I understand you were an entrepreneur before you became a partner in Ernst & Young.  Often, we see individuals leave corporate America to become entrepreneurs. What led you to move in the opposite direction?

SJ:

When I finished school, I went into public accounting, then into industry, and then back to public accounting. The reason I chose public accounting in the first place was to gain an understanding of good business practices and to learn how companies raise capital. I was an entrepreneur for about seven years, and did very well owning several businesses, including a jewelry company and a landscaping business. I was also a partner in a dental practice.  

A lot of small businesses are $10 to $15 million in annual sales.  At the end of the day, I was looking for an opportunity to operate at a much higher level.  So, I decided to go back into public accounting.  Once I got started in business, I realized that being an entrepreneur is more a frame of mind than it is about the structure of a business.  Since joining Ernst & Young, I have run businesses and been responsible for specific geographies, markets and clients.  In many ways, I’m still an entrepreneur; I just don’t have 100 percent ownership.

How has your CPA certification helped your career; and how might it help other African Americans?

SJ:

Growing up in the projects of Atlanta, we were not exposed to public accounting.  We knew about lawyers and doctors, but we knew nothing about public accounting.  As I majored in accounting, I began to realize that accounting is the language of business; that all businesses must communicate through accounting statements. 

Today, when I encounter kids who don’t know what they want to be, or do, I tell them that public accounting is the best place in the world to be confused.  The worst thing that can happen is you end up a CPA [Certified Public Accountant].  To me, there is no downside to that, just tremendous upside.  A lot of financial people end up running businesses, or they become CFOs [Chief Financial Officers], or strategic planners.  Public accounting has afforded me the greatest options for my life.

Why are there so few African Americans in the accounting profession, especially at the partner level?

SJ:

That’s a pretty complex question.  To start, I think it’s a matter of exposure.  How many television shows have a central character who is an accountant?  There’s very little exposure to public accounting in general, and that’s only amplified in the African American community.  Next, you have to recognize that accounting tends to be one of the more difficult business disciplines.  That’s not specific to African Americans, but it adds to the problem. A lot of our kids don’t want to take difficult business courses.  To answer your question as to why so few African Americans enter in the profession, I think it's really a lack of exposure.  Once African Americans get into a firm, I think it’s very difficult for most to ascend to partner level.  That’s why the Leadership Skills Development Conference is so important.  Most people don’t have the mentoring needed to get to the top, or know the unwritten rules, or have access to relationships that matter.

Many people aspire to be at the top of their organization.  In your case, did the realities of being a partner differ from your initial expectations; and if so, how?

SJ:

Some things were equal to my expectations, some things were greater, and some things were less.  Making partner doesn’t mean the clouds suddenly roll back and you don’t have to think about anything.  When you become a partner, you’re actually starting all over again.  It’s one of the biggest issues I see and have experienced.  I call it post-partner-syndrome.  People spend their whole lives expecting to become a partner and then when they finally get it, they’re not always prepared. 

Oftentimes, when you reach the highest level in an organization, you find that mentoring and training stop.  People just assume you know what you’re doing. 

I think a lot of people spend their entire lives wanting to be partner and once they get there, they wonder what it’s all about and if it’s what they really want.  I think it’s important to recognize that becoming a partner is a wonderful event, but it is not a destination.  You still have to continue to aspire, to work hard and to know what you want to do next.  You still have to manage your career because it’s not the end of your career; it’s just a different level of your career. 

What attributes are necessary to be a successful in accounting?

SJ:

Some people think it’s math, but I really think it’s logic.  If you’re looking for the exactness you find in a field like chemistry, you might struggle in accounting.  Accounting is about understanding principles, ideas, mathematical relationships, but more importantly, being able to apply them in diverse business settings.  Someone with the ability to go back and forth between principles and different scenarios, and who has the ability to apply those principles in different ways tends to be very unique - and extraordinarily successful at accounting.

As a partner with Ernst & Young, your participation at the Leadership Skills Development Conference suggests a personal belief in reaching out to emerging talent.  What is your motivation to do that?

SJ:

I think I get more out of the conferences than the kids.

What a unique opportunity to talk to 120, 150 young people who have already started their careers - at a time when all of the romance is over.  They have been recruited, wined and dined; and the sign-on bonuses have been received.  Now, they are trying to make it in a very demanding environment; and for many, it is not an environment they have operated in before.  To be able to share with these young people - directly and very candidly - the importance of building relationships, passing the CPA exam, building your brand, learning to operate within the work environment, and learning how to deal with clients and difficult situations is just extraordinary. 

At the conference, we discussed a wide range of situations. For instance, what to do if you don’t drink, but your engagement team invites you out for drinks, or what to do if your counselor has never dealt with an African American - do you change counselors or build the relationship?  I find attendees often want to know whether it is possible to lose one's self trying to assimilate into the organization.  These are the little things that come up daily, but can affect a career.  I think it’s invaluable for the kids to have a safe-zone where they can discuss these things and see that even at the partner level, there are issues that one must wrestle with.

There are those who look at your success and conclude that you were able to reach the pinnacle of your profession without the benefit of such elaborate outreach and wonder why firms should make such an enormous commitment to young African American professionals.  What would you say to them?

SJ:

I would have to say that I am where I am today because a handful of people cared enough to tell me the truth, to invest in my career, and to invest in relationships with me.  Beyond that, I would point to changing world demographics. 

The more you travel internationally, the more you realize that Americans are pretty American-centric.  At the end of the day, organizations are going to have to learn to deal with differences.  I talk about this within my own firm.  Places that are diverse tend to thrive, tend to move forward.   They tend to be great. There’s magic to bringing differences together.  I think firms have to realize that they have to put structures and apparatuses in place to facilitate people understanding differences.  It’s not what we do naturally.  Left to our own devices, we tend to migrate to people who are like us. 

Oftentimes, we have to have planned experiences that teach us how to deal with differences before we can realize the richness of those differences. I remember the first time I worked with someone who had a different sexual orientation, and all the things that went through my mind.  Three years later, that person is one of my closest friends.  I’m better because I dealt with those differences.  I think the business case is overwhelming.

The Leadership Skills Development Conferences are part of a process of building the muscle memory – as we say in golf – that enables organizations to learn to deal with differences and to exploit them.

Right: Sam Johnson, managing partner, is featured in a  print ad designed to increase awareness among African Americans of opportunities with Ernst & Young.  Ad courtesy of E&Y.

dib:

As you reflect upon your own career, what lessons would you impart to African Americans aspiring to become CPAs or attain success in any field?

SJ:

I would say to any African American, don’t come into a professional environment and expect to keep everything from your past. You have to be prepared to grow and to change.  We were discussing this at the conference. 

We all have different definitions of "blackness."  Some people worry that they will do certain things that will cause them to sell-out or to change who they are.  I say, some of the things you will experience in your life should cause you to change.  I’m a different person now, than I was 20 years ago.  You must be prepared to challenge some of your own paradigms as you become exposed to more things in the world.  I tell my kids to be avid readers.  There is so much you have to know to stay on top of your game. 

I would tell a young African American to build relationships; get to know people who are different from you; and hang around people who are better and smarter than you - so you can stretch and grow.  Lastly, I would tell them not to be afraid to take calculated risks.  Be prepared to move to places that will give you a platform to be seen.  Don’t stay in your comfort zone.  When faced with a tough decision, choose the more difficult course; it’s usually to right one.  It will pull you out of your comfort zone and force you to do things your human instincts might not want to do.  Sometimes, when you take calculated risks, the payback is more than you could ever imagine.

Great advice! Sam Johnson, thank you for sharing your insights.