From Participant to Mentor: A Conversation with Mark C. Franczyk, CFP®
Mark C. Franczyk, CFP®, is Chief Executive Officer of Christopher Street Financial and a member of the G2 Leadership Institute Class of 2023. Since completing the program, Mark has stayed closely connected to the G2 community, including as a mentor to current participants. We sat down with him to hear how his own G2 experience continues to shape his leadership at Christopher Street, what he's observed mentoring the next generation of G2 leaders, and why he believes the mentor-mentee relationship is one of the most valuable parts of the program.

Looking back on your own time in G2, what's something specific you took away from the program that you're still using in how you lead, work with your team, or think about your role?

Looking back, the most important lesson I took away from G2 was that leadership development and succession planning are not events. They are ongoing responsibilities.

That perspective informs how we've approached team development at Christopher Street. Whether it's creating advisor career paths, expanding leadership responsibilities, or preparing individuals for future opportunities, the focus isn't on solving an immediate succession need. The focus is on building a strong pipeline of leaders who will be ready when those opportunities arise. That's a mindset that came directly from my G2 experience.

The program also reinforced something I believe even more strongly today: leadership is not about having all the answers. It's about creating the conditions for other people to succeed, grow, and ultimately lead themselves.

Your role has shifted from participant to mentoring G2s. What have you noticed about how your mentee/s are approaching the program: any shifts in confidence, thinking, or how they're showing up? And has the relationship taught you anything in return?

One of the most rewarding parts of moving from participant to mentor has been watching mentees grow in very tangible ways. There is a shift in thinking - less focus on their position and more on their impact. Questions become bigger. Perspectives broaden. They become more willing to speak up, challenge assumptions, and take ownership of outcomes.

But what stands out to me the most is the growth in confidence. This is not confidence in the sense that they suddenly have all the answers, but confidence in their ability to navigate uncertainty and make decisions without perfect information. That's often the defining characteristic of leadership.

The relationship has taught me a great deal as well. As leaders, it's easy to assume that the challenges we faced are the same challenges everyone faces. While many of the leadership principles remain timeless, the context continues to evolve. The mentee relationship consistently reminds me to challenge my own assumptions, stay curious, and look at problems through a different lens. New leaders bring fresh ideas, new perspectives, and a different understanding of what leadership can look like.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned is that leadership development is never really finished. The moment we stop being students ourselves, we become less effective teachers. Mentoring has reinforced for me that the best leadership cultures are built when every generation is both learning from those who came before them and investing in those who will come next.

What made you show up as a mentor and why do you think the mentor-mentee relationship is a valuable part of the G2 experience?

The G2 Program is not a one-and-done experience. It is not about preparing the strategy for a single succession from a founder to the next generation of leadership. It is a mindset that needs to be shared across an entire organization. It is a constant focus on identifying, developing, and creating opportunities for new leaders.

Having been a participant in the G2 Program provided me with many of the key skills and training required to lead a firm. And servicing as a mentor is my opportunity to help ensure that development continues beyond my own generation of leadership.

The most valuable thing a mentor can provide is perspective. Every emerging leader eventually faces challenges that feel unique and overwhelming in the moment. More often than not, someone else has faced a version of that same situation before. G2 creates a way to share those experiences openly.

That's important because leadership succession isn't really about replacing one leader with another. It's about creating a continuous pipeline of people who are more prepared, more confident, and more capable than they otherwise would have been. That's what the program did for me, and that's why I continue to invest in it today.

What would you tell someone on the fence about applying to G2? And also, about the role of mentoring a participant in the program?

If you're waiting until you're ready, you've probably waited too long. Leadership development isn't an event. It's an ongoing process, and G2 gives you a chance to accelerate it, first as a participant and eventually as a mentor.