15-29 EMPLOYEES

4

Willis Johnson & Associates

Employees 20 | Firm Type RIA | CEO and Founder Willis Johnson | Location Houston, Texas | Primary Custodian Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services |

Having a young team and doing things by the book have helped Willis Johnson & Associates not only cope successfully with Covid-imposed business challenges, but also be a satisfying workplace, in the view of Nick Johnson, the firm’s president. The book the organization follows is “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business,” by entrepreneur Gino Wickman, which lays out the principles of a system that emphasizes team involvement and continual improvement.

“It’s a management communication structure that provides a channel for team members to give feedback about things that aren’t working as well as they should, allowing us to concentrate on improving our processes,” Johnson said.

Willis Johnson’s tech-savvy team, whose average age is in the early 30s, has adapted easily to the system, which lends itself to online collaboration.

Going to an all-virtual operation, therefore, including online versions of the in-person social events held in pre-Covid days, was an easy transition, Johnson said. “Trusting our team to focus more on output, such as taking care of clients and meeting deadlines, than on how or when people are working, makes this a good place to be.”— Evan Cooper