Everyone should have their own personal board of directors, a group of individuals who can be relied upon to provide perspective. Clay Ostlund is fortunate to have just such a group of people who have his best interests at heart. The chief revenue officer for Marco has gleaned many nuggets of wisdom during his 15-year journey with the megadealer and a previous vocational stint.
If he ever decides to pen his memoirs, Ostlund could dedicate a chapter or two to some of the pithy observations that have resonated with him throughout the years. Here’s a few that the 2024 ENX Magazine Difference Maker keeps close to his heart:
- The first rule of growth is not to shrink.
- You can’t be a leader without followers.
- It’s not what you do, but how you do it that matters.
- Golden silence. The pause, the extra second of time to listen, is golden. Use it.
- Be a duck—let the water roll off your back.
Ostlund firmly believes his successes stem from his teams being aligned to a common goal, and it requires leveraging a diverse group of individuals to address challenges. Ostlund cites business management guru Patrick Lencioni and his 2022 book, “The 6 Types of Working Genius,” believing it’s essential to have people who can speak to each of the elements cited: wonder, invention, discernment, galvanizing, enablement and tenacity. In all that he does, Ostlund strives to be curious.
“When you are an individual contributor, you success or failure is dependent on one person, you,” he said. “When you move through different leadership ranks, you have to build your network, your team, because success is based almost entirely on others. You can’t be a leader without followers, and follower-ship is earned, not given.”
Master of Versatility
Ostlund has effectively been a Swiss army knife for Marco, serving myriad roles from IT field engineering to sales engineering manager, CTO and, currently, CRO. While the positions have marked differences, the fundamental common thread is the opportunity to measure and address challenges.
“Those problems vary greatly, but the approach and feeling you achieve after a positive outcome is the same,” he added. “That is what drives me.”
The consummate go-getter, Ostlund spent part of his high school and college years selling and servicing leisure products such as pools, spas, pool tables, fireplaces and gazebos to fund his education. Late in his collegiate career at North Dakota State University (where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and business administration), Ostlund worked for a company that had an IT managed services partnership. He became the unofficial “IT helper” on the strength of his technical acumen.
After graduating, he agreed to join the IT company. About six years later, Ostlund followed his boss and joined the team at Marco.
Reset Button
For Ostlund and Marco, 2023 was all about getting back to the fundamentals. The team rallied to post its largest revenue growth in many years. It entailed knocking on doors, focusing diligently on relationship-building and tackling the hard work head-on.
“Motivating a collective 300 or so people toward a big goal was awesome to achieve,” added Ostlund, whose 2024 growth plans center on people, processes and profit.
On the personal side, Ostlund’s love destiny was fulfilled way back in pre-school, when he met Kristin. The pair reconnected in eighth grade and married at the age of 21. They’ve been wed 19 years and have four children—Brooklyn, 12, Madelyn, 10, Westin, 8, and Gavin, 6. They own a small farm near Alexandria, Minnesota (a.k.a. lakes country). The Ostlunds love to take advantage of the nice Minnesota summer months by swimming and enjoying the outdoors.
When the family is not traveling, Ostlund enjoys woodworking. “Spending time creating in the woodshop is always a great way to fill the bucket.”
