Scott McKain

About Scott McKain

I’ve spent my career helping leaders and organizations answer a deceptively simple question:“What makes us meaningfully unique in the minds of the customers we serve and the team members we employ?”It’s not about slogans, taglines, or trying to be louder than the competition. It’s about distinction — the kind that is earned through clarity, purpose, and consistently delivered experience. Too many organizations are working harder than ever, yet look and sound exactly like everyone else. That leads to commoditization, margin pressure, and customers and employees who feel no connection.My work focuses on helping leaders and organizations rise above that.Through the lens of \"Beyond Distinction\"(new book from Wiley in February 2026) and Transcendent Leadership, I teach how to lead with clarity in turbulent markets — and how to create cultures grounded in values, meaning, and identity. When leaders transcend the noise, they guide their teams to create experiences that are not only unique…but valuable, relevant, and memorable.That’s where the Ultimate Customer Experience® is created:Not from tactics — but first from who we are, how we show up, and what we stand for.I’ve had the privilege of sharing this work with audiences and organizations in all 50 states and more than 40 countries. I serve as an \"Expert in Residence\" at High Point University, alongside innovative business founders and industry icons who are shaping the future of leadership. And I continue to write, speak, teach, and advise leaders who are committed to creating meaningful competitive advantage in a crowded, AI-transformed world.It\'s been a privilege to author multiple books listed by major publications in their \"10 Best Business Books of the Year\" lists, be inducted into the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame, and the Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame, and to receive the Cavett Award from the National Speakers Association - the highest honor in the field of professional speaking.If you’re interested in exploring how distinction, transcendent leadership, and the Ultimate Customer Experience® can strengthen your organization’s identity and accelerate performance — I’d be glad to connect. We can work together to provide you with a competitive advantage that rises above market turbulence and creates meaning and a distinctive identity in uncertain times.

Experience

1. Founder and CEO

   The Distinction Group Scott Mckain

   Jan 2013 — Present

   The Distinction Institute - through a multi-million dollar, highly interactive learning platform - helps the professionals who work for leading organizations learn how to create competitive space in highly contested marketplaces, and how to deliver the \"Ultimate Customer Experience ®\" that will inspire greater loyalty from your clients and enhanced engagement from your associates.Based upon the work and research of founder Scott McKain - author of the book,\"Create Distinction: What To Do When \'Great\' Isn\'t Good Enough To Grow Your Business\"(original edition named by thirty major newspapers as one of the \"Top Ten Business Books of the Year\")- the Distinction Institute can blend learning platforms in a unique manner to create extraordinary results.

Education

• UCLA Anderson School of Management

  Volkswagen Executive Leadership Program

• Franklin College

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Political Science and Government

• High Point University

  In Residence Expert on Distinction and Relevance

• American University

  Washington Semester Program, Political Science

Skills

• Coaching
• Management Consulting
• Keynote
• Training & Development
• Training Speaker
• Hospitality Industry
• Business Strategy
• Business Keynote Speaker
• Pre-Opening
• Connecting People
• Workshops
• Restaurants
• Motivational Speaking
• Presentation Coaching
• Banquets
• Change Management
• Leadership Development
• Customer Relations
• Small Business
• Workshop Speaker
• Emotional Intelligence
• Seminar Speaker
• Organizational Leadership
• Management
• Team Building
• Workshop Leader
• Organizational Change
• Executive Coaching
• Personal Development
• Hospitality Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Sales Skills Training
• Food
• Events
• Conferences
• Motivational Speaker
• Writing
• Resorts
• Public Speaking
• Catering