Executive Coach
Former CEO, MassMutual Oklahoma · Founder, Family Business Partners
“If you want to help someone grow, you ask great questions, then sit back and listen.”
Mark Burson
Experience
Bates Bros
Mark bought a company from its owner and later advised family business owners on exit and succession. He handed his own agency to a successor after fourteen years as CEO. He leads by asking owners what legacy they want to leave and who will run the business after them, then listening to what comes back. He sets the example by working hard himself and develops the people around him.
Burson spent his second career in financial services. He served as Vice President of Retail Distribution at MassMutual's Springfield, Massachusetts headquarters, then as CEO of MassMutual Oklahoma for fourteen years, leading a Fortune 100 company with more than a century of history in the state.
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Owner/CEO
Bates Bros. (Stillwater, OK)
Having the opportunity to run this organization for MassMutual, that's where I finished my career. I'd put that first.
A good friend once told me my people-development skills were my strength, and that's what I needed to focus on. That's what set me on this path.
It's helping people get what they want, and really trying to understand what they're trying to accomplish and what's important to them. That's what drives it.
Tell us about the leader and the situation. If Mark is not the fit, one of the other coaches will be.