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  4. Fred Stockton

The Dean's Executive Speaker Series

Fred Stockton

Global Service Line Director, Keywords Studios PLC

Fred Stockton and students pose, smiling, in front of a whiteboard in a classroom setting.

Born and raised in Seattle, Fred earned his degree from the University of Washington's Foster School of Business with an emphasis on computer science, finance and marketing. He has held management, board and investor positions in both publicly and privately owned companies involved in a wide range of markets both domestically and internationally. He is currently the global service line director for Keywords Studios PLC, which provides digital art production for video games.

Fred considers himself to be a business builder who is at his best when he is helping a company grow. An overview of his efforts includes:

  • Leading teams and companies that have ranged from a handful of team members up to thousands of team members
  • Conducting business in numerous countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas
  • Involvement in the acquisition and sale of many companies

He is strongly committed to principle-based leadership and as a lifelong Christian believes that core values must be present for a team to be successful and to create win-win outcomes for all stakeholders. In his words, "Valuing a business's performance simply through its financial results is a very shallow and often misleading way to measure success or to sustain it."

Tips for Success:

  • Business skills are transferrable; domain knowledge is easy to acquire.
  • Prepare for opportunities. Be open to opportunities.
  • Don't get stuck on the inside of your business; get involved with the outside organizations and associations.
  • Build a network of people (everyone you know). Tell them about your interests. Things will come your way.
  • Ask for ideas to improve; don't ask what's wrong.
  • Worry about the people and leadership of the company you are considering joining.

Personal Leadership Tips:

  • Relationships are important.
  • Find something you can be passionate about, but don't pin yourself in.
  • Develop personality awareness knowledge, e.g. Meyers Briggs.
  • Be open and on the lookout for mentors.
  • Results matter; activity doesn't.
  • Be a dedicated lifetime learner.

Company Tips:

  • Get the right people on the bus.
  • Get the wrong people off the bus.
  • Establish, live and reinforce core principles.
  • Determine a winning business model.
  • Formally define strategic direction.
  • Ensure responsibility, authority and accountability is balanced.
  • Measure results not activity.
  • Face the brutal facts.

Additional Tips:

  • Being a servant leader is a recipe for success in the business world.
  • Having mentors is very important.
  • Focus on results, not excuses.
  • Bosses aren't just people who tell you what to do, they are cheerleaders and coaches.
  • Don't barrel ahead, leverage everyone's strengths.
  • Learn about your own personality traits to learn to be effective in managing other people.
  • Don't be afraid to take chances.
  • Practice principle-based leadership.