John C. Horton
The purpose of everything I do is to help improve your business. I help someone or something become better – even though we start at “good” or “successful”.
My role as an executive advisor (aka coach, counselor, trusted adviser, confidant, thinking partner, friend) is about helping someone or something become better – even if we start at “good” or “successful.” I have always believed – even as a teenager – that this role was just “something I did to help people.” It still is.
Today I work with senior executives, those who report to them, and those likely to report to senior executives very soon. I listen, observe, and absorb. My inner nerd is fascinated by connections between people, patterns, and problems, as well as events, opportunities and obstacles. We start with “what is”, building towards “what could be.” My purpose and desire is to understand things; to comprehend the complex; to unravel the complicated; to make sense of the confusing, to help improve your business.
The idea of an executive sparring partner or coach stems from olympic or professional sports where athletes don’t stop working with their coaches after a certain level of success, but have established long term relationships with them. The role of the sports coach as one that “enables the athlete to achieve levels of performance to a degree that may not have been possible if left to his/her own endeavors.” So it is in the world of executive performance.
It’s lonely at the top. People in top executive positions have a fundamental need to be able to exchange thoughts openly, to talk about their fears and concerns and discuss possible solutions. They appreciate the regular exchange and opportunity for trusting conversations with someone who is neutral, experienced, unbiased and who doesn’t have a personal agenda.
My story
The basis for CollierBrown&Co. was set
long before I was born.
My maternal grandparents were very influential in my life. Mabel Collier and John Brown were children of pioneers; theirs was not a life that could afford or tolerate wasted effort.
As husband and wife, father and mother, and grandparents, they had simple needs, an unwavering faith and big vision. They prospered a family, several successful businesses, a church, and a community. In addition to unconditional love, they taught me the power of making sense, making progress and making a difference. Their legacy lives on in all that I do today.
I appreciate the opportunity to serve you. I love the work; it honors my grandparents and continues their legacy.
If you think the way you’ve always thought, you’ll do what you’ve always done. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always had, or – in this digital-centric, hyper fast world – less than you’ve always had.
How you think – more so than what you think – matters. Performing better starts with thinking better – differently. We always start with what is and build toward what’s possible.
Imagine an executive sparring partner or coach; it’s an idea that stems from olympic or professional sports where athletes don’t stop working with their coaches after a certain level of success, but have established long term relationships with them. These relationships are grounded in the mutual objective of building and maintaining “olympic-level” performance for the athlete, or the executive.
I believe leadership is about building willing follower-ship for a cause, an idea or a course of acton. The genesis of willing follower-ship is anchored by three irreplaceable piers: character (who you are), competence (what you know), and communication (how you interact with others).
How you observe and think about events and situations will drive your decisions, behavior and responses regarding events and situations.
I want you to be the leader that people remember for the rest of their lives.