Marques Ogden Of Ogden Ventures: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
The Importance of Responsibility: I made a promise to my wife after I was fired from two jobs in the same week that I would take one day to mope, and then I would be responsible and get my life back on track in June 2013. Without being responsible to her and my family, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Marques Ogden.
Marques Ogden is the founder and CEO of Ogden Ventures LLC. In 2003, he was drafted into the NFL as an offensive lineman, and after five years of playing in the league, he decided to retire and pursue a career in construction and contracting. At the age of 27, Marques founded a construction company called Kayden Premier Enterprises. The company had fast growth but eventually went bankrupt, losing almost 2 million dollars on one project in 90 days.
During his darkest hours, he pulled himself together, got a part-time job as a custodian and with hard work and determination is now an inspirational keynote speaker, executive coach, best-selling author, podcast co-host (The Lev & Marques Show) and marketing leader, helping to build the success of others. Visit MarquesOgden.com; Follow Marques Ogden on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I grew up in Washington DC in a single-parent home raised by my father, Shirrel Phillip Ogden, and my older brother Jonathan Phillip Ogden. My dad was one of the first African American bank managers. He was a role model and provided a great childhood for my brother and me. We were raised to value education over sports, respect women and ourselves and always work hard for what we want.
Unfortunately, by the time I got to high school, my father had kidney failure and developed many health issues, so our family struggled to survive. My brother ended up getting drafted to the NFL, and that changed everything. After graduating high school, I attended Howard University and later went on to join my brother in the NFL. After retiring from football, I became an entrepreneur.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
The funniest mistake I made starting out was when I was speaking for a client, and the PowerPoint stopped working correctly. I blurted out a message that didn’t match up with the PowerPoint slide, and that was so embarrassing at the time, but really funny today!!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
My father Shirrel Phillip Ogden was my North Star and best friend. I remember when I almost flunked out of Howard University as a freshman, and my dad told me that if I didn’t shape up, he would pull me out of school. I told him, “you can’t do that, dad!” He said, “if you aren’t going to value the education opportunity you have, I won’t let you waste Howard University’s $125,000 of scholarship money on you!” That was the best feedback I ever got, and it turned my life around for the better.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
When I started my business, the purpose was to help others succeed in life where I failed! That was the primary purpose for this business, beginning in September 2013. Help people learn from my mistakes so that when they grow their businesses, they have resources and tools and avoid a failed trajectory like mine. I teach people how to fail forward if they do fail.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
I tell my team to focus on their strengths and control their mental focus! When people focus on what they can control and not on things they can do nothing about, that’s when great things can happen. Great leaders can be active listeners and people who serve a cause that is greater than themselves.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
In 2015, I almost gave up on my speaking career because I was frustrated I hadn’t gotten any paid speaking jobs for over two years. But I never gave up because I didn’t want to let my father down! He passed away in 2006, and I wanted to honor him with my work as a speaker. So that is my WHY…Why I didn’t give up on myself when times got really hard during the early part of my career as a speaker.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
Leaders set the tone, and calm leaders are the most effective. Cognitive leaders who remain calm during adversity and don’t let emotions affect their mindset are the ones who prevail.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
A leader can inspire their team by complementing them and being someone who listens to them. When people feel valued, they feel like they can move mountains!
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
Be direct and authentic. People can tell if you’re trying to beat around the bush, so being direct is the best way to be. Not being direct could cost you more in the long run.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
Change is a constant, so the best way to prepare for unpredictable environments is to be someone who can pivot when times call for it. Leaders who can pivot and adapt are the ones who accomplish their goals.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
Have a unified alignment around a shared vision! When everyone has an alignment around a shared vision, you can succeed in any environment.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
Three common mistakes I’ve seen other businesses make when things get tough are:
- Not knowing their business
- Not being properly funded
- Not knowing how to pivot when times call for it
Entrepreneurs should always keep in mind the goals they want to accomplish.
Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?
I try to excel at sales conversions through the process our company created:
Strong
Action-Oriented
Layout Your Why
Efficient
Strategies
This system of closing sales has helped us grow our brand, even through challenging times that came about due to Covid.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
The Importance of Focus:
In my life, every time I was always focused on the task at hand, that is how I was able to succeed! That’s how I got my first paid speaking job in April 2016 with Miller-Motte College in Wilmington, NC.
The Importance of Accountability:
The minute I was accountable to myself, after my spoiled milk moment as a custodian, was the minute I got myself in the right mindset to be successful in my life as an entrepreneur.
The Importance of Responsibility:
I made a promise to my wife after I was fired from two jobs in the same week that I would take one day to mope, and then I would be responsible and get my life back on track in June 2013. Without being responsible to her and my family, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
The Importance of Value:
In New York City, at a big speaking job, I learned the importance of the law of value. Your true worth in business is derived from how much more you give in value than you take in payment! Once I learned that law, business got so, so much better.
The Importance of Authenticity:
At a big job in San Diego, I learned that the best gift we have to offer others is ourselves! And now I live by that law, and it’s helped our brand in every way you could imagine.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Leadership is the art of getting people to do what you want done because they want to do it!” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
This quote is powerful to me because it depicts the importance of servant leadership.
How can our readers further follow your work?
You can visit my website at www.marquesogden.com or follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. You can also purchase my book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Success-Cycle-Achieving-Goals-Business/dp/1642931748.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Marques Ogden Of Ogden Ventures: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
