For Morbern CEO Mark Bloomfield, the family business has been an integral part of his life, even prior to his 30 years of working for the company. And while many know him for his leadership of the business, there’s much more to Bloomfield outside the office.
We recently chatted with him about his personal philosophies on business and life, as well as what drives him outside the work arena.
What is your leadership philosophy, and what are the most important attributes of leaders today?
I believe that a strong leader’s main role is to help his/her staff be successful. This is done by allowing an appropriate autonomy for their departments. I also strive to address issues without assigning blame, and just attack the problem itself. By the nature of my role, I usually only see the serious problems, and I am there to help address these most difficult problems in the most effective manner.
Who has been the greatest mentor in your life?
My father has taught me most of what I know about business. I am one of the luckiest executives, as I was on an executive training path starting when I was 16 years old (even though I didn’t realize it at the time).
Do you have any favorite quotes?
Two of my favorite business quotes are:
“Put the right person in the right job and watch them go.” —Unknown
“In god we trust. All others bring data” —W. Edwards Demming
What would you put on a billboard?
“Show me the data.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
I bike, downhill ski and enjoy reading. I am a bit of a tech geek, and I listen to podcasts. Pre-COVID, I enjoyed traveling, but now staycations are the name of the game.
You have several dogs—what it is about canines that you connect with?
I had three, but one just passed away. Dogs are the best. Every time your dog sees you, they react like they haven’t seen you in years, even if you just ran to the corner store. That kind of unconditional love – who couldn’t love that?
If you weren’t with Morbern, where would we find you?
If I had the talent? Starting left defense for the Montreal Canadiens. I love hockey. Most of the people I interact with already know I am a diehard Canadiens fan.
With the talent I do have, I would find a similar job. I truly enjoy manufacturing—working with smart people, creating physical products from ideas. In almost any commercial site, I am always looking at the seating or upholstery to see if it was made by Morbern. Once I saw a Super Bowl commercial on TV with Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander, sitting on a seat made from material I was personally involved in developing. That was cool.