Meet the Man with the Courage to Do So
We are excited to share the story of Marion E. Brooks, bestselling author of one of the most prodigious books on the market. But, before we do, it is important to remember why his story became a possibility.
It has been 55 years since a moment that mattered redirected the course of American history. In that moment, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his, “I Have A Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This speech, more than any other, stamped his signature on the Civil Rights Movement. One of the most prophetic orators of the 20th Century, Dr. King used his speech to help compel the federal government to change its course in social and economic integration for millions of the nations’ poor and underrepresented in all races and ethnicities.
For African Americans, in particular, Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech spoke into the consciousness of those who had never considered the possibility that poor children of color could play with children of privilege, become friends, learn side-by-side in public schools, go to college and later work together in comparable positions. The mere notion offered the hope of a paradigm shift that would open the door to the previously unthinkable.
Everyone isn’t created to lead a people to the promise land. Yet, there are moments that matter in the life of every individual—and in those moments is Christ. These moments determine in part who and what each person will become, often leading to the discovery of their purpose. Dr. King did not initiate the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks and others had already laid the groundwork—which was their purpose. As he emerged as leader of the movement, Dr. King was confronted with moments that mattered on a daily basis. How he dealt with them helped to define the purpose for which he was born and how he would ultimately be remembered.
The key is the ability to recognize when a moment does indeed matter. As his speech drew to a close, it was Mahalia Jackson who shouted from the crowd, “Tell them about the dream, Martin.” Having heard him speak of his dream in a previous speech, she realized they were at a critical juncture in the movement and others needed to hear what she had previously heard him say. Dr. King quickly recognized the significance of the moment and incorporated, “I Have A Dream” toward the end.
Far too often, lives are cut short, dreams are unrealized and destinies unfulfilled because someone, who should have, failed to recognize a moment that mattered could shatter a life. When these moments pass without notice or appropriate attention, emotional or physical harm can leave the impacted life broken in spirit—or worse. This is especially true for impressionable children.
Marion E. Brooks exemplifies the character of which Dr. King spoke in his speech, and his story is at the heart of ours. At age 6, there was a pivotal point in young Brook’s life when a moment that mattered changed his trajectory and helped chart the course to discover his purpose.
When you see Brooks today, you would never know that his life could easily have become counted among the heartbreaking statistics you see in the news instead of the amazing man he is had it not been for the wisdom of his beloved grandmother. Her love and quiet grace guided young Brooks on the path God wanted his life to take despite the obstacles that suggested he might do otherwise. Yet, neither of them knew at the time a defining moment and a grandmother’s loving support would lead to an overflow of blessings for Brooks—as is evidenced by all he has accomplished and the example he has become for many.
Today, he is an internationally certified executive coach, keynote speaker, business executive, entrepreneur, and Best-selling author of What You Don’t Know Is Hurting You: 4 Keys To A Phenomenal Career. He has more than 20 years of experience building and leading award-winning teams in one of the top medical companies in the world, including a team that generates nearly $1 billion dollars in annual sales. He was the first African-American man to hold the title, Head of Marketing and was recently promoted to Vice President & US Country Head, Diversity and Inclusion. He earned a BA in Marketing and a MBA in Management.
Brooks is consistently recognized for his outstanding business achievements. He has won numerous awards including; Director of the Year, MVP, Training Excellence, Business Leader of the Year, President’s Award for Community Service, World-Wide Franchise Awards and Business Excellence Awards. He is also a recognized expert in emotional intelligence, corporate culture, and career development.
Yet, for all his accolades and success, Brooks is quick to point to his grandmother “Sunshine” as his saving grace. She invested in him, encouraged him and supported him into adulthood. Paying it forward, he has established Sunshine’s Open Door Foundation, a nonprofit, in her honor, which helps foster children successfully transition to independence. Brooks serves as Board Chairman for the foundation based in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. He has also dedicated time and resources to other charitable causes including HOPE Worldwide Saturday Academy (Newark, NJ).
Giving back and investing in others has become synonymous with his life’s work. And because of his generosity, everything he gives away comes back to him fourfold. Brooks was actually investing in someone else when the seed was planted for his bestselling book, What You Don’t Know Is Hurting You: 4 Keys to a Phenomenal Career. Not only has his book soared, so has he.
When I connected with Brooks for the interview scheduled two weeks earlier, he had just arrived in New York from Germany and had been in meetings all day. I quickly offered to postpone the interview and he said, “No, no, no” and assured me it was fine to proceed. After about 30 minutes, I told him I wanted to be mindful of his time and began wrapping up with my apologies for the bad timing. He said, “You don’t have to cut it short, this energizes me.”
Always giving of himself—this is what Marion E. Brooks is all about. He is also very transparent about his life and the hurdles he had growing up. Where others might shun their humble beginnings, he embraces and leverages them to inspire others and demonstrate how the grace of God works through you when you offer yourself to Christ to be used for his glory.
In allowing his life to be used to give God glory, Dr. King orchestrated change for civil and human rights, inspiring others around the world. Now that many of those rights have been realized, Brooks is allowing his life to be used to empower others to get to the next level. For example, it is one thing to get a job; it is another to move beyond entry or mid-level to senior and executive management level positions.
What You Don’t Know Is Hurting You: 4 Keys To A Phenomenal Career provides the tools to succeed at any level. We will take a look at Brooks’ success and how he got there, as he tells in his own words how his journey began.
HimPower: Marion, we know there’s always a story behind the story. What can you tell us about yours?
Marion Brooks: My mother was a single parent with three children. My father had 11 children by 10 different women. My grandparents took in my sisters, brother and me and raised us. I remember one time, there were some people over visiting and I overheard one of them ask about my parents. When they told them whose child I was, I heard them say, “Oh, he doesn’t have a chance; he’ll never be anything.” I went into another room and was crying. My grandmother came and asked me what I was crying about. I told her I didn’t want to get in trouble but I heard what they said about me and I didn’t understand why they said it. I asked if it was something I had done to make them say that. My grandmother said, ‘You know, people will put their limitations on you, but it only matters if you accept them.’ She told me, ‘There are no limits on anything you want to be. The only limits are the ones you accept. I’m a black woman born in 1915 and I went to college. You’re going to go to college and far beyond”.
HimPower: If you had to pick one person who has most influenced your life and the man you have become, who would it be and why?
Marion Brooks: My grandmother. She supported and encouraged me in many ways, and gave me my example of the value of investing in people. You also have to invest in yourself.
HimPower: You have certainly proven the naysayers wrong and live a remarkable life. What have you done that gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment?
Marion Brooks: When people ask me of everything you have accomplished, what do you consider to be the greatest things? My response is, “I’m the father to four girls. My sister was a single mom. I was sixteen when my oldest niece was born. I became a father to her three girls, and I have my biological daughter. When my sister talks about how much I’ve done for them, I tell her it’s because she was my biggest supporter and advocate when I was growing up.
HimPower: How do you manage to be a good father to four girls with such a busy schedule?
Marion Brooks: It’s an amazing journey. My daughter is the youngest of the four and she is so amazing about sharing her daddy with her cousins because she saw how things were. They’re like sisters. And she’s so benevolent. I was doing some executive coaching and reflective coaching with her. I asked her what she liked most and least about me as a father. She said what she liked most was that I treat the other girls just like I treat her. She’s 21 and will be graduating this year. She majored in business, but she is in love with photography. So, I’m connecting her with some people we know.
HimPower: You’ve built an amazing career jet-setting all over the world, holding positions not commonly held by African Americans. Yet, you decided to give up the prestige of the title and glamorous side of making money. What led you to such an extraordinary decision?
Marion Brooks: I was born in Fort Worth and live in LA now. I lived 14 years in NY and have turned down a number of high profile positions. I was a Head of Marketing, making more money than I had ever imagined and climbing up the corporate ladder until I realized the ladder was up against the wrong wall. I was the first African American man to be in the role, but I decided that I wanted to get back to broader people investment in people so I turned down some great opportunities and took a role more aligned with my people purpose. I thought I had derailed myself but it came back around. Now, I’m a VP investing in people.
HimPower: What led you to write the book, What You Don’t Know is Hurting You?
Marion Brooks: The book came from my focus on people. As I said, I was doing well in my career, but I was not happy. I would do what I call the ‘salmon flop’ (roll out of bed like a dead salmon and flop over). I was trying to find purpose, I just knew there had to be more than just making money. I did a lot of volunteer work, but I could feel there was more than that. I participated in the Life You Want Tour in 2014. The tour was about helping people find purpose. It was a two and a half day session with Oprah and some other people. One of the questions we were asked, “If money didn’t matter (and I added, If failure was not an option), what would you do? Without limitations, what would you do? My answer was, “I would be living my life full-time investing in people and I would be a best-selling author.’ It was the first time I had ever given myself permission to think about ‘what do I really want to do—not need to do.’ At the end, they said, “Now, go do one thing that can help you get there, and I googled how to become an executive coach. I was working on my international certification and a young woman in major media came to me for coaching. She had a new boss and he was trying to get rid of her. I worked with her for six months. She got two promotions and her boss got fired. I had nothing to do with her boss getting fired. She said, ”You have to write a book, you’re going to help so many people. I didn’t know what I didn’t know and it was hurting me. I had no idea because no one told me.”
HimPower: Once you committed to writing the book, did you ever have second thoughts?
Marion Brooks: There were a lot of days when I would wake up in panic and think, “What did you do?”, “Did you really turndown those opportunities”? I remember, I was working in corporate America, studying for my international certification as an executive, coaching clients, and I had just launched a staffing agency, and writing the book. It was so much I decided that I had to drop something, so I decided to put the book on hold for a year. When I told my daughters’ mother she initially said okay, but she called me a couple of days later and she had a dream and I had to write the book now! She said she would support me stopping anything but the book because she felt the book would help a lot of people.
HimPower: Were you surprised that your company would leverage the knowledge you shared in the book in their diversity and inclusion initiative?
Marion Brooks: I was talking to my mentor, a senior executive, and she said she would never have imagined my company leveraging me in the way they have since I’ve written the book. Honestly, I did not know what to expect, but I knew I had to write the book.
HimPower: A lot of people would have taken the safer path and continued the churn up the corporate ladder chasing the money. How did you get the courage to take such a risk?
Marion Brooks: I just didn’t care anymore about what they thought. There were a lot of people who were not successful because no one was sharing with them. I decided, what will be, will be. I could sell real estate again or whatever, I understood my purpose was to invest in people.
HimPower: A best-selling author, busy executive, head of a foundation, parenting four daughters, how do you do it all and find balance?
Marion Brooks: The way I do it is to stay focused on my purpose. You have to focus your priorities and energies on your purpose. You have to have outlets, but if my priorities and energies aren’t aligned with my purpose, they get left off. Every week, I look at my schedule and align my activities with objectives for the year and put them in 4 buckets: Impact on the world, Financial, Personal and Misc. Everything has to fall in alignment. If there is a lot in Misc, I ask, “Why am I doing this.”
HimPower: What do you enjoy most about your role as Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at your company?
Marion Brooks: It’s exciting to help drive the people development, retention and recruitment strategy for so many people and to be in a position to help people maximize their impact, performance and potential.
HimPower: What are your key messages to people when you promote diversity and inclusion?
Marion Brooks: I coach on the importance of emotional intelligence that accepts feedback, engaging mentors who will become sponsors, engage in an authentic way, finding someone who has done what you want to do.
HimPower: What’s at the core of EI and why is it important for them to understand?
Marion Brooks: Emotional intelligence is the key foundation to their success. According to research, 80% of your success will be based on EI and 20% on IQ. Think of this way, there are a lot of smart people out there, but not a lot of emotionally intelligent people. My definition of EI is “the ability to manage yourself and your environment more effectively to get better outcomes.
HimPower: What You Don’t Know Is Hurting You is an extraordinary book and a lot of people are benefiting from what you’ve shared. Is there a way for them to get coaching and additional tools?
Marion Brooks: I do 1:1 coaching with clients, teach workshops, and do key note speeches. I’m also launching an e-course in the first quarter of 2019. I’ll get back to you on when.
HimPower: You must have a lot of people to look at your life and ask how you did it. How do you respond?
Marion Brooks: I’ll tell you a short story. I was doing a presentation for executives and during the Q/A, one of them said he was so impressed with how successful I had become, that he hadn’t gone through a half of what I had gone through and he wanted to know how I had accomplished so much in spite of my experiences. I explained it was not in spite of, but because of what I had to go through that I had been able to accomplish all that I have. If my parents had been the parents I wanted them to be, I wouldn’t have been raised by my grandparents.
HimPower: Any parting thoughts for our readers?
Marion Brooks: Always look for opportunities and lessons in your obstacles. What you focus on grows, the more you focus on the obstacle the bigger it gets. Shift your focus to what you learned from the situation, and you will move from what happened, to making things happen!
HimPower: Is there anything we haven’t covered that you would like our readers to know?
Marion Brooks: If it’s possible for me, it’s possible for them. Sometimes they just need access to information that will help them.
For more information on how to connect with Marion or purchase What You Don’t Know is Hurting You: 4 Keys to a Phenomenal Career, go to https://marionebrooks.com
