance business at three different firms – Citibank, HSBC, and Deutsche Bank. In this role he provided loan and bond financing to large corporations and financed leveraged buyouts for the world's largest private equity firms.

Tom held a leadership role in the Manhattan chapter of New Canaan Society since its inception in 2008 through 2021, and served on the Board of Directors of the NCS national organization since 2012, including as Chairman from 2017-2019. He held the role of Managing Partner of the advisory firm Narrowgate Partners. In addition, Tom served as President and is a founding member of Faith in Financial Services in New York, and he was on the Board of the Center for Being Known, a nonprofit organization started by psychiatrist and author Curt Thompson.

Tom received his BS degree in Finance from Indiana University and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He and his wife, Kim, lived in Naples, Florida, and they have three adult children Jenna, Tara, and Jonathon and four grandchildren. Tom recently completed a book for his family titled The Narrow Gate, which was published later last year.

On this episode of The Wow Factor, we honor the life of Tom, who shares his insights and wisdom on the importance of building deeper professional relationships. He discusses his book, The Narrow Gate: Fatherly Advice for Navigating the Pathway to Your Best Life, based on his life's journey and the lessons he learned along the way. Tom also shares more about his long career in finance and talks about how leaders can become more effective by listening to their employees and supporting them through difficult times.

"Chaos provides the opportunity for learning and growth." - Tom Cole

"When you get to the end of your life, the most important thing in your life is going to be the relationships that you've had and how you've impacted other people." - Tom Cole

"Your best life will not be by taking the easiest path... it's most fulfilling when you do the hard things to get to the best result.." - Tom Cole

This Week on The Wow Factor:

• Tom's early life and when he began to focus his talents on finance and business
• Some of the ups and downs in Tom's personal life and how that impacted him as a leader
• Tom shares why scripture and God's word steer his life
• Why it was so important to Tom to build genuine relationships in his professional life
• How Tom and his wife look at giving and how they moved from reactionary giving to building an intentional roadmap for their generosity
• Tom's heart attacks and why they were the catalyst for writing his book as a way to share some of his life lessons
• What fulfillment means to Tom and why it's essential to take a moment to take a deep breath and really define your purpose
• Why Tom became involved in New Canaan and how the organization serves men today
• Why being a good listener is the hallmark of a good leader
• Why building a community is the key to intentional decision-making

Tom Cole:

You need to understand your values, have a true north, and know in which direction you're headed. So many people make decisions motivated by desire and emotion rather than knowledge, fact, and truth because they're isolated rather than part of an engaged community.

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