Over 20 years, I've learned the best predictor of how someone will treat a client isn't their resume, but how they treat each other when it matters most.
Last week, 19 members of our HOALiving family attended a funeral. Some traveled four hours. They came because one of our team members (a 22-year employee) had lost his father. They came because that's who we are. We sat together.
I've been to a lot of funerals in my role as CEO. What strikes me every time is the same thing: you see where people come from – their foundations. You see their parents' influence all over who they have become. You hear a story about a father's character, his work ethic, his kindness, and suddenly you understand why your employee shows up the way he does. Why he cares. Why he’s good at what he does.
That matters to me. It matters deeply.
Building Intentionally
When I started this company, I made a deliberate choice about the culture we would build. I decided early on that we'd hire good humans first, specific skill sets second. I decided we'd show up for each other in the big moments. The weddings. The losses. The celebrations. The grief.
Some people have told me I can't continue this culture at scale. That “once you reach a certain size, you have to step back.” “You can't know your employees' spouses' names.” “You can't make it to all their life events.” “You'll just frustrate yourself and everyone else.”
I don't accept that.
Yes, it's harder now than when we were smaller. Yes, I’ll drive to Moab and back, then catch a plane to the Minnesota State Fair just to spend time with our team for an evening, before flying off to DC to facilitate a PCAM Case Study. Yes, I've rearranged my schedule more times than I can count. But that is the job. In fact, that is actually my job.
The Big Picture
Here's what I want people to know about HOALiving as a company: the people working here aren't just employees executing tasks. They're people who've been shaped by their families, their values, their losses, and their joys. They're people who've chosen to work somewhere that sees them as humans first.
This changes everything about how we, as an organization, show up for you.
When someone cares about their coworkers, when they've sat with them through hard times, celebrated with them, actually know them, that person cares about doing right by clients too. It's not separate. It's all connected.
The culture we've built isn't a buzzword. It's not something we put on a poster. It's something we live, every single day, in the choices we make about where we show up and who we show up for.
And I'm watching it spread. Our leaders are picking it up. They're doing the same thing in their own circles. They're creating that same environment of genuine care in their teams. That's how you build something that lasts.
The Real Work
I won't pretend this is easy or that we always get it right. We've missed some weddings. We haven't made it to every funeral. Those are the moments I struggle with - when I know someone needed us and Sandy Lynn and I couldn't be there. But even then, we see other HOALiving leaders stepping in for us.
But I also know this: when we do show up, when we're there for the hard moments and the good ones, we're telling our people something that matters. We're saying you're not just a line item on a spreadsheet. Your life. Your family. Your joys and sorrows - they matter to us.
That's the company I wanted to build. This is the company we're building together.
Michael Johnson
CMCA, AMS, PCAM
Chief Executive Officer, HOALiving
