Mark Gottfredson provides insight and leadership advice at DFW Leadership Series

Featured Photo: Derek Spitzer, Mark Gottfredson, Mark Glassman, and John Hatch. Spitzer, Glassman, and Hatch have been instrumental in planning and executing the DFW Leadership Series. Photo by Leslie Horn.

Mark Gottfredson, Advisory Partner and Founder at Bain and Company in Dallas, spoke to a group of about 150 in Colleyville last Tuesday evening, as part of the DFW Leadership Series. The speaker series features accomplished leaders from diverse industries across the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Each shares experiences, insights, and inspiration on ethical and effective leadership principles. In January, the series featured General Bruce Carlson, USAF Retired, and in February, will feature John Merris, CEO of Solo Brands. In March, the group will host Hannah Smith, former US Supreme Court clerk, current religious liberty advocate, and Carroll ISD School Board Trustee.

Mr. Gottfredson presented a talk entitled “Leadership: More Than a Great Speech,” in which he reflected on the character traits and practices of historically important leaders such as George Washington and Jesus Christ as well as leaders in business and government, such as Elon Musk and JW Marriott. Gottfredson has spent decades at Bain, consulting and advising leaders on strategy and relationships. He has held a range of leadership positions in the firm, including heading the Global Performance Improvement practice, and as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. He is also a leader in the firm’s business strategy, manufacturing, and retailing practices. Most recently, he headed the automotive practice for the Americas. 

In 2005, Mr. Gottfredson was named to Consulting Magazine’s list of Top 25 Consultants globally. He has been published extensively in publications such as the Harvard Business Review, European Strategy, and the World Business Review, and is the author of The Breakthrough Imperative: a Handbook for General Managers. In addition, he is frequently sought out and quoted in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Business Week. Prior to joining Bain, he worked in the financial services and real estate industries. Gottfredson is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and currently serves as an Area Authority Seventy in the North America Southwest Area. He and his wife, Christine, have five children and twelve grandchildren.

He said that the leader of any group “makes a huge difference, and sometimes, he is also the problem.” He related the importance of competent leadership to everyone in attendance, stating that “everyone is a leader in some sense: parents, teachers, managers,” etc.

Gottfredson referred to a survey in which people were asked what qualities they look for in their leaders, or in someone they would willingly follow. This “Follower’s Perspective” is enlightening. The survey results showed that 88% of people look for honesty and integrity in their leaders; 75% look for a person of vision, with a clear direction; 68% look for someone who is inspiring to them and presents their vision with passion; and 63% find competency and credibility to be very important. Mr. Gottfredson then proceeded to go through each trait and expand on how to implement or adopt these traits more fully.

He emphasized the importance, especially, of integrity, and talked about the founding principles that his firm in Dallas set forth when they first established the office, in 1990. Their operating principles include having a passion for results; presuming trust in others; communicating openly, honestly, and directly; considering the 1% possibility that “the other guy” is right; and providing a family-sensitive work environment, among other principles.

Christine Sturgeon, a leader of a women’s group in Colleyville, reflected on the event. “I went to the leadership seminar feeling frustrated with my own performance as a leader. I came away from it inspired by the simplicity of Mr. Gottfredson’s message (listen, value others, teach true and lasting principles, emulate what you teach by who you are) and ready to practice the mechanics of better leadership (repetition, encouragement, accountability, give space for the best ideas to come forward). I appreciated hearing his insights. It was time well spent!”

Mark Glassman, the founder of the DFW Leadership Series, said, “Mr. Gottfredson led a wonderful meeting. His speaking style is relaxed and engaging at the same time, and he articulated very well the essence of leadership.”

Gottfredson finished up his presentation by summarizing that the best leaders are those whom people want to follow and whom they respect. He said that “real passion, if well-founded, is quite contagious,” and that “business and leadership should be based on true principles.” He concluded with this quote by Karl G. Maeser, a prominent 19th-century educator, “My young friends, I have been asked what I mean by word of honor. I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls–walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground–there is a possibility that in some way or another I may be able to escape, but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first!”

Ed Smyth, an ecclesiastical leader in the area, also attended the seminar looking for help in his role. “Mark Gottfredson’s captivating seminar on leadership helped me to understand the time-tested characteristics that make up exceptional leaders. The format made it easy for anyone to seize upon these attributes and put them into practice immediately.”

The DFW Leadership Series will present its next speaker, John Merris, CEO of Solo Brands, on Thursday, February 24, at 7:00 pm. The event will be held at 500 W. McDonwell School Road in Colleyville. See the Facebook event page here and the DFW Leadership Series Facebook page, here. Sign up to receive updates about the series here. All are welcome!

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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.