IAM425 – Founder Helps Companies With Executive Level Work in Strategic Areas

Brian's spent over 20 years working for 3 different Fortune 500 companies. During this time, he led teams in Sourcing, Supply Chain, Commodity Management, Operations, Marketing & Sales and conducted business in over 25 different countries. More recently, Brian founded MJ Strategic Group, a consulting firm partnering with companies to drive strategic focus in areas of Leadership, Sales & Marketing and People Resources. He had his team look to bring their experiences and expertise to clients to create a path to achieving their potential.

• CEO Hack: Book – Atomic Habits by James Clear
• CEO Nugget: Create an environment of a parent-child relationship in business
• CEO Defined: Helping your team understand your path and give you feedback

Website: http://mjstrategicgroup.com/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brianjohnson28120

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place, Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresham from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today at Brian Johnson of MJ Strategic. Brian, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Brian Johnson 0:38

Thank you, I appreciate being invited.

Gresham Harkless 0:40

No problem super excited to have you on. And what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Brian so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. Brian spent over 20 years working for three different Fortune 500 companies.

During this time, he led teams in Sourcing, Supply Chain, Commodity Management, Operations, Marketing and Sales and conducted business in over 25 countries. More recently, Brian founded MJ Strategic Group, a consulting firm partnering with companies to drive strategic focus in the areas of leadership, sales and marketing and people resources.

He and his team look to bring their experiences and expertise to clients to create a path to achieve their potential. Brian, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Brian Johnson 1:19

I am, I'm looking forward to it.

Gresham Harkless 1:21

Awesome. Let's do it. So they kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about what I call your co-story. What led you to get started in their business?

Brian Johnson 1:27

Yeah. So if you can start out and say, fear initially drove the path. And then maybe courage brought it back. But so I started out, you know, just knowing that business was the right way to go. My father owned three restaurants about the same time he took ownership of them, I was kind of trying to find my way through college and figure out exactly what I wanted to do.

And to be honest, I saw what it did to him both personally and from a health perspective and thought, yep, I'm going to the Fortune 500 route all the way back and, not have to fight that ever again. And to be quite honest, I mean, I think it was a great, great option, great decision.

Because, you know, I got a chance to work for some great companies that really invested in my growth and development, you know, and got to a point where it was like, alright, I think 20 years away from, you know, entrepreneurial life is enough, I think I gotta go give it a shot, because I got to rectify what I didn't try when I probably should have.

So that's what happened back here. And really just kind of took a look at, what I really enjoyed doing where the skill set kind of landed. And then, you know, really what type of companies did you know, did we want to serve? And that's kind of how we wound up kind of picking the route that we did. And here we are.

Gresham Harkless 2:42

Yeah, I appreciate that story. Sounds like you kind of have that entrepreneurial DNA. But I think a lot of times we forget sometimes when we're thinking about, you know, growing a business, just how much of all those skills and knowledge and all that stuff kind of builds up over time.

So to get that Fortune 500 experience, especially in to have and where sounds like I'm guessing a lot of different hats and get it so much expertise that only helps you you know, when you're growing your business, not something that kind of takes away from you.

Brian Johnson 3:08

Yeah, I love the fact when you work with business owners right now I can say I'm in the same boat, you know, I got to the cookies I bake here, so.

Gresham Harkless 3:17

Yeah, absolutely. So I wanted to hear a little bit more about the cookies you're baking, can you tell us a little bit more about exactly what you're doing with your business? How are you supporting your clients?

Brian Johnson 3:25

Yeah. I mean, as we kind of look at, maybe the way to say it is, you know, when you're kind of making that shift, and a lot of people make the jump from the corporate world into consulting and things like that. And, for the right reasons, they pick where they go, ours was a little bit, I'd say different.

I don't know if I go so far as to say, entirely unique, but rather than saying, hey, this is an industry that I know, really well, I'm gonna go be a consultant in this industry. We'd rather go with what areas we're really passionate about, people, marketing, and sales.

And then what's the group, the business kind of framework that we're really passionate about serving, and it's not really about the size of the business, it's just, you go from Fortune 500 and consulting Fortune 500. You're trying to do something different than maybe if you pick a tear down in sort of, like, the small to medium-sized corporations that we're on that verge where do we go hire VPs of these departments? Where do we go get that level of work on the outside and, and that's what we really try to provide is that kind of option where maybe now's not the best time to invest in a long-term resource, but we need a five-year sales strategy and needed to be handed to us where we can go execute it.

The thing we really enjoy is, that we trust the process of these areas like business strategy as business strategy, whether you're in one industry to the next. And we're really good about trying to tailor all that really to meet the need and not meet the industry. So you know, we don't come in and say, if you're in I pick up the construction industry that this is the perfect strategy for a construction industry. This is just the perfect strategy based on the needs you've identified and how we approach doing it.

Gresham Harkless 4:58

So yeah, that makes perfect since then kind of sounds like it's based on whatever the goal might be. And it sounds like those and correct me if I'm wrong, the clients are kind of thinking about maybe, making that jump. But in order to make that jump, they need those core principles. It sounds like no matter what industry make sure those are developed, like your sales process and your strategy and things like that.

Brian Johnson 5:17

Absolutely. Yep.

Gresham Harkless 5:19

That makes sense. And so I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, and it could be for you personally, or it can be for your business, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you guys unique?

Brian Johnson 5:28

And again, I mean, it's not to reiterate it, but maybe to expand on it, but that, belief that the process really can cut can kind of guide you to the end result. For us, it's really that ability to sit down and understand what you're really looking for. So rather than somebody, if it's me, and I'm looking for, more leads or something, I'll tell you what type of leads I need.

But in reality, if you're looking for leads that can highly convert, you might have a better way of showing me how to do that than I might know myself. And we trust that once we hear that and we start working through it, we make it something so that the end result is actually what you're asking for, maybe not necessarily every time what you're articulating, if that makes sense.

Gresham Harkless 6:09

It does make sense. And so let me ask you it does it do you find that it's kind of like more of a back and forth kind of conversation where you're trying to, I guess, make sure you're you're saying the correct thing, and then making sure you're getting feedback to make sure that you are getting exactly what they're looking for? Because I think sometimes, yeah, we do have problems kind of articulating exactly what we're looking for.

Brian Johnson 6:28

Yeah. And so we really try to dig a layer deeper by testing some things. So why specific questions to even get a wrong answer? Because in a lot of cases, if you're doing strategy, sometimes the result of no is the best strategy of all, our resources doing everything. So really trying to draw out what are the one two or three major components of what you're doing?

We call them the pillars. But once you've established what those pillars are, then we'll fill in around it when we work with you. So that's kind of where we bring a little bit of expertise. If you want to say that.

Gresham Harkless 7:00

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And do you also find that sometimes when you're in the business, or you're working on the business, you're so close to it, that you do need that outside perspective, even to just, you know, find out what those pillars are, and make sure that they're strong enough to develop their business?

Brian Johnson 7:15

Yeah, and we found that exact same thing, the outside perspective, not just from a consulting side, but even from a non-industry-specific side. We don't try to tell people we know more than you, we kind of focus on, what we just might know differently than you. And we'll try to bring that to your organization.

Gresham Harkless 7:30

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And I feel like that's definitely a skill is kind of agnostic, if that's the right word, no matter what industry, you're, you're kind of in the ability to be able to kind of see the forest for the trees to be able to kind of test out those ideas. That's something that you kind of have to do in every business.

And sometimes if you have somebody that's been in that business, they're entrenched in it, and sometimes they can't see past that they can't see different ways to, to come up with solutions, and so on and so forth.

Brian Johnson 7:55

Yeah, and we definitely view it as it's not your way, our way, it's when they're both combined. How can I drive the best type of result?

Gresham Harkless 8:03

Right, I definitely appreciate that. And appreciate that perspective, you guys, you know, helping business owners with that. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack and this could be an app, book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Brian Johnson 8:18

Yeah, the big one for me, I've started to even send this to people that I know even our clients, but I don't know if you've ever read the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear. So it's really all about changing things in a very small way to develop, massive habits in your life.

And it's across the board. It's not just business, but you know, the only thing we do is control our actions, in a roundabout way. So this helps you kind of get that control and discipline and it mounts and I've just found that I'm one of those people that has the bright shiny object syndrome, where you know, whatever I see, it can distract me a little bit.

But this helps you kind of rein in and control what might become distractions or might take you away from that end goal. So it's probably not the most profound way to approach business in every way. But I find it there a little battles, you can always win. And once you start winning little battles, it's a lot easier to string them together.

Gresham Harkless 9:13

Yeah, that makes sense. And I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that likes bright shiny objects as well, because I also have the same thing. I think one of the books that actually resonated with me, well was The One Thing and it helped me to kind of look at focus in a different type of way.

But it kind of had it sounds like kind of something related to the Atomic Habits because I didn't like the one thing because you only do one thing, but it kind of set things up like dominoes. So when you start to do that one thing, just kind of kind of how it sounds like with Atomic Habits, it starts to propel you into doing other things and you start to make a bigger impact.

Brian Johnson 9:46

Yeah, I know in the book, he references just one like if you want to if you're not a person that works out all the time and you want to become the person that works out all the time. You might wake up some days, you can go to the gym for 90 minutes and you can just kill it.

But some days you can't, well you know the person really wants to do that we'll go drive to the gym show up for five minutes, and then leave, but they made the effort to make it a part of every single day because they want part of their identity. So I haven't quite mastered that part quite yet. But we're getting there.

Gresham Harkless 10:13

There we go. It's all a process. You know, life has a process, and business is definitely a process. And I think, you know, sometimes we build it up in our head that we have to do so much. But as you said, if, if that person is gonna say, I want to go to the gym, and they're just going to the gym, they make that happen.

Maybe on that day, they only went for five minutes, but maybe a year from now. You know, they're going for the 30 minutes, and then all of a sudden, they're crushing their goals and their dreams and doing everything. So I appreciate that.

Brian Johnson 10:37

Yeah.

Gresham Harkless 10:37

Nice. And then now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice, or if you can happen to a time machine tell your younger business self.

Brian Johnson 10:47

Yeah, I think the biggest thing, is there are so many different things you can do to try to learn and plug in and do things better. And leadership is a big, big, big one. You know, the thing that I found, and I don't want people to read into this and think beyond what I'm saying.

But if you lead almost like a parent leads, and when you lead people in that way, we don't treat them like children. I'm not saying your employees are children. But when you're working with somebody, and the end goal isn't that they get this one task done and done, right? Maybe there are circumstances where that has to be the case.

But you know, you wouldn't do that with your children. I mean, if they, if they didn't do a chore, exactly the way that you wanted to, you weren't going to kick them out of the home for it. And that kind of I think attitude when you start working with people, and I wouldn't tell your employees, you're going to start treating them like children.

What I do mean is when you start doing that, and you start looking at things like you would a parent, in a parent-child relationship, you start saying, wow, I'm building for the longer term and investing in this person. And when I'm doing that, I have to be able to let them fail in order for them to grow. if they're going to do that, then yeah, it's gonna come with a few bumps in the road.

Work on intent, not necessarily, the exact result in some cases, but that's probably the one thing that I think I learned over time that had better results than it was to simply sit there and say, these are the three things you have to do, and I'm only going to hold you, satisfactory or not based on those achievements, so.

Gresham Harkless 12:15

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And that's incredible, you know, perspective, I think there, there might be some parents that are listening to this saying they do want to take their kids out because they're not doing their chores.

But in all seriousness, I mean, I think what you're talking about, you know, hits home, because I think that a lot of times, I usually say when you peel back the onion and business, you really forget it's made up of people, and we're looking to kind of, cultivate those relationships, build up the people just like you would, your parents or people that you love and care for.

And you're not going to just say, oh, like, they always talk about, like, whenever a child first learns to walk, and then they fall down, you don't say, Oh, well, walking is not for you, you maybe you're not cut out to walk, you know, you build them up, you cultivate them, you give them you know, that feedback that allows them to get up and walk.

And you would do the exact same thing, for, people that are in your organization, so you shouldn't change the way you would do that based on if somebody's your child, or if somebody's like your employee or your teammate.

Brian Johnson 13:11

Yeah, yeah. I mean, in the end, we really want to be successful. And we want everybody that is around us to be successful, to help foster that, rather than, be the one that starts to kill that I mean, they'll go find it somewhere else, so.

Gresham Harkless 13:24

Exactly, create that environment that you would want to be in as well. I always say the golden rule applies everywhere. So that makes perfect sense. So now, I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on the show, so Brian what does CEO mean to you?

Brian Johnson 13:40

Yeah, it's, to me, it really just starts with wanting to serve, and I mean, its employees, customers, the community, when you're kind of the engine of the train or whatnot, you're kind of taking things in a path that you want to go, but at the same time, that should be meeting those things.

So I mean, I really enjoy getting the chance to, sit down, with employees, one under, explain to them and let them know, where my thoughts are on why we're serving our customers in a certain way, but get their suggestions. You know, not all our customers are exactly like me anyway.

So it stands to reason, that I'm not going to be the best opinion all the time on exactly how to do it, but give them a chance to have some input. Obviously, with customers, they're your lifeblood, but at the same time, you want to build up to how I am delivering more to them than just what they're asking.

So that they feel like wow, this is somebody that we really want to work with because they're gonna go out of their way to try and meet our needs, even if our needs keep changing. And then I am a big believer in the community side of things, whether it's the online community, the I AM CEO community or all of them.

It's just, how can you impart things that help everybody get a little bit better? I mean, the world is filled with abundance that we can all have, it doesn't have to go to, you know, just certain people at certain times. That's that sort of thing, so.

Gresham Harkless 14:59

Yeah, I love that perspective. And that mentality is just that abundant mindset where you see all those opportunities in being of service and I think a lot of times sometimes people feel like when you give. Are you are of service then you know there's not enough or there's a lack and that you will never get anything back.

But in reality, you create a lot of energy. So to be of service in so many different ways, whether it be employees are like you mentioned the community and giving back. You know, it's definitely something that always comes back. So I definitely appreciate that perspective. I appreciate your time even more, Brian, when I wanted to do was pass the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you can let our readers and listeners know. And then of course, our best people can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things you guys are working on.

Brian Johnson 15:36

Yeah, no, I think you've got the website information and things like that. I mean, check us out at mjstrategicgroup.com trying to do a lot of different things, we continue to try and evolve with our client base and had a lot of fun along the way.

But we're in a perpetual learning state so it doesn't stop and you know, we tune in and listen to the other CEOs that come on and try to gain a few things. I mean, it's the perfect way to kind of give and receive. I appreciate the time, the energy, and what you guys are doing there too.

Gresham Harkless 16:06

Well, thank you so much. I appreciate you appreciate you for being of service and sharpening the saw helped us to sharpen the saw as well. We will make sure to have the links and information in the show notes so that everybody can follow up with you as well and get in touch. But thank you so much again, Brian, for all you're doing and I hope you have a great rest of the day.

Outro 16:22

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I am CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO Gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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