Chris Johnson With Nation’s Finest

Intro: We’re broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Association Leadership Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here another episode of Association Leadership Radio and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Chris Johnson with Nation’s Finest. Welcome, Chris.

Chris Johnson: Glad to be here. Thanks for the invitation.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about nation’s finest. How are you serving folks?

Chris Johnson: Well, nation’s finest is a 50 year young organization this year, and it was founded by some Vietnam veterans that felt that the Vietnam era veterans were not being treated the way they needed to be and stepped up and stepped forward to make sure that that change occurred. So for the last 50 years, we’ve been doing whatever is needed to ensure that veterans have a place to live, get the health support they need, and can manage the the challenges that sometimes come up in seeking VA support and help, just the knowledge of how much is available and where to go and how to get it. So right now our focus has been on veteran homelessness as a priority, but we also were looking into all of those other issues just describe because we want to make sure that those who have served and have earned the support are getting it now.

Lee Kantor: Can you educate our listeners a little bit about what that transition looks like when somebody leaves the military? What is there for them to help them transition?

Chris Johnson: And that’s actually evolved positively a lot over the last few years. They’re now getting actually a person to connect with as they transition, but that disappears shortly after their departure from the military. And as you can imagine, the military has a very structured style of operation. You get in there and you get trained in how the military doesn’t matter which branch does business. And then there’s an expectation that once you leave the military, whether through retirement or you’ve served your term, etc., that you now go back to what we call normal living and there’s an expectation you’re going to evolve back quickly and easily. And that isn’t all the case, always the case. You sometimes, as you can imagine, those that have served overseas and and especially during times of conflict, you’re seeing things, you’re hearing things you’re dealing with, things that could create some sort of post-traumatic stress syndrome or or trauma. And you’re now out in the world having to find a job, having to do things. And all of that hitting you at the same time sometimes creates a challenge. And we’re here to help manage and maneuver you through that challenge so you can get back to heading toward being the best you you can be.

Lee Kantor: Now when you’re working with a group that is so well trained and so mission focused, is it difficult to get them to ask for help or to identify those who are of need?

Chris Johnson: That’s a very perceptive question because, yes, one of the biggest challenges is they’ve been trained and are very proud of the fact that they can do a lot of things on their own and they don’t need help. And they’re very proud of who they are and what they’ve done. And as individuals, asking for help sometimes seems like it diminishes their importance, etc.. So our job is to go meet them where they are, build levels of trust, get them whatever support they need, so that then when they feel comfortable and trust us that we’re there for them, they come out of that shell as so use for a term and look forward to finding their way and their path back home.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned that you’ve been doing this kind of work for 50 years now. Can you talk about how or what you’re doing to celebrate that 50th anniversary?

Chris Johnson: Well, what we’re doing is we decided we would take the 50th year because we realized we’re not alone in the world. There are tens of thousands of organizations out there and individuals out there supporting and doing their best to make sure that those who serve get the support they need. So we decided we’re going to create a we’ll call it a competition, but it’s more of a recognition. And we’re going to identify through nomination process 50 individuals that they’re not seeking recognition but deserve to be celebrated for the amount of success they’ve had stepping forward on behalf of others. So we’re calling it the nation’s finest 50. And we’re hoping people will nominate individuals that have helped them, individuals that started companies that are helping and making sure that veterans find their way home. That’s our best way of reminding everybody that there are people out here that are committing their lives and their finances in a lot of cases to making sure that those who have served are getting the support they need.

Lee Kantor: And this is kind of goes along with your mission to help support these veterans where they are and whether it’s through you specifically or just other organizations that want to help the veterans, you want to make sure that those folks are recognized and they’re part of the community that’s trying to help.

Chris Johnson: Absolutely. Couldn’t have said it better myself. We’re trying to make sure that the world at large understands that there are a lot of people out there doing amazing things to support these groups and hopefully encourage others to do the same.

Lee Kantor: And your work primarily takes place in the West.

Chris Johnson: But currently our footprint is predominantly in the Western United States. But we do help people all across the country in all 50 states. But our physical presence right now is in the western United States. We are getting asked to come support other states as far away as Florida and DC and Hawaii. And we’re wanting to walk to make sure we continue the excellence we’ve had for 50 years as opposed to run to support those. But we do a lot of long distance phone calls to help veterans in need and families of veterans who are trying their best to support their family members as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, what’s your back story? Have you always been involved in association work?

Chris Johnson: I’ve been involved with non-profits for my entire adult life. My father served in the Air Force for 33 and a half years, went through the Korean and the World War two conflicts in the very beginning of the Vietnam conflict. And so I have had a passion and been supportive of veterans my entire life. I was number 32 back in the day when they had the draft, the year they abolished the draft. And so I’ve had some friends that didn’t come back from the Vietnam War. And so I’ve been committed to supporting veterans my entire life and have been very honored and blessed to be given this opportunity to lead. Nation’s finest. My predecessor, Peter Cameron, who founded this 47 year, he founded it 50 years ago. He was the CEO for 47 and one half years. That shows you the commitment that he had to supporting. And I’m honored to try to continue his legacy.

Lee Kantor: Now, any advice for other association leaders out there that are taking over from a founder? Is it a different type of challenge when you’re dealing with that type of a transition from somebody whose vision is kind of imprinted in the DNA and culture of the organization to now you being the fresh blood in the in the group?

Chris Johnson: Well, that’s an hour conversation there. But the but it’s a very, very observant. You have a challenge because you’ve got a company culture and a style and a way of doing business all the way up and through your board of directors. If you’re a nonprofit or a corporation that’s been in place for a long time and no two people do everything alike. So the tough challenge and I’ve been fortunate in my career to have done this a couple of times, your your challenge is just making sure you embrace the legacy and the work and all the great things that have been accomplished by the individual before you celebrate the way that that individual did business in the areas that work and look for areas that need to be tweaked a little bit or wholesale changes that need to happen so that you can evolve because the world changes. And the one advantage and bring in somebody in after somebody has served that long is you do get a different look and a different perspective on it. But be prepared. If you’re going to go through this as a leader, you’re going to encounter cultural company, cultural dynamics. You’re going to have people that are outstanding in what they’re doing, but could be even better in another position in the organization. And you’re going to find voids and challenges that need to be fixed.

Lee Kantor: Now, Do you have any advice for young people who are maybe at the beginning of their career about the importance of joining associations and nonprofits and leaning into volunteer and leadership roles?

Chris Johnson: Sure. I think it serves two very important purposes. One is you do get to see how the business dynamics work in a nonprofit world, which, even though they’re a business and sometimes focus more on mission than on the business side of things, it does show you a different way of doing business. That can be it allows you to have the freedom to get involved in something that you’re passionate about and support something you’re passionate about without having to necessarily be the day to day person doing that activity. And what I mean by that is serving on a board, serving as an advisory person for a nonprofit. And what I find a lot of folks in my 35 plus years of doing this, a lot of folks use it so that I’ll use accounting as an example. They spend their entire day and their career starting out in accounting, and they would love to do something other than accounting and getting involved in some. An area that you’re passionate about allows you to maybe learn about marketing, get involved in fund development, get involved in business operations, and learn a little bit more about that. I will pretty much guarantee you, though, you’re going to enjoy the challenge and you’re going to feel good about what you’re doing. It’s just hard not to feel good when you realize and get the opportunity to meet those people you serve and just see in their eyes how much of a difference you’ve made in their day and hopefully their life.

Lee Kantor: And these organizations are hungry for volunteers and people that want to be involved. There’s you’re I’m sure, not saying no to a lot of volunteers.

Chris Johnson: So, in fact, just like you’re hearing now, the the business world is struggling to find staff, volunteers and organizations such as ours are no exception. The world has changed. We do a lot more things remote now and getting active volunteers to physically be present has been tough and we’ve had to evolve. So we’re even using volunteers to help us with remote activity, meaning you can be in any state or any any area of the country and still help an organization. Please reach out to them because I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised in how anxious they’ll be to utilize your talents.

Lee Kantor: And there’s probably a group out there that is doing work that you’re passionate about. You just don’t know about them yet.

Chris Johnson: You’ll be amazed if you type in to to the search engines. An interest you have, you’re going to see hundreds of non profits pop up. And I would, if it’s okay to mention a couple of places to go, or GuideStar and Charity Navigator and you can type in what it is you’re interested in, You’ll see where the charities are from. You’ll even be able to see whether or not they’ve had challenges or successes. And that’s not a bad way to go to kind of narrow the list of available charities to serve for.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to connect, connect with you, what is the website? What’s the best way to get ahold of you or somebody on your team?

Chris Johnson: Well, if you want to nominate somebody for the award or you want to just reach out to any of us, go to nation’s finest dot org all one word nations, finest dot org. And there’s access to all of us there, the nomination form. And if you want to reach out to me, you can just click a button and reach out to me.

Lee Kantor: And then that list of the nation’s finest 50 is that only for the folks in the areas you serve? Or that can be anywhere.

Chris Johnson: That’s anywhere. In fact, if you went to the site now, you’ll see some fairly prominent folks that you’ve seen involved in supporting the military and in particular veterans. And you’re going to learn a lot of stories already from I think we just started accepting nominations on the 11th, and there’s always already been quite a few that have come in. But yes, any time in the last 50 years. So if somebody was a tremendous help and they have since passed, please nominate them. And what we’re going to do is we’re going to recognize all of the nominees, but we’re going to give a special award to the 50 that are chosen by the blue ribbon panel. And if you look at that blue ribbon panel, it’s some pretty impressive people on that list. But you’ll also find access to some of the service. If you’re a veteran in need, reach out to us. And if we can direct you to a support in a state or a city close to you, we’re happy to do that. If we can provide support, we’re happy to do that as well.

Lee Kantor: Well, Chris, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Chris Johnson: Thank you for allowing me to share it. That’s what we’re all about. Get the word out and let’s help those who need it.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Association Leadership Radio.