Marvin “Coach” Powell, More

Now for more on Coach Powell.

I had noticed some of the elements on Coach Powell’s email signature which is where we started our interview. The signature follows for you to see.

Marvin “Coach” Powell

CEO, Coach Powell Training and Development
Chairman Centreville Community Foundation
Fairfax County Small Business Commissioner
Investment Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/marvinpowell

www.ninetydaypowerplay.com

703-201-4267 Phone

Coach Powell Training and Development is the creator of VisionQuest90™ the most dynamic personal, business, and executive coaching system today.  Through the use of our advanced technologies and systems we help growth oriented business owners, consultants, and nonprofit leaders achieve excellence in their chosen endeavors.  Join our 90 day program and experience the revolution!

What caught my attention? First, the four roles he listed: his own coaching business; his chairmanship of a community foundation; his being the Fairfax Small Business Commissioner; and his investment consulting role.

Then there was the 90 Day Power Play link, and below that a whole paragraph about VisionQuest90. Both of this topics deserve an hour in and of themselves. I’ll leave that for you to explore.

Our discussion began with the topic of integrity and living with the highest pinciples, being totally aligned with who we want to be.  About finding what is most meaningful in our lives and aligning our mission, vision and values. Coach Powell was well-studied in Steven Covey’s teachings and quoted from Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life.

As I asked incredulously about all his roles he said small business was his passion, AND, that he believes in citizenship. “As a country, we’ve lost the idea of citizenship, that we are part of a greater whole and have a responsibility to give back.” “It’s just not good enough,” he continued,”to get a job, a car, a house, we have to do more. How do you not do that when we have children we have to model for?”

Marvin also talked about a community networking event that he’d been facilitating for two years: a two hour gathering at the local Panera Bread called “Coffee, Tea, You and Me.” Twenty to thirty people come and discussion is driven from their questions.

Now this is interesting. There is no charge for the networking event, but people are invited to donate money for a Panera Gift Card which is then given to local charities. It supports Panera and supports local charities.

Marvin is finishing up a book: A Playbook for Business and Personal Success. Always interested in people writing books, I asked more about it. Turns out Marvin is writing the book to give away for free as an eBook; his generosity continues.

 

Some people you meet in life are outstanding, they really stand out. They have a passion and excitement about life. They’ve thought about a lot and made sense of things. They have ideas about how to do things. It’s like they are supercharged. All of these outstanding people are interesting and engaging, but not all of them are generous to individuals and community. Marvin “Coach” Powell is one of the outstanding people who is also generous.

Check out this video and see Coach Powell in action.

The 90 Day Power Play lists his Coffee, Tea You and Me event, and includes a number of posts by Coach Powell.

Marvin “Coach” Powell: Integrity, Passion, Commitment

Marvin “Coach” Powell answered a query I put out on HARO: Help a Reporter Out. Someone in his LinkedIn network read it and sent the query his way. (Networking helps you stay informed.)

What was my query?

I’m collaborating with Martin Brossman, “LinkedIn Networker Extraordinaire” on a networking book and am gathering “best” and “worst” networking stories.

Marvin was one of over a dozen people who responded. (Asking questions is a great way to invite participation and find people who are very active like you are.)

What story did he share? We won’t give the stories out yet, but here’s one of the principles he shared: “communicate character, not just competency.” I found that very valuable and succinct, reminding me that networking is about the whole of who I am meeting the whole of who you are.

That’s a picture of Marvin Powell with the love of his life, his wife.

Before I knew it, Coach Powell had sent out an email to his network with the header: “Anora McGaha – Coach Powell Community Networker of the Week.” Nothing like turning around and finding yourself in the spotlight. What’s more, several people contacted me to get linked up on LinkedIn, and one in particular is now a coaching client on blogging and authoring her book. (Doing a generous act for someone almost instantly puts you in a positive light.)

How could I not be curious about who this man was? So I emailed and asked to interview Coach Powell. What did I learn on the phone? Way more than I can write here, but I will try to convey the gist of it in two parts. The first, below in Coach Marvin’s words.

“I’m a US Navy brat. My dad was a career man so we moved every 2-3 years. Before he retired we lived in DC., Maryland , Virginia , Hawaii and California . I was blessed to see almost every State in the US from the back seat of a Pontiac Lemans as we drove through both the Northern and Southern track of the entire country. Making new friends quickly became my greatest skill!

I’ve had tremendous influences in my life starting with my grandfather Deacon Spious Paul Powell who forever remains a symbol of character and courage. He and I spent countless hours together during my youth and I still reflect on the living example that he provided me. From him I learned what commitment, dedication, and courage looked like. He didn’t just talk about living right, he did it everyday.

I’ve also lived in almost every geographic setting that America has to offer. Sometimes I was the suburban kid from Hawaii making friends with the rural kids of Southern Virginia . Other times I played the country cousin trying to forge his way within the inner city youth of DC. I learned that you get love by giving it and that you gain respect by earning it.

Of course my professors in America ’s great public schools, and in college as well, finished me off quite nicely. They always seemed to single me out and give me opportunities to excel. For that I’ll be forever grateful. To this day, I try to spend as much time as I can mentoring and encouraging others to find their potential and grow it.”

Coach Powell had more to say, some of it very surprising. Powell was a financial advisor for many years. And only a year ago, his wife opened his eyes to the fact that he was doing the work of “coaching” without calling it that. So she challenged him to be who he was as a coach and step up to the plate. Obviously he was a natural, because it worked. Coach Powell is very active, educating people about networking and growing their businesses. He calls himself a Small Business coach, specifically interested helping the backbone of America get stronger.

Part II Coming next week.

LinkedIn

Coach Powell’s 90 Day Power Play