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"Seeking enlightenment"
By Nancy Butler
How did a former psychotherapist, substance-abuse
counselor, and hospital administrator wind up as the chief executive officer
of one of the fastest-growing
accent furniture companies in the country? "The common ground is learning
to understand people on a deeper and deeper level," says John McKearn, president
and CEO of The Bramble Company. Citing from a set of principles he keeps
handy, McKearn adds, "As Peter Drucker says, 'Management is about human beings.
Its task is to.make their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant.'" But
banish any stuffed-shirt images that may conjure. There's a definite twinkle
in his eye. "There are very few forms of craziness I haven't been trained
to work with, and that can come in handy in my current line of business," McKearn
says. |
John McKearn |
For
Bramble's McKearn, it's all about people and enjoying life
A renaissance blend of scholar,
philosopher, historian, entrepreneur, counselor, civil
libertarian, and would-be comedy writer, McKearn sees himself
as a
soul in search of enlightenment, always in the company of friends, and always
seeking laughter along the way. Running Bramble with his wife, Dori, and
a longtime buddy Rob Bramble is fun, McKearn says - a lot more fun than his
previus job as president of Wisconsin's respected Genesis Behavioral Health
Care. The onslaught of HMOs, paperwork, and politics took their toll. In
1996, at age 40, he bailed out and set up an import partnership with his
brother Joe McKearn, who was similarly disenchanted with a successful career
as a trial attorney. Shortly thereafter, the brothers set off on their own.
Joe launched Dauphine Mirror with sons Scott and Todd. John joined Rob Bramble
at the fledgling Bramble Company in January, 1997, as CEO. Since that time,
the company's sales and profits have nearly tripled.
McKearn's energy is palpable, positive, and apparently
contagious. He is surrounded by a large circle of friends
and colleagues, and has a knack of
making the people he's with feel special. Some of that is attributable to
training, some to natural enthusiasm, but McKearn attributes it to a spirituality
unearthed in adulthood. "A deep, substantive belief in God - that's where
my energy comes from," he says. "The word 'enthusiasm' is from the Greek
words enth - in - and theo - God. So it literally means: the God within."
McKearn's energy is engaged in many pursuits. He's a passionate
student of the Civil War, reads voraciously and likes to
know the derivation of words
and ideas. His heroes include Drucker, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin
Luther King, and Union Army General Joshua Chamberlain, a leader who was "both
strong and gentle, which is the challenge for any enlightened man," McKearn
says. He is writing a book on the erosion of civil liberties due to the growth
of big government - or "Bloberment," he calls it, "just like in the 1950s
movie." He also has penciled out a comedy screenplay he hopes to see produced
someday.
McKearn makes little distinction between work and play. "There are no separations
in my life - it's all people based," he says. His marriage is thoroughly
integrated with his work. Dori is a furniture designer, part owner of Bramble
and vice president of national sales. In their off hours, the two are "having
a ball" redecorating their house, and "we snug a lot," McKearn says. He continues
to work with people recovering from substance abuse on a personal level and,
while he and Dori have no children, "we're godparents to every child on earth," McKearn
says, adding that about 40 people, including family and friends, show up
at their house every holiday. "We laugh a lot, and people love what we're
doing at Bramble," McKearn says. "Life is interesting and colorful - the
way it's supposed to be."
Reprinted with permission of Home
Accents Today, the information source for the home accent
industry. |
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