Human Capital

There is a core of strength and unique purpose inside of every individual, family, and family enterprise system.

When families come to us, they hold a belief – either flickering or powerful – that there is an easier path to follow, a more meaningful way to engage family members, and maybe even a more joyful way to create impact.

We believe every family should be able to invest in their Human Capital and take advantage of our experts on some level, so we have created an ecosystem where clients can access, at no extra cost, tools and thought leadership for self-directed work as well as advising teams equipped to engage in conversations and lead some core activities related to Human Capital work. For those clients who seek deeper, more individualized work with the Human Capital team, we build out a scope to meet the needs of the client and propose a formal fee-based engagement.

Our Human Capital team is a powerhouse of talent that can meet your family wherever it’s at and help you on your journey towards individual and collective thriving. You are likely to engage with the entire team over time as our particular zones of genius intersect with your particular needs and interests.

Our Strengths-Based Approach

At Johnson Financial Group, we believe each of us has the intrinsic drive for meaningful contribution. In line with this belief, we approach our work with clients – affluent families, individual rising gens, and enterprising families – through a lens of strength. By beginning with the assumption of strength – believing there are always components of the family system that are working well rather than approaching a family system as a problem that needs to be fixed – we can leverage what is already good and already works to fuel our work.

Balancing vision and creativity with pragmatism and action, we support our clients to strive for a higher level of individual and family well-being and clarity, while creating the systems and processes to support their success in doing so.

When we meet a new family, there’s often a key shift in play. The kids – who are growing into teenagers and emerging adults – are finding their own identity and discovering new freedoms. Yet, just as they begin to stretch and individuate, the family wealth can cast a shadow over their personal growth, bonding them back to permission and approval.

In essence, the wealth creates ties to the family just when it’s most important for emerging adults to find their freedom. Meanwhile parents are grappling with the age-old questions: what to disclose and when, when to say yes vs. no. How can family members explore their individuality without separating from the family system? And how can the family system support both the freedoms and the alignment the parents often crave? Most importantly, how do you communicate all of this in a manner that enhances family unity instead of creating discord, in a way that motivates heirs instead of entitles them? The combination of factors creates a confusing landscape, one for which families of wealth often lack positive precedence.

The families we meet wish to explore this uncharted territory, and create an intentional landscape around these powerful issues. We create a forum for clients to hear themselves think and explore these issues deeply – and to do so at three key layers: individually, together as a couple, and then as a family system.

If you’re a second-, third- or even fourth-generation member of a self-made family, life holds a unique set of challenges. From the outside world looking in, it all appears easy, even dazzling. In reality, the bright light of the family’s financial success can cast a persistent shadow over your own light.

As adults, we naturally frame our life aspirations in the context of what we saw and experienced growing up. However, for those of us who grew up in a family where a parent or grandparent achieved tremendous financial success, that framework is replaced by an unreachable bar. The idea space around us is so big; it’s as if the money and the success were actual people seated at our family dinner table.

In our experience, every individual has a Big Idea inside of them. The flicker of greatness is there, ready to flourish. It just needs the oxygen of invitation. In our process, we first help you learn who you are separate from the money story of the family. Ironically, by separating your self-identity from the family-identity, you’ll actually find greater support from and connection to your family over time.

Privately held family businesses are the backbone of the world economy. As any family member who has ever worked as a part of a family business will attest, they can be both an incredible place to spread your wings and have impact, and they can also be remarkably complex and confusing. As families and business inter-mix, all of the roles that family members play – founder, son or daughter, shareholder, president, board member, beneficiary, mother, to name just a few – only serve to increase the complexity of relationships and decision-making.

Owning a business together can be a magnifying glass on top of normal family dynamics. Like family wealth, it can become a wedge that works its way into relationships, or a ladder for self-leadership. How can individual family members explore their individuality while also staying connected to the family enterprise system? And how can the family enterprise support both the freedoms and the alignment the family members often crave?