An Interview with Harrison Rogers of HJR Global
Harrison Rogers serves as the Chief Executive Officer at HJR Global and is a guest presenter at the Fall 2017 Leadership Boot Camp.
In 2012, Harrison Rogers started Lexington with a student loan. Within 4 years, he had expanded his business to include HJR properties and LCI Reality. The parent company, HJR Global, has been ranked number 510 on the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America. HJR Global now has more than 300 employees and 400+ clients, students, and members.
An excerpt from an interview with Harrison Rogers where he shares more about his leadership principles:
Tell us your story. How did you get started?
I started my first company, a carpet cleaning business, in my junior year of high school. By senior year, I sold the business and used the money to go on a church mission trip. Later, I enrolled in Rio Salado College to take classes. I also got good at trading in the 4X market and speculating currency values against other currencies. In 2012, with the extra money I started Lexington, a state-funded agency, to provide a variety of professional services for individuals with special needs. Things were going so well in 2014 that we were able to start Lexington Life Academy for students with autism. Lexington Life Academy expanded to have 4 campuses. Currently, HJR Global includes Lexington, HJR properties, and LCI reality.
What leadership principles have you discovered and executed that have contributed to your success?
- Lead by example: All leaders and managers should be able to lead by example and be willing to work in the trenches with the staff. This creates a level of trust and respect with upper management.
- Level 5 leadership: Give the credit for success and take the blame for any failures.
What are you most proud of?
I am proud of the fact we have built an environment and work culture in which all our staff is invested in the mission of the organization and are proud of what they do.
What are your favorite questions to ask those you lead?
The one question I like to ask my staff is: What could we be doing better?
How do you continually deepen your personal relationships with your clients/customers/staff/peers/leaders?
Being in the industry I am in, we have a deep and personal connection with the clients we serve and it is the same with our staff. The natural consequence is that we provide the services with sincerity and the genuine desire to help individuals and their families. That is what probably enabled Lexington to grow so quickly. You can spot the fake a mile away in this industry. Collectively, Lexington serves about 400 clients, students and members.
What do you do to break from the everyday hustle of work?
This is every entrepreneur's struggle and I have to say it is difficult. You have to decide. You cannot accomplish everything you want to each day. Prioritizing the to do list is big. The book "Eat that Frog" is a good reference book in this regard. As long as the most important things of the day are done, you have to break off and focus on your family. I have also learned that it is important to delegate tasks to my staff who can get it done. That is why leadership and systems training is vital to develop and grow leaders in your organization.
What are the keys to developing the next generation of leaders in your world?
If you act or think like you know everything, people do not want to help and you will stop growing. Always be a student and be willing to get help.
Harrison Rogers will be presenting at the MCOR Leadership Boot Camp on the topic of ‘Shaping Leadership Character’.
Learn more about the Leadership Boot Camp