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2014 Men of the Year Honoree: Mark McFatridge

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Mark McFatridge looks for four qualities in people: passion, pride, drive and a desire to have fun. Then he challenges them to surpass their expectations.

“If you set goals with people, they are more engaged and more likely to exceed them as compared to having me setting and delivering those goals to them,” says McFatridge, president and CEO of Metropolitan National Bank. “Empowerment is a powerful tool in helping others reach heights that not even they are aware that they can reach.”

McFatridge, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Butler University, began his banking career with Fifth Third Bank of Central Indiana in Indianapolis, where he also worked for Regions Financial Corp. In 2006, Regions brought him to Springfield, where he’s also worked for OakStar Bank and Guaranty Bank. McFatridge began at Metropolitan in 2012.

The bank that would eventually bear the Metropolitan name dates to 1905 in southwest Missouri. When McFatridge began as CEO, he noted how the institution, battered by the financial crisis that began in 2008, had strayed from its core culture.

“I identified that MNB teammates took great pride in their heritage, most had a passion for doing the right thing and all longed for a culture of winning,” McFatridge says.

With that in mind, he created the Pride, Passion and Culture team charged with creating a superior experience for both employees and customers. McFatridge credits this initiative, which ties in with the bank’s mission statement, with turning the company’s fortunes around to profitability – and national recognition. In 2013, Metropolitan earned a spot on American Banker Magazine’s inaugural list of best banks to work for.

“Playing a role in MNB’s turnaround is my proudest accomplishment to date and remains a work in progress,” McFatridge says.

While he carries the title of the person in charge, McFatridge strongly believes in collaboration with clear expectations.

“Team members must feel that you are doing everything in your power to help them achieve their goals,” he says, stressing the importance of accountability, which he views as a positive motivator. “As long as I am running alongside my teammate, accountability represents our commitment to our overriding goal and ultimately the success of our team.”

McFatridge lends his leadership skills to several area organizations. He is board president for Dickerson Park Zoo’s Friends of the Zoo and Isabel’s House, and he is a board member of the Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation, Springfield Business Development Corp., Community Blood Center of the Ozarks and Young Presidents’ Organization. Earlier this year, McFatridge was honored by YPO with its inaugural Lambert-Melton Award created in tribute to the late John Lambert and Robin Melton, both of whom died in a September 2012 plane crash.

“For me, even being mentioned in the same breath as Robin and John is an honor,” McFatridge says. “Their leadership and friendship to all are characteristics that I attempt to embody every day. I’m happy ... to have earned this recognition for our chapter.”[[In-content Ad]]

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