Dr. Markus Rechlin likes to focus on solutions and results, and he’s good at it. They are skills he honed as an engineer, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He has found that those same traits are also integral to success in business.

In addition to his engineering aptitude, Dr. Rechlin said he inherited some of his business sense from ancestors who owned a maritime equipment company in Berlin, Germany. While he considered coming to the U.S. to study for an MBA after his studies in mechanical engineering, including a PhD in Aachen, Germany, he instead joined Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a management consultant in Germany.

At BCG, he collaborated with company leaders on strategic and operational improvements, primarily in the healthcare and industrials sectors. This work, he said, gave him a crash course in business, and the experience ignited his passion for enterprise leadership and development.

After a few years at BCG, where he worked as a management consultant focused on strategic and operational improvements, Dr. Rechlin joined Dräger Medical Group, which happened to be one of his customers. He became the youngest-ever head of a business unit at Dräger with approximately 200 people.  He recalled being overwhelmed by what he refers to as “people issues.”

Learning About Leadership from a People First Perspective

“Being thrown into ice-cold waters was very exhausting on the one hand, but on the other hand, I realized how important the human factor is in business. I directed 90 %+ of my time towards people overnight. I directed only 10% or less to strategy and operational excellence through improved structures, processes, tools, and rules - the topics that were familiar to me. However, this was a great learning experience for me.”

Through his operational leadership role at Dräger Medical, Dr. Rechlin learned that successful leadership requires attention to both “hard” factors, such as strategy, structure, processes, tools, and rules, as well as to “soft” factors, including leadership, mindset, and culture.

Dr. Rechlin later worked at Bain Capital, where his experience working with many companies further strengthened his belief in a holistic approach to leadership. Over time, he became increasingly aware of his belief system and patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving, as well as the interconnectedness of the world. Different business experiences, personal experiences, and insights from intensive studies in personal development triggered a growing level of consciousness, he recalled.

Today, he is an expert in enterprise leadership and development. His credo is "Leading companies consciously and developing them holistically.” According to Dr. Rechlin, consciously stands for self-reflection and self-development of individual leaders and leadership teams, while holistically combining leadership attention on the “hard and soft factors.” “I deploy my expertise in two areas: minority investments in companies with attractive development potential and strong leadership, and executive training, coaching, and consulting focusing on strategy and people.”

Professional Achievements

While Dr. Rechlin experienced professional success as a management consultant at BCG and as a portfolio professional at Bain Capital, he is most proud of his achievements in executive roles at Dräger Medical and in raising capital for an initial public offering (IPO).

At Dräger, he was responsible for the Intensive Care business unit, which was accountable for ventilators for artificial respiration. Four years after the successful development and introduction of a new product line, Dräger became the market leader in ventilators in terms of the number of units sold and in value, making Intensive Care Dräger’s most profitable business unit.

Many years later, Dr. Rechlin was responsible for the 3D printing machine business, which produced high-quality metal parts for gas turbines and aircraft engines. When he started, the company had 65 employees. The initial focus was on raising capital for anticipated growth. In six months, the company went public. Proceeds from the IPO fueled further growth. The company's performance after the IPO exceeded investor expectations. The number of employees grew to more than 350. 

Personal Values and a Belief in People

This success under Dr. Rechlin’s leadership validated his profound belief that combining “hard” factors and the “soft” factors leads to superior growth and financial performance. 

His years of experience have refined his values, including self-reflection, self-development, responsibility, openness, trust, and respect.

Dr. Rechlin believes that every person has remarkable talents. He acknowledges that adverse circumstances in life or the lives of one's ancestors may be responsible for habits, routines, and reflexes that influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, potentially preventing the full realization of one's talents. That’s why he believes self-reflection and self-development are critical to overcoming limiting beliefs.

Taking responsibility for the future can prevent someone from falling into the role of victim, he said. “Openness, trust, and respect foster connection between people, facilitating communication and collaboration, instead of separation and destructive conflict.”

Dr. Rechlin said it is never too early to practice self-reflection and self-awareness to understand better your belief system, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. His advice,  “Your mindset and thoughts determine your feelings and, ultimately, your future. Thus, you are not a victim but the creator of your future. Deploy the power of intention, manifestation, and visualization. Open your heart and let your heart feel your intended future.”

Continuous learning, according to Dr. Markus Rechlin, is the key to progress, fueling improvement, adaptation, and innovation.

Achieving Success by Helping Others

He likes to distinguish between external and inner success. For him, external success relates to achieving exterior goals (wealth, career). In contrast, inner success relates to achieving a strong connection to both oneself and to a bigger whole, being authentic and humble. Ultimate success, Dr. Rechlin said, begins with inner success, which in turn leads to external success. He also believes that one achieves success by helping others unleash their potential.

Dr. Rechlin pointed to the example of how he helped Arpad, his former assistant at SLM Solutions, attend the MBA program at Columbia University. When Dr. Rechlin founded MAREVEST, Arpad joined him and worked on a project-by-project basis.

Arpad’s dream of attending Columbia came true, as Dr. Rechlin provided him with references and an offer that MAREVEST would cover his tuition, hoping he would return to MAREVEST following graduation. When Arpad did not get in on his first application, Dr. Rechlin encouraged him not to give up, and he applied again. Eventually, he was accepted and received a scholarship, so that MAREVEST did not have to pay anything to Arpad. He finished his MBA at Columbia and graduated in the top 5% of his class. 

Dr. Rechlin balances his demanding career with time to relax, which involves spending time in nature, engaging in light activities such as walking, maintaining a fitness routine, practicing meditation, breathwork, yoga, reading, and socializing with friends and family.

Devoting time to the leadership team of MMDC (Monica Memorial Development Centre), a small school for young needy children in Naivasha, Kenya, is another way Dr. Rechlin spends his free time. He visits MMDC regularly.

Dr. Markus Rechlin consistently brings his talents to every project by focusing on solutions and results, drawing on his extensive leadership and business experience.