Episode 9: Career Growth, Collaboration, and Impact with Jonathan Horowitch of Easterseals

On Board with Transparent Leadership Podcast

May 23, 2024

Episode 9 Show Notes

In today's episode, our host Kendra Davenport sits down with Jonathan Horowitch, the esteemed CEO and president of Easterseals DC, Virginia, and Maryland, to explore the dynamic challenges and triumphs of leading one of the nation’s most impactful nonprofit organizations. Together, they delve into Easterseals' mission to empower people with disabilities and their families through essential services like employment, housing, and job training.

Listen in as Jonathan shares his daily practices for maintaining balance and fostering a caring organizational culture, open feedback's significance, and diverse perspectives' value. We also hear his thoughts on managing the shift to remote work during the pandemic and the critical need for setting boundaries. Jonathan touches on his nonprofit journey, transitioning from tech and banking, and offers valuable career advice on curiosity, self-awareness, and team building.

Kendra and Jonathan discuss the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI and A) within Easterseals and their commitment to transparent and impactful outcomes. Discover their insights on strategic collaboration, the scarcity versus abundance mindset, and how they navigate the increasingly competitive nonprofit landscape.

Join us as we explore these topics and more, and remember to subscribe, leave a review, and visit easterseals.com for further engagement. Stay tuned for our next insightful episode on Transparent Leadership.

Transcript

Jonathan Horowitch:

One of our core values is care. And of course, you know, care you would think is like, oh, caring for our participants. But we also really talk about it as caring for each other and ourselves within the organization. Like I always when I do all the new employee orientations at Easterseals and welcome each new group of employees. You never are perfect and we're always trying to get better. But, you know, I think there's often and it sounds like a cliché but I don't really view it as a cliché, like people will tell you feedback is a gift. Right? And it really is because at the end of the day, if you can open yourself up to hearing it.

Kendra Davenport:

Hard to do, though. Hard to do.

Jonathan Horowitch:

It's the chance to really it is, but when you can, it's like the chance to learn a lot. And then you know we spent, many months with the board talking about, you know, what were the right goals and how to express them. And I think you're right, you know, explaining it clearly is very important. And I feel like when there is a rationale, you know, it's it's easy to explain versus if you're doing it because it's the flavor of the month.

Kendra Davenport:

Welcome to On Board with Transparent Leadership, an Easterseals podcast. I'm Kendra Davenport, president and CEO of Easterseals. And today, I am thrilled to be joined by Jonathan Horowitch, CEO and president of Easterseals DC, Virginia, and Maryland. So I have been you know, we've been doing this podcast with leaders, and I've been talking with a very diverse group of people. And you are, I believe, the 1st affiliate CEO I've had the opportunity to speak with. And you were one of the first people that came to mind, Jon, because I think it was probably in the 1st or second week I was on board you reached out to me and and said, you know, I'm here to help. Contact me. And you have been really one of the most forthcoming collaborative CEOs that I work with out of our 70.

Kendra Davenport:

And we have many, So that's saying a lot. So welcome. I wonder if you could just start by telling a little bit about your journey and how you came to to be the CEO of our DMV, as we like to call it, our DMV affiliate. Because I know this nonprofit gig for you is new. This isn't something you always did. So if you could just give everybody a flavor for how you got here, who you are, that would be terrific.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, thanks so much, Kendra. It's wonderful to be here. And, I guess I it's funny because I don't feel like it's so new anymore because I've been part of Easterseals for about 20 years, But you're right. It was not my first career. So I started, my life in the tech field and then, in investment banking and then came down to the DC region to work for Capital One. And they have an awesome program where they put their, execs onto the boards of nonprofits that they support. And I came to the community relations group and said I was really interested in getting involved in the community, and they gave me a whole bunch of places to visit. And I fell in love with Easterseals because of the work we do, to make sure that children are prepared to succeed in school and life.

Jonathan Horowitch:

I'm gonna date myself now, but when I was a kid, we didn't have any money, but it really didn't matter that much. I worked in the grocery store and it was a union shop. So instead of the minimum wage of 3.35, I made 3.75, but I could, you know, keep college. And since then, minimum wage has doubled in college has gone up 10 times, so it doesn't work so well anymore. And then also at the time, my mom had just been diagnosed with cancer and I was really worried, you know, when I put her in a nursing home, would I get a home health aide? And I had never seen or heard of medical adult day care until I came to tour Easterseals. And when I saw the program, I was just blown away. So I ended up joining the board, did that for about 6 years and was actually being recruited to be the CFO of a large, nature nonprofit and was talking to the previous CEO of the Easterseals DC region and said, will you be my reference since you are my connection to the nonprofit world? And she said, wait a minute. If you're gonna, you know, work in a nonprofit, why don't you come work here? I thought you loved Easterseals.

Kendra Davenport:

It's all who you know, Jon.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Exactly.

Kendra Davenport:

Who you know and how they know you.

Jonathan Horowitch:

I became the COO and then did that for about 6 years and then then became the CEO about 7 years ago.

Kendra Davenport:

Well, we're thrilled to have you. And I know that I think your perspective on this will be really interesting to our listeners. Just wanna tease this out a little bit. There are many similarities between operating a nonprofit and operating a for profit. Can you talk about what you find maybe to be the most challenging difference in leading a nonprofit versus a for profit company?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, you know, I think some of the challenges relate to goal setting and, really getting your arms around what are the goals of the organization because it's very different in a nonprofit where, there are financial needs and also mission needs. And, you know, you often hear nonprofit leaders saying without money, there is no mission, but also without mission, there is no money. Nobody's gonna give you money and donate to your organization if you're not doing something important. And so striking that balance to make sure that you're really achieving important mission outcomes yet keeping the organization financially sustainable is, I think, a big challenge.

Kendra Davenport:

Oh, I I completely agree. And you and I have had these conversations. You are very adept at it, though. You're a you're a big networker, and this is something I have always really appreciated in working with you, Jon, is that you are so collaborative. And and what I mean by that is if a if a connection you have at the affiliate level is going to be it's gonna be more advantageous to everyone in Easterseals community to kick them up to national or vice versa. You've been very, very willing to do that. And I think that speaks volumes about, you know, how you how you see networking play a role in in building your brand and identifying companies that are going to be, you know, resource advocates or generous donors.

Kendra Davenport:

I think since the pandemic, it's been harder. It's it's gotten a lot harder. And I've talked about this in other podcast interviews because I really feel that COVID separated NGOs in terms of, you know, if you had a, b and c players, a being those NGOs that went into COVID really super strong financially, b, being okay. They're healthy, but they're not robust, and c, being those NGOs, nonprofits that are hanging on by a thread. What I believe and and I may have even talked about this with you at another time. What I believe COVID did was segregate and separate out all those c and some of the b players. A lot of nonprofits merged. A lot of nonprofits either went out of business or they were absorbed maybe by another NGO.

Kendra Davenport:

So now my feeling is that you are competing against all the a players. You know? It hasn't gotten hard. It's gotten much harder. So So can you talk a little bit about how you present Easterseals DMV, the programs? Because you you really do have a growth mindset, and I think you have engaged some super supporters, but you're always on the lookout for others. Can you talk a little bit about your perspective on the landscape of in terms of fundraising versus leadership versus, you know, engagement of corporations? And do you agree or disagree with me that it has gotten harder since the pandemic?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, it's hard to say whether it's harder or easier, frankly, because who can remember back to before the pandemic?

Kendra Davenport:

True. That's true.

Jonathan Horowitch:

But what I have to say, this is one of the things I feel great about. You know, we have an awesome board, and I feel like I'm always learning from my board. And one of the things that, one of my board members really helped me better understand is that it's important to have a collaborative mindset and not a scarcity mindset. Because when you can collaborate with others, whether it's with other Easterseals affiliates, Easterseals National or other nonprofits that are doing related but not exactly the same kind of work, and you can therefore have a bigger impact, then more funding becomes available. And if you focus instead on how do I defend my, my area, then it's a lot harder to do that. So that's why, you know, strategically, one of our strategic aspirations as an affiliate is actually about strengthening collaboration and really making sure that in partnership with others, we can meet the full array of needs that our different clients and families have. And when you think about building those relationships, I think of it as really you know, a relationship has to be a two way street. And if it's all like I'm getting things and I'm not giving anything, then there's not really a relationship.

Jonathan Horowitch:

And so what I'm really trying to focus on as I work on building partnerships is how can we do something that's gonna be mutually beneficial that's gonna really enhance the community?

Kendra Davenport:

I love that. I love that. I'm gonna cover another tricky topic, big challenge, and and it's in the news quite a bit because of what's happening politically. DEI and A. I think of Easterseals as being at the pointy end of the proverbial spear in terms of promoting and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for people with disabilities, for seniors, and with veterans. But I know and as I talk to many CEOs, they shy away from it or find it intimidating and don't really know where to begin because it's so intrinsic to the work all of our affiliates, including your own, do. Can you talk a little bit about your approach to DEI and A, what you've done, you know, and and how it impacts everything from from a leadership perspective?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Yeah. Well, thank you, Kendra. I think you are raising an important point when you talk about Easterseals being at the pointy end of the spear on this. Because Because to me, you know, this is another example of where the nonprofit and the for profit worlds really interact. Like, maybe you've read the that's the way I think about it is that, the initiatives that we're pursuing are really a reflection of the outcomes that we need to deliver for the clients and families and communities that we're serving. So when we're looking at people with disabilities, people from low income families, often minority families, these are groups that traditionally and frequently, unfortunately, have worse health outcomes and have worse educational outcomes. And so when we and our board really focused on this, we started with what was the business rationale for why we needed to do this, and it really focused on making sure that we were delivering outcomes for all of the clients that we were serving and, you know, and making sure that we could then measure, are we doing that? And then as we, you know, dug into it more deeply, we felt it was really important that our board and our senior leadership reflect the communities that we serve and that we're seeking to serve and have that diverse, group that's also fully included. And we can talk more about that piece as well.

Kendra Davenport:

Are there any aspects of DEI and A that you guys focus on? And and and can you talk a little bit about how you sidestep the politics around this? Because I'm cognizant of where you're based. You're sort of in the maelstrom of politics. Right? And and we need all that political support and we need to be bipartisan. So it is a little bit of a trick. Can you talk a little just a little bit more about how you did that?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, what we did and we spent a lot of time on this both, with staff and with the board, you know, and staff throughout the organization became part of our thinking as we were developing our goals. And then, you know, we spent, many months with the board talking about, you know, what were the right goals and how to express them. And I think you're right. You know, explaining it clearly is very important. And I feel like when there is a rationale, you know, it's it's easy to explain versus if you're doing it because it's the flavor of the month. And when we started, we actually did a bunch of research, and we found that, you know, when we started this journey, a lot of people were on the DEI in a, train even though they didn't have a particular reason for it. And they weren't really doing it in any meaningful or sustainable way.

Kendra Davenport:

Well, it's just it's just lip service.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Exactly. So we felt it was really important to be very specific about our goals and why they were goals and then present how we were doing against the goals. And so on our website, we actually have pages that talk about, you know, what were our goals with respect to our board? What are our goals with respect to our staff? What are our goals with respect to our clients? And how are we actually doing against those goals? And, you know, they're not all goals that you can, you know, as they say, leap over by jumping up the curb. These are, you know, hard goals, some of which we haven't yet met. But that's a reflection that we are taking it seriously in my opinion.

Kendra Davenport:

Thank you for that. I have had the pleasure of meeting your board. I've attended events with your board and talked with them, and I know you take at least I think. Alright? My opinion is that you take a very, pragmatic, logical approach, very thoughtful approach to engaging your board members. Can you talk a little and you have a you have a pretty impressive board. Can you talk a little bit about just your thoughts in general around board engagement, how to make because you touched on it a little bit, but how not just to engage them, but to make it a meaningful engagement for them so that it's mutually beneficial. Because I think you guys, you and your team do a very good job of that. Can you just talk a little bit about that?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Yeah. You know, I think it's interesting because, this to me, really goes back in some respects to what you were talking about about the different tiers of nonprofits or NGOs because, it takes time and staff to be able to work individually with each board member to maximize their gifts and talents to support the organization. And, if you don't have enough time and you don't have enough staff, you can't do those things. And yet it's so critical because, you know, board members are our strongest volunteers, our closest supporters, our closest friends, and have the relationships to help, really make sure that the organization can move forward in the and achieve the direction that they've set. And so I think it's really important. We do a thing each year with each board member individually called an engagement visit, where we actually ask them in advance to fill out, you know, kind of what are their strategic objectives from their affiliation and service on the board for the coming year, and then we talk about how staff can support them in those goals. Because, you know, some people have a particular affinity for children's programs or military and veterans programs or and, you know, some people enjoy government types of interactions and others enjoy, you know, different interactions. So we wanna make sure that, you know, just like in our programs and, you know, I I know you've talked about this a lot, Kendra.

Jonathan Horowitch:

You know, the idea of person centered care, And we think about that with our core value of respect for our program participants of, you know, part of respect is I'm respectful of my colleagues and they're respectful of me. But the other part is that we're respecting each individual and helping that person and that family achieve their goals. Because it's easy to say, like, oh, we're Easterseals. We know what's right for you, but it's more important to listen and understand what someone wants to achieve and then help them do it.

Kendra Davenport:

I couldn't agree more because I really I think it's about level setting. Right? And everyone's expectations are different. So understanding what your board members' expectations are of you and of of the relationship, I think, really helps. I remember with great clarity a conversation you and I had a few months ago, I think it was. I was talking to you, like, midmorning CST, So a little bit later, your time on the East Coast. And you said something I'm paraphrasing, but you said something like, oh, man. It's been a day. And you went on to tell me about couple little challenges you had that anyone managing a facility can appreciate.

Kendra Davenport:

And I hung up, and I thought how I thought about how much you and so many CEOs, and I'm very, very cognizant and appreciative of of how much any one of Easterseals affiliate CEOs have a going on in a on a given day. Can you but you switched gears so fast. You went from the minor forest fire you were dealing with at your facility, which which could have happened to anyone, but it was happening to you that day, to something much more complex that you and I were discussing about a relationship we were trying to foster and build. And I thought, wow. That that's what a good CEO does. Right? You you switch gears. You can juggle plates. But can you talk a little bit about anything you do personally to help stay even keeled, to help yourself as a manager? And I'm talking about you, Jon, not not amorphously what a CEO does, but what you do.

Kendra Davenport:

Is there anything you do daily, any practice you engage in that helps you frame out your day, that helps you remain flexible, that helps you deal with, as I call them, a fly ball, you know, in the midst of regular chaos?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, I appreciate your introduction to this question because, of course.

Kendra Davenport:

Do you remember the conversation?

Jonathan Horowitch:

I remember the conversation that I have to do. Like, I don't always feel so good about my ability to stay even keeled or any of these things because, you know, we all, sometimes, you know, wish we could take something back. Right? And, you know, so I'd say, you know, there's 2 things that I try and do that, I'll highlight. One is I've actually put in my calendar every morning, and this is something I learned from the the leadership development program, the veteran leadership program at the Bush Institute. I so I have specifically my calendar every day. I set an intention for the day. So, like, I might say today, I'm gonna try not to fly off the handle. Or today, I'm gonna try to really pay attention to whoever I'm speaking with and not be distracted by anything else.

Kendra Davenport:

I love that, by the way. I might adopt that.

Jonathan Horowitch:

The other thing that I try and do, again, goes back to our core values as an organization, but one of our core values is care. And, of course, you know, care, you would think is, like, oh, caring for our participants. But we also really talk about it as caring for each other and ourselves within the organization. Like, I always when I do all the new employee orientations at Easterseals and welcome each new group of employees. And I always share, like, in my view, nobody's coming in today to do a terrible job. Like, if somebody makes a mistake, if chances are it's because, you know, they made a mistake or they weren't trained, you know, and that happens to all of us. And so, you know, just accept that sometimes it isn't gonna be perfect, and, you know, that's okay. You do the best you can, and then you move on.

Kendra Davenport:

Well, I'm gonna I'm definitely gonna steal from you on the on that, so thank you for that advice and counsel. I think, you know, when I'm asked, you know, occasionally, what's the hardest thing about being a a leader, leading teams? And and I go back to the same thing. I think I think a good, honest leader has to know when to have a hard conversation or when to push back on something. And we all encounter those things, and they're they're in various shades and degrees. One of the things I most appreciate about you, again, I have to say, this is a big I'm a I'm a big fan. I mean, I hope that's coming across. I didn't intend to be so laudatory, but but it's true. I have had difficult conversations with you, and we have managed to keep going, move through those, treat each other with great respect and honesty, and and sometimes agree to disagree.

Kendra Davenport:

Can you can you talk a little bit about your approach? Because I'm certain you have an approach and thoughts behind that because I think you're very good at it.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, you're very kind to say so, because I feel like, again, this scenario where it's like you're always learning. Right? You never are perfect, and we're always trying to get better. But, you know, I think there's often and it sounds like a cliché, but I don't really view it as a cliché. Like, people will tell you feedback is a gift. Right? And it really is because at the end of the day, if you can open yourself up to hearing it.

Kendra Davenport:

Hard to do, though. It's hard to do.

Jonathan Horowitch:

It's the chance to really it is. But when you can, it's like the chance to learn a lot. You know, one of the things that I've realized now, the more that I, you know, interact with more and more people is, like, getting those chances to sort of get a new insight is exciting, and it is a gift. So I'm gonna share one other piece of advice that our board members gave that I love, and her phrase is don't take it off the table before it's on the table. So, you know, if somebody suggests something or tells you something, you know, chances are there's, like, at the very least, a nugget or something. And if you think it sounds crazy, like, maybe that's the time to ask, like, tell me more.

Kendra Davenport:

That's great advice because I think so often we're so busy. We're and I'm speaking from personal experience, quick to say, oh, no, thanks. Can't do that. Gotta move on. And we probably do miss nuggets in our haste to get things done.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Exactly. Not not why we can't, but how could we? If it's important, how can we?

Kendra Davenport:

And to I think to stay open to new is is tricky. You know? Yeah. When you going back to something you said early in early in this conversation, you said, you know, you're balancing. I'm paraphrasing, but you're balancing trying to keep the ship afloat and and viewing new is difficult at times. So I think I I completely agree, and I love that. Don't don't take it off.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, and I think, you know, it's funny because now I'm gonna share another one that I'm stealing from the previous CEO who is really my mentor, Lisa Reeves. And, you know, when I do the new employer orientations, I always tell everybody, like, please bring your ideas up because, like, after 6 months, you're part of the problem.

Kendra Davenport:

That's good.

Jonathan Horowitch:

But right now, you're the ones who could be saying, like, why didn't you do it like that?

Kendra Davenport:

So funny. So funny because I can remember maybe a year into this job, a couple people said, so how are you doing? And I I remember one of our board members said, how are you doing, Kendra? And I said, I'm good. I'm good. And and he said to me, and I'll never forget it, has the window of goodwill closed yet? I said, it's closing. It's closing. But same principle. Right? You know, once you shut you shut down or once you get to a certain point, people have expectations of you. And and I think that sometimes, predicates what the way we respond to things.

Kendra Davenport:

So staying open.

Jonathan Horowitch:

But I hate the idea, like, you were saying, like, the idea of the window of Goodwill closing because to me, that's the whole point of of collaboration.

Kendra Davenport:

Exactly.

Jonathan Horowitch:

And you know a Goodwill should never close because, you know, there's always tomorrow.

Kendra Davenport:

No. And I don't I don't think the window of Goodwill at Easterseals has closed entirely. I think I think honestly, I honestly, I have been so supported by our CEOs at large. And and I think we are trying, as you know, to inspire greater collaboration. So keep trying. Keep trying.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Yeah. Well, I think, you know, you've got done a great job, you know, and I think this is a testament to, you know, kind of what you were talking about about being open and sharing and, you know, also being honest of, like, you know, at the end of the day, we looked at that, but we can't do it. Right. So, you know, that's okay. That's an okay answer.

Kendra Davenport:

You know? Occasionally. Yeah. Yeah. Let me get a little bit more personal, not to make you nervous, but to find out, you know, and I'll give you a little a build up to this next question. Earlier this week, one of my senior staff members said, I saw you on camera, and you looked really tired, Kendra. You looked really tired. Are you sure you're not burning the candle at both ends? You're Trying to do so much. And I said, oh, that day I was tired, and here's why.

Kendra Davenport:

You know? There I think we all have so much going on, and I'm cognizant of something a mentor once said to me, you know, and I just she she just said, Kendra, you know, a lot of us in leadership positions and this was earlier in my career when I was managing a pretty big team, but she said not not in this role. She said, you know, a lot of us in leadership positions think it's a badge of honor to just keep going and going and going and have really full calendars. Never take time for ourselves. It's not. It's not because if you deplete yourself, you're not gonna be the your best version of your self, and you really have to take care of yourself. That resonated with me. And I have to say it's something I work on because I do tend to do too much and try to cram too much in. And I'm my own worst enemy.

Kendra Davenport:

When I say I'm tired of my husband, he says, well, whose fault is that? Like, whose fault is that, Kendra?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Yeah. Kelsey Pease. Right?

Kendra Davenport:

Yeah. Can you talk a little bit about how you stay buoyant and how you, as one of my staff members said, refill your cup. How do you take care of Jon?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, first, you know, I think, I just wanna mention kudos to you because I think it really demonstrates that you've created a collaborative answer a atmosphere on your team that somebody would say that. And I think that's important because in my mind that is how you can take a step back. Like, if your team isn't gonna...

Kendra Davenport:

Yeah. And I thought about it, Jon. After this person told me that, I thought, wow. You know? If it's that visible with someone close to me, it's probably visible to people that aren't so close to me.

Jonathan Horowitch:

That they felt the comfort of being able to approach you about that. You know? That's what I was really referring to. So for me, you know, one of the biggest things you know, the way you're describing it is very true, and it's you know, a lot of my jobs over the years were kind of what I call individual contributor jobs where I was, like, in these very specific roles doing a lot of, like, deep analysis and things. And so a big part of it for me has been learning to let go a little bit and make sure that what I'm doing is asking questions and, you know, helping people raise themselves up to ask the questions that they need to ask of themselves and their teams as they're thinking about things. And that's kind of fun. You know? It's not like when you think about filling your cuff, it's like, it's fun to have somebody, you know, like be working with a team and see like a light bulb go off, you know? Because you, you know, ask good questions as opposed to you told them what to do.

Kendra Davenport:

Yep. And I'm gonna I'm gonna drill down further. I'm gonna I'm not gonna let you off easy on this because I wanna know well, I wanna get more personal because people really do wanna know, and I think our listeners would wanna know. That's great in the context of work, and I appreciate that thoughtful answer. But I'm speaking more specific to you. Is there something you do outside of work that keeps you even keeled, that helps you replenish or recharge when you have a day when you you're driving home? Like, oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I just need to do this.

Kendra Davenport:

Is there something that you can share with our audience?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, you know, I love to chat with my wife. So I will share that's one of the it I think one of the challenges of COVID because actually it used to be, you know, every day when I would come home from work, I would call my wife on the way home. And we would each talk about our days, and she would tell me what happened at her office. And I would tell her what happened to mine. And, you know, and now with, you know, sort of coming down from the attic to do it.

You know, you I've kind of lost that decompression time in a lot of ways, and you don't have that separation between office and, home. So I do think, you know, I try to, after 7 o'clock, shut off my, you know, stop checking my emails and that kind of stuff. And I will say that a lot of the technology tools have made things great because, you know, I'm one of those people who, you know, likes to just jump on and do what I wanna do when I wanna do it. And it used to be, you know, like, it could be very disconcerting for people to get an email from me. Yes. You know? At 3 AM. And now it's so easy to just click, you know, hold the button down and click send at 8 AM instead. You know?

So I've tried to be more mindful of, you know, creating that separation time to be with family instead of, you know, because it's not as easy as it was when there was that true drive and true separation.

Kendra Davenport:

I love that. And I completely agree with that. When I find when I'm home working with Aaron and you've met Aaron, he's a he's become even more workaholic, I think, now that he's at home than he was when he was going into an office or to a ship or whatever. But we we have that same experience where I think if we're home and we're in separate parts, you're in the attic. I'm in the basement at my house when I'm when I'm home. She tells you where I am on the pecking order, I guess. But we work and work and work, and and there is not a clear and definitive stop, but we've tried to be better about that and and shut down. And and one of my team members, mayor Mansfield, posted a long time ago on Instagram, you know, slams, laptop shut.

Kendra Davenport:

Let the weekend begin. And it gave me a mental image. So now I will text that to my husband, you know, at 7 o'clock, like, slamming laptop shut. Not not literally. I don't want my IT guys to go crazy, but you get what I'm saying. Okay. Switching gears one more time. If you were and I'm sure you get asked this because you've had a really interesting career, Jon, and and you always, to me, seem to enjoy what you're doing.

Kendra Davenport:

If you were to advise someone who's much younger, right, at the start or maybe at the the middle of their career, and they said, how do I keep going? How do I advance? How do I get to where I wanna go? What would be your words of advice? Are is there anything that you think universally people need to do to advance professionally?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, it's so funny that you asked that because I actually, adjust myself at Tuck and giving a presentation about this to, some MBA students. So, so thank you.

Kendra Davenport:

Mind reader.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Kendra. But I expect you to sign it over to Easterseals. So you know, the key things that I really think about and recommend to people is 1, you know, curiosity and, you know, being open to different things and not, you know, it again goes back to that. Don't take it off the table before it's even on the table.

Kendra Davenport:

Right.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Like, you know, the idea that I got this call from a headhunter and go work in a nonprofit, you know, like, it would have been easy to say that's insane.

Kendra Davenport:

But it was fate.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Exactly. And a second thing that I always feel is really important is knowing yourself and understanding, you know, what you enjoy. Because a lot of times, you know, what sounds like, you know, this really awesome job and it's like the next step. Right? We're always on looking for the next step.

Kendra Davenport:

Yeah. Yeah.

Jonathan Horowitch:

And, you know, it's not the next step if it's gonna make you unhappy. And, and true.

Kendra Davenport:

Very true.

Jonathan Horowitch:

And so it's important to really, you know, know yourself, know what you care about and think through, you know, how is whatever I'm contemplating going to fit in with my values, with my ethos, with what I enjoy. And then, the other thing that I always that I talked about in this, in the speech, it was really around, building up your colleagues and your teammates. And, you know, at the end of the day, like, I laugh because, now is the CEO. And I'm sure you feel this too. Like, it kind of doesn't matter what I do because, you know, if I'm the biggest idiot in the world, but the organization does well, then it means that I did a good job because I led the team to that. And if I killed myself to your point, but, you know, the organization suffered, then I didn't do a good job. And so it's really all about motivating the team and bringing the team up.

Kendra Davenport:

Mhmm. Mhmm. Couldn't agree more. So we like to end our episodes with an ask me anything segment, so stick around for that. But before we do that, I wanna just ask you one final question. Anybody who knows me knows I read constantly. I'm sort of an insomniac, so I often read or now I listen to audiobooks more frequently, and I read everything. You know, I read everything from biographies to self help books to, a lot of professional, interesting, you know, books on on how to be a better leader or how to manage better.

Kendra Davenport:

Is there anything you're reading fiction, nonfiction, self help that you or have you that you've read that you felt was particularly impactful or which you took away a lot from? I'll tell you. I'm listening to Indra Nooyi's book Mhmm. Right now on audiobooks, and I just I I love it. And it's something that I, I think I've learned a lot from, but I've also thoroughly enjoyed. So talk to me a little bit about something you've read or reading that you really are enjoying or have taken a lot from.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, there are actually two things that I'll mention. So one, I follow a blog that I really enjoy, and I recommend all the time. It's called Leading with Questions. And, it's by a gentleman named Bob Td t.

Kendra Davenport:

I'm writing it down right now.

Jonathan Horowitch:

I think. Yes. And it kinda goes back to what I was talking about about in terms of asking the right questions. And, you know, one of my favorite posts of his was this thing about, you know, if you if you think there's this project that you'd like to do that you think is important, you know, and you ask, how can I do x? His his thing is the answer is always gonna be, well, I can't because I'm already fully occupied. Right? But if I ask who would care about x and I can get them involved, then I'm gonna make something happen. So I love that blog. It has a lot of great. There's always a, you know, a nugget of wisdom in it, and it comes out regularly.

Jonathan Horowitch:

And then actually right now, I'm reading a book by 1 of, the professors attack that I saw speak when I was up for my reunion, who's gonna be coming and speaking at our, board strategy session actually in a couple weeks. And, it's a professor named Ron Adner, and the book is called winning the right game.

Kendra Davenport:

Thank you.

Jonathan Horowitch:

So it's very interesting because what it's about is how you can, set out to solve a problem and do it and still lose because you kind of defined the problem incorrectly. And so the great example that he gives at the start of the book is Kodak. And everybody thinks that Kodak failed because they didn't adapt to digital, technology. But he presents the case that actually they did an amazing job adapting and they actually became the number one digital printing company. They bought a photo which was like a sharing thing. They had they, you know, knocked Fuji out of all the kiosks everywhere, and they did an amazing job transforming. But then when everyone went to looking at pictures on their phone and stopped printing, they became irrelevant. And so they won, but they won the wrong game.

Kendra Davenport:

Yeah. Yeah. And Very interesting analogy.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Yeah.

Kendra Davenport:

Well, thank you. I have so, so enjoyed talking with you, and I knew I would. Is there anything else that you'd like to share about Easterseals, DC, Maryland, and Virginia?

Jonathan Horowitch:

Well, just that, you know, we love our community and anyone who wants to get involved should reach out.

Kendra Davenport:

Excellent. And how can they do that?

Jonathan Horowitch:

They can go to info at eseal.org. So excellent. Info@eseal.org.

Kendra Davenport:

Thank you, Jon.

Jonathan Horowitch:

Email us. Thank you very much. Appreciate this. Love to be here with you.

Kendra Davenport (commercial segment):

Easterseals empowers people with disabilities and their families to be full and equal participants in their communities and within society. Easterseals is where everyone can feel welcomed and people know that they aren't judged, but treated with the dignity that they deserve. Each day, we provide life changing services nationwide and advocate for policies that improve quality of life. From employment to housing services, to job training, childcare and respite care, adult day programs, and so much more, Easterseals is making a profound impact in thousands of communities every day. You can learn more by visiting easterseals.com.

Kendra Davenport:

That concludes our episode. Thank you so much for listening. If you like what you heard, be sure to write a review. Like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure to join us in the next episode as we discuss how we can all get On Board with Transparent Leadership.