John Merris Shares 5 Important Leadership Principles at DFW Leadership Series

John Merris, CEO of Solo Brands, spoke to a group of about 150 in Colleyville last Tuesday evening, as part of the DFW Leadership Series. The speaker series, started last November, is sponsored by the Colleyville Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It features accomplished leaders from diverse industries across the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Each speaker shares experiences, insights, and inspiration on ethical and effective leadership principles. In April, the featured speaker will be Hannah Smith, former US Supreme Court clerk, current religious liberty advocate, and (Southlake) Carroll ISD Trustee. 

As CEO of Solo Stove, now Solo Brands, John has led the company to 20X growth and an IPO last October with a valuation of over $2 billion. Solo Brands has become a digital direct-to-consumer (DTC) powerhouse, leveraging technology to directly serve consumers and create the perfect model for today’s business environment. Solo Brands is made up of a combination of Solo Stove, Chubbies, Oru Kayak, and ISLE. In 2020, John was the recipient of the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and has advised on a variety of professional and charity boards.

On Tuesday, Mr. Merris, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presented a talk focused on five principles of leadership that have guided his success over the years. He opened his presentation by introducing his life philosophy: “I wake up every day and want to make a difference. That’s what life is about, that’s what we are supposed to do with the time we have been given,” Merris said. He said that often, he reminds himself to pause and remind himself of his “why,” referring the audience to Simon Sinek’s foundational 2009 book, Start with Why.

The first leadership principle Merris introduced was Purpose. Find your purpose, then live it, was his main message. “It’s hard to lead others if you aren’t living a purposeful life,” Merris related. “Let your purpose shine through. Say it out loud; does it feel right?” He explained that in his experience, other people are drawn to leaders whose purpose is clear.

Next, Merris discussed his second principle of leadership, Failure. “Understand that you will fail; it’s a big part of the process,” he said. In a moment of candor, Merris admitted that “leading others is the hardest thing I’ve ever done—except for being a dad.” John and his wife, Cindy, are the parents of five children. He enumerated several personal and professional failures and concluded his discussion of this principle by saying that “life and leadership are about iterating: living, learning, growing, repenting, constantly striving to be better.”

Merris introduced his third leadership principle, “Work worth doing is worth doing right,” by telling a story from his childhood. His father asked him to paint the fence along the road at the family’s new ranch near Austin, Texas. Eleven-year-old John spent three weeks painting both sides of the fence, and when he triumphantly ran into the house to tell his dad he was done, his dad quietly walked out to the fence to inspect his work. He immediately checked the underside of all the fence boards, which John had not thought to paint. He spent another week painting the bottom of the fence. John explained that even when you work hard, you won’t always get everything right. “Right is not perfect, it’s perfect effort,” he quipped. As a leader, he explained, it’s important that your people “see you doing your own work ‘right'” so they know that “work done wrong” isn’t acceptable.

The fourth principle on Merris’ list is Speed. He quoted Marc Benioff who said, “Speed is the new currency of business.” “Speed is an extreme competitive advantage that happens to be completely free. It costs nothing to be decisive,” Merris said. “When you move fast, you make mistakes fast, too, which means you also learn fast; you get better faster,” and in a dynamic industry like his, this is extremely important. John was sure to point out, however, that “it’s exactly the opposite with your family. The iteration and learning come with time spent together. As a parent, I finally learned that slowing down is where true growth lies.”

Merris’ fifth leadership principle is Authenticity. “Authenticity and purpose are the bookends to leadership,” Merris explained, and said, “If people sense inauthenticity in their leaders, they are not going to want to follow them.” He encouraged audience members to be honest, authentic, and real in all their interactions, especially if they are in a position of leadership. 

All are welcome at the next installment of the DFW Leadership Series on Thursday, April 28^th. Sign up here to receive email updates about upcoming events.

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Leslie Horn is a writer, editor, fashion stylist, and Media Specialist living with her husband and teenage son in the Colleyville Texas Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has two children in college out of state.