Joey Havens, CPA, currently serves HORNE as a partner focused on leadership development. He joined HORNE in 1984 and previously served as executive partner from 2012 to 2021, leading more than 1,800 team members to build the Wise Firm while passionately living out his life’s calling to help others see and reach their full potential. He advocates for a faster approach to growing leaders using holistic approaches and intentional sponsorship. In addition to his weekly beBetter blog, he is the author of numerous white papers and articles, including “Becoming the Firm of the Future,” published by MAICPA. He has co-authored four books thus far during his career at HORNE.

Joey is an active member of CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 30 Thought Leaders, where he works with other accounting professionals to help lead and shape the industry. Joey is a frequent presenter/teacher/facilitator on creating a culture of belonging, strategic planning, and leadership development and loves to teach young professionals the “ABCs to Outstanding.” His book, Leading with Significance: How to Create a Magnetic, People First Culture, was published by Greenleaf Book Group Press ().He currently serves on the board of The Mustard Seed, a Christian community for adults with developmental disabilities, and Empower Mississippi. He is a past board member of HORNE LLP, Friends of Children’s Hospital, JDRF, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and AICPA Women’s Initiative Executive Committee.

Joey earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Mississippi.

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Before discussing Leading with Significance, here are a few general questions. First, was there a turning
point (if not an epiphany) years ago that set you on the career course you continue to follow? Please
explain.

There is no doubt that my faith in Jesus Christ my savior has continued to influence my career course and drive my purpose in life. Although I have made many wrong turns, its my faith that has always brought be back to my life’s purpose.

Who and/or what have had the greatest impact on the development of your thoughts about healthy and
unhealthy workplace cultures? How so?

It was Dr Joe Paul who awakened me to my individual blind spots as a leader and coached me
to #beBetter. Patrick Lencioni in the book The Advantage provided me the most wisdom and knowledge
on a desire to have our workplace culture as a distinct advantage as well as aligning with our goal of
growing a firm where people wanted to not only be part of it but also wanted to help build something
bigger than themselves.

Here are several of my favorite quotations to which I ask you to respond. First, from Lao-tse’s Tao Te
Ching:

“Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves.”

The magnetic energy comes from trusting in the inherent good in people. When people have a
strong sense of belonging, when they have clarity in the purpose, they will build something bigger than
themselves.

From Michael Porter: “The essence of strategy is choosing what NOT to do.”

AMEN. The hardest decision in strategy is deciding what you need to stop doing and second is what you are not going to do. I call it uncommon discipline.

From Voltaire: “Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.”

Picking up on his quote, I would go to Mark Twain “ It’s not the things we don’t know that gets us in trouble, it’s the things that we know for sure that just ain’t so. “

From Alvin Toffler: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but
those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

One of the greatest skills in the future, even now, is the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn. Resiliency will be required to climb an ever-escalating learning curve as we are part of an exponential
world.

From Margaret Mead: “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.”

I love to say every voice counts!

From  Maya Angelou: “I”ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Magnetic people-first culture begins with trust and leaders who connect and care for their team members. We forget that the way people work is determined by why they work.

From Charles Kettering: “If you’ve always done it that way, you’re probably wrong.”

Charles’s advice is better today than at any point in history. Understanding exponential change
is a weakness of mankind.

From Thomas Edison: “Vision without execution is hallucination.”

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. “Walt Disney

From Theodore Roosevelt: “People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you
care.”

So so true. The way people work and engage is determined by the appreciation, respect and
recognition leaders provide.

Finally, from Peter Drucker: “There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what
should not be done at all.”

One of my pet peeves is being EFFECTIVE. I almost despise the word efficiency because even if it makes us marginally better, most times it has taken our eye off the ball on what would truly be effective.

In your opinion, what are the defining characteristics of a workplace culture within which personal
growth and professional development are most likely to thrive?

A magnetic people-first culture has a strong sense of belonging for each team member as its foundation. Leadership is intentional in connecting and demonstrating caring. Team members feel appreciated, respected and recognized. Transparency is the mode of communication. Leaders demonstrate vulnerability and trust first in the team members. High trust is at work and high
expectations to seek your full potential is a daily journey with clarity. Autonomy to have influence on when, where and how you work. Positive energy and fun traditions.

Looking ahead (let’s say) 3-5 years, what do you think will be the greatest challenge that CEOs will face?
Any advice?

Building resiliency in their teams. This starts with recognizing “good culture” is not good enough so that workplace culture becomes the number one strategic priority. In the words of Patrick Lencioni, culture will be the only long term advantage any organization can hope to have in the future. With exponential change, learn, unlearn and relearn only happens with high trust resilient teams.

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Now please shift your attention to Leading with Significance. For those who have not as yet read it, hopefully your responses to these questions will stimulate their interest and, better yet, encourage them to purchase a copy and read the book ASAP. First, when and why did you decide to write it?

After I transitioned the role of managing partner to my successor, I started praying for God’s plan for my final quarter of life. The idea of a book on culture kept coming up yet I made excuses including procrastinating that later after full retirement would be a better timeline. I felt God was saying I want you to write it now. Ultimately, I realized my desire and personal purpose was to inspire other leaders to first trust in the good in people and to serve and care for team members in intentional ways
that leads to high performance.

Were there any head-snapping revelations while writing it? Please explain.

My neck is sore. The title itself came about towards the end of editing the manuscript as I realized this journey was about choosing significance rather than success. The book is littered with coincidences that I only really understood as the book came together and I so clearly saw God’s plan was much bigger and better than ours. No single leader can change a workplace culture, it takes a leadership team and team members who extend trust early on to start the magnetic energy. I was stunned at how evident it is that leaders must be intentional to demonstrate service and caring. I was elated to see how many champions picked up the rope when we needed it most to help propel us forward. I realized that flexibility is so much more than where we work. It was eye-opening to see how much God, faith and workplace culture converged to positively impact lives and our firm. We should openly champion that confluence.

To what extent (if any) does the book in final form differ significantly  from what you originally envisioned?

The biggest difference is the sheer transparency and vulnerability that was required so I could share the leadership mistakes and lessons learned as well as provide a clear view of the real emotions that go into a journey of making culture the number one strategic priority. There will be highs and lows as it is a hard journey with daily challenges, yet, it is worth it over and over.
With regard to the title of your brillant book, what are the defining characteristics of someone who leads with significance?

With regard to the title of your, what are the defining characteristics of someone who leads with significance?

Someone leading with significance has intentionally chosen to care and serve others first.

These are leaders who live the values, connect personally with team members and seek to understand their aspirations and challenges. Leading with significance is about making choices that positively impact the lives of others, a resiliency to build something bigger than ourselves. People who lead with significance do so with vulnerability as they trust first and provide you with the benefit of good intentions. They demonstrate grace, generosity, and gratitude toward others. They are positive and
leave people better than they found them.

What are the specific examples of someone who leads WITHOUT significance? Based on your own experience as well as research that you have examined, in your opinion, what makes a marketplace culture”magnetic”?

I’m not sure you actually lead when you choose to make personal success and chasing power, money, control and titles your primary motivation. Although they are in a position of power, people must choose to follow you and people who don’t care about others have very few loyal followers. Leaders who see team members as replaceable pawns, task doers or simply a means to further themselves are great examples. They rarely recognize people, demonstrate appreciation or connect in any real way. These individuals focus on control versus influence and management versus leadership.

For those who have not as yet read Leading with Significance, what do all great leaders throughout
history share in common in terms of how they continue to attract followers, especially after they died?
Jesus, for example, and more recently, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Common examples that happen daily include not properly giving credit for work done, walking past team members as if they don’t exist, screaming or using foul language, making big requests without any regard or input on what the team member might have planned or have already assigned to them. Demonstrating a lack of empathy or compassion for life events as well as team members’ personal challenges.

Based on your own experience as well as research that you have examined, in your opinion, what makes a marketplace culture “magnetic”?

It begins when leaders are vulnerable enough to trust in the inherent good in people. Leaders must trust first. The energy grows as leadership personally connects, demonstrates caring and lives the values. As trust skyrockets, it fuels a strong sense of belonging. The magnetic energy is the discretionary efforts, choices, ideas, innovation and overall focus that comes from a strong sense of belonging, high trust and a team committed to building something bigger than themselves.

Leaders are simply not vulnerable enough to trust first. There’s too much reliance on control versus leading. Leaders say a lot about the values but rarely live them. We ALLOW so many behaviors that are not who we say we are. Leaders are not intentional to demonstrate caring. Most businesses have customers, growth or profitability as strategic priorities rather than people as the first priority.

It takes a group of leaders and brave team members who trust each other and believe in a better vision.

With courage, identifying the areas of the “good culture” that is inconsistent, bad or simply can be better. Once you transparently identify these areas, take action to be better and report transparently on the progress, the buy-in and energy begins to grow. It starts with a compelling vision. In your opinion, where to begin the process of increasing the culture's appeal to various constituencies? Why there?

I’m not sure the journey can be sustainable if some of the top leadership doesn’t commit to make culture the number one priority. A compelling vision of who we want to be can be a big catalyst for early adopters. Magnetic culture itself will be appealing.  The challenge is to move from good culture to how good can it be.

Years ago, when Southwest Airlines then chairman and CEO, Herb Kelleher, was asked to explain why
Suthwest’s profits and cap value were greater than all of its major competitors’…COMBINED, this was his
reply: “We take great care of our people, they take great care of our customers, and our customers take
great care of our shareholders.” What’s your take on that response?

Never forget that how people work depends on why they work. If leaders care and serve their people, they will care and serve the customers and clients. Kelleher knocked it out of the park.

At one point, you suggest that magnetic culture “is about a life of significance.” Does that include ALL of one’s life?

I believe everyone’s journey is unique and that God has a purpose for each of us. As we navigate life, we have many choices and defining moments. In each of these, we will make choices about chasing success (power, money, control, titles, self Interest) or significance where we pursue God’s purpose and derive joy from the positive impact we have on others. Success always follows
significance but significance doesn’t follow success.

My wife and I have four children and eleven grandchildren. Over the years, we have discussed “tough
love” principles. I am curious to know what you think about this approach. To what extent (if any) would
it be relevant to effective leadership?

I’m a firm believer in tough love. Sadly, I have seen too many parents and grandparents lovetheir kids literally to death. For me, I must also understand that tough love doesn’t mean always being right. Tough love should always provide abundant grace as we all make mistakes.

I am curious to know. Which of all the “Magnetic Thoughts” that you include throughout your narrative,
which of them has proven to be most valuable to your personal growth and professional development?
Please explain.

“A generous person will prosper: whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25

For those who have not as yet read Leading with Significance, what do all great leaders throughout
history share in common in terms of how they continue to attract followers, especially after they died?
Jesus, for example, and more recently, Martin Luther King, Jr.

I believe they both served others as their sole purpose and were intentional in demonstrating their love for others. Both lived lives to honor and serve God.

Long ago, I concluded that charisma is like an especially pleasant fragrance. Smells good but don’t drink
it. What do you think?

I agree. Magnetic cultures are not built around an individual. The magic is in the people and how they align with the purpose and mission. Every voice counts and everyone has to contribute to a
strong sense of belonging.

To someone now preparing for a career in business or has only recently embarked upon one?

My hope is that they would see that every voice counts and it would help them to have the courage to speak up, the courage to trust first, the courage to take risks, the courage to have high expectations, the courage to have a #beBetter mindset.

I also hope that it would help them select the right workplace culture based on what they see from
leadership.

To the owner/CEOs of small-to-midsize companies? Please explain.

As the saying goes, culture will eat your strategy for breakfast. In our exponential world, strategy will devour your future if it’s not your top priority.

To C-level executives in Fortune 100 companies?

Having the courage to realize good culture is not good enough and diving in deep to see where their present culture is unhealthy, where it is inconsistent, what negative behaviors are they allowing, what toxic leaders are holding us back, what is destroying trust. Embracing our ugly reality and taking action to be better. They just address these issues.

As the saying goes, culture will eat your strategy for breakfast. In our exponential world, strategy will devour your future if its not your top priority.

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Joey cordially invites you to check out the resources at these websites:

His website
HORNE
LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram

Also, please sign up for my weekly beBetter

Questions? Feedback? I’d love to hear from you.