If the want-to is strong enough, the how-to will come. This simple psychological principle drives motivation, passion, and performance. And it’s what my career is all about. I’m the founder and CEO of TFS Results, a full-service strategic consulting firm at the forefront of the paradigm shift in education and workforce development. For almost 30 years, I’ve been empowering educators, employers, and economic developers to unlock the tremendous promise of the younger generations. As a single dad to two amazing millennials, I understand the generational divides facing parents, educators, and employers today. Contrary to popular opinion, today’s young people have incredible potential. We just have to unleash it.This is the heart of my bestseller, Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations. The book has won eight national awards, but what really matters is how it has helped educators, employers, and parents to understand the millennial and Z generations and inspire them to greater performance in all areas of life.The untapped potential of these generations is why I’m such a passionate advocate for closing America’s skills gap. I founded the Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion movement to help communities connect their education, business, and economic pipelines. Parents, schools, districts, businesses, and state organizations across North America have used my best practices, including the Career Tree® strategy, to connect more effectively with the younger generations. To share this message, I’ve addressed Harvard University and today deliver more than 80 keynote speeches annually at national and statewide events. I serve on the Advisory Council for the Coalition for Career Development and am a member of the International Economic Development Council, both in Washington, DC.At TFS Results, we partner with schools, districts, businesses, and state organizations of all sizes nationwide to help them experience significant gains in enrollment, engagement, retention, and performance. Our mission is simple: we share and support your passion for making a difference.Since 2019, I’ve been writing weekly at Forbes.com on unleashing young people’s top performance for an audience of over 4 million. I also cover these topics on my podcast library The Perna Syndicate, with listeners in more than 70 countries. If you’re ready to shift the paradigm, connect with me here on LinkedIn or at MarkCPerna.com. We can make a bigger difference together!