{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"0062 WWC Kent Johnson: Family-owned Business","description":"In this episode Kent Johnson, CEO of Highlights for Children, a family-owned business with a majority of independent Board members, discusses a series of topics ranging from his sudden take-over of the CEO position at age 36 due to the death of the incumbent to how the company started to the different avenues of childhood development Highlights pursues. To compound the situation he actually did not want the position since he was working successfully in biotech. Kent refers to the great mentorship he received from the Board of Directors which helped insure assuming the CEO position would be successful. A real plus was governance in terms of having sat with the Board for 2 years prior. The challenge of juggling a wide range of stakeholder populations was achieved by first focusing on the employee population since they were the main determinants of whether or not Kent would succeed, a key determinant of any leader\u2019s success. As to general traits of being a good CEO Kent felt working hard and a willingness to listen are two key character traits. Kent\u2019s father\u2019s work as a scientist and his mother\u2019s work as a politician working in the community contributed immensely to the foundation needed to succeed as CEO. It provided key lessons in diversity and its value in succeeding in meeting everyone\u2019s needs. Humility is key. Fortunately, people are focused on the mission and avoid major, internal political struggles. To support this Kent will tell people, especially when asking a detailed questions, he just needs to know. His scientific training can creep in because he was trained to question everything\u2026details, details. His training does help growth since promoting experiments is key to finding opportunities. Risk Management! In terms of income, Highlights for Children, is not their major source of income. Zaner-Bloser, professional development for teachers, etc. help create an environment where the organization can succeed especially by marketing to government agencies in order to gain sponsorship for their children. Chaos- and complexity theory come into play because there is a constant balancing act required to keep the company balanced, fresh, and appropriate for the markets they serve. Financially, grounding work in risk management is essential because a sunk-cost frame of mind is needed to determine whether or not continued investment in diversification strategies is essential. In turn, these efforts are grounded in a belief of what they can do for kids that will help them flourish. Consequently, a balance is struck in deciding when it is best to stop a highly-desirable project that is failing to show the necessary return potential. This is especially true as the world moves faster and faster. In line with this speed of business the criticality of maintaining balance in a constantly-changing environment is critical. In other words, Kent has to focus on, \u201cHow do we need to change in order to stay relevant?\u201d As a middle-market company managers are expected to help in terms of looking at the outside world and how it is changing along with keeping existing workflows moving forward. This includes managing conflict through rules of engagement, e.g., assume a positive intent when there is conflict, work to provide solutions, examine assumptions, examine clarity of rules, examine possible consequences. This leads to clarity and alignment of goals from the Board to the employee. Managers must \u201ctranslate\u201d from one level of the organization to another. This alignment is critical especially when working with outside partners. Motivation can be a major task encouraging employees to work on change, stay focused on the problem-at-hand, and maintain respect for each other, i.e., an egoless team \u2014 hammer the idea, respect the people. Trust is critical. Debate in a trustworthy manner rather than attack resulting in interpersonal conflict. Conflict and fear crush innovation. Trust and discipline lead to thriving. Inclusion is vital since different personalities come at a situation, problem, or opportunity differently. A straightforward example is Extroverts want to jump in immediately and get \u201cout there\u201d right away vs Introverts who need time to go back to their space and think about things in order to explore and then come out with their ideas\/proposed solutions\/etc. A solutions-oriented frame-of-mind rather than attack\/defend - that\u2019s the key. Some of the challenges facing Highlights for Children is, as mentioned, is keeping up with the changing environment and staying relevant in developing the whole child. Another includes the business models used, e.g., the \u201cmagazine\u201d part of the business is challenging but it is essential to go beyond just being a magazine for children. High Five is a good example \u2014 it focuses on being a part of a child\u2019s development (preschoolers and kindergarteners). This leads to \u201cHighlights Habits,\u201d a range of products within which the child can explore. So \u201cHighlights for Children\u201d becomes the spine from which products flow develop that achieve the goals within the mission strategy of the 4 C\u2019s - Creative, Caring, Confident, and Curious - and how the child goes through their day. This includes curriculum development for the influencers in the child\u2019s life. An example of this is \u201cHidden Pictures,\u201d which helps with critical thinking for children by doing puzzles. It helps children learn to use different tools and processes. I commented on how this helps with developing the child\u2019s Axis Mundi \u2014 creating a space where the child\u2019s \u201cinsides\u201d meet the world\u2019s \u201coutsides.\u201d The child is offered an experience. At \u201cHighlights\u201d this is expressed in their slogan, \u201cFun With a Purpose.\u201d Childhood is a short, sweet season where they learn to love engaging with the world. The children can engage with the characters in the tools. Instead of tools alone, children are taught to have a sense of right and wrong and the tools to apply that sense in their life and change as they see appropriate. The hope is teaching children how to immerse themselves in the 4 C\u2019s can help them solve major problems as they grow older and go out into the world. This is all grounded in ideas that started with the founders of the company, Kent\u2019s great-grandparents who founded the company in 1946 when they were 61 & 59 - starting on their own new careers at that time! Being flexible and change while being faithful to core principles is the constant challenge while also trying to move faster is the challenge Kent faces \u2014 surfing the edge of chaos. This all leads to a fascinating work stream frame-of-mind challenge which imagines there is no magazine and no existing business, \u201cWhat activities should we pursue to achieve our mission?\u201d I pointed out that whether conscious or unconscious this gets to practical applications of Complexity Theory and Chaos Theory, necessary for moving through a changing world by promoting healthy child development. This means the company works at a meta level with a focus on child development through the creation of an ecosystem around \u201cHighlights for Children\u201d that supports achievement of their mission statement. The content may change, e.g., the magazine may have changing relevance and will just shift to its proper place in the ecosystem where certain needs for relevance are constant, e.g., touch being important with activities such as sitting on a parent\u2019s or grandparent\u2019s lap and reading \u201cHighlights\u201d together. Kent\u2019s profile can be found on LinkedIn. Need help dealing with complex situations? You can download CMC\u2019s free e-book MINDSET \u2013 5 SIMPLE WAYS TO LOOK AT COMPLEX PROBLEMS and learn how to find a simple vantage point from which you can resolve challenges. Your feedback is important. Choose from the following options: \u2022 place a review in iTunes, \u2022 send any comments along with your name and the show number to support@ctrchg.com Listen to future episodes for our reply. ","author_name":"Wrestling With Chaos","author_url":"http:\/\/wrestlingwithchaos.com","html":"