Episode 195 - Lane R. Johnson - Leaders On Leadership
Ever felt the weight of leadership and wondered if you are truly making a difference? Join Dr. Tracey Jones on Leaders on Leadership as she sits down with Lane R. Johnson, author, entrepreneur, and seasoned leader in the construction and insurance industries. Lane shares his raw and authentic journey of leadership, revealing how his faith has guided him through seasons of loneliness, weariness, and abandonment. Discover how aligning your purpose with God's vision can lead to a life marked by impact and eternal significance.
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Lane R. Johnson - Leaders On Leadership
Introduction And Guest Background
Welcome to the show where we pull back the curtain on leadership and talk with leaders of all ages and stages about what it takes to pay the price of leadership. I am excited to introduce you to our newest guest, Lane Johnson.
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Lane, welcome.
Thank you. I'm so honored to be here. This is truly an honor. Thank you.
Thank you. I want to tell our audience a little bit about you. Since 1976, Lane has been a cornerstone in the construction and insurance industries. His journey began as a contractor where he honed his skills in building, remodeling, and restoring properties across multiple states. Over the years, Lane evolved into a trusted expert and trainer, sharing his knowledge with professionals across Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and beyond.
Lane is with Johnson Dispute Resolution where he leads a team of appraisers and consultants who share his dedication to delivering impartial and thorough analysis. We'll talk a little bit about what a Johnson Dispute Resolution does. Whether you need appraisal or litigation support, you can count on Lane and his team to represent the truth with diligence and professionalism. Also, Lane is a published author. We're going to talk about that at the end. I always like to tell our audience how I connect with these tremendous people. I met Lane in October of 2024. I was in Dallas, Texas. Were we in Euless or Plano?
We were in Euless. That's correct. HEB.
Dealing With Loneliness
We met at a Convene organization. You guys know how much I love Convene. It is a faith-based mastermind group. They had brought me in to share about leadership relationships. Lane was one of the people in that organization. I'll share a little bit at the end about our interaction. I was impressed with his background, his contribution, his heart for leadership, and the experiences he has been through. I'm so excited to know more about you and introduce our audience to you.
Let's get right into what it takes to pay the price of leadership. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, my father, was no stranger to the highs and the lows of leadership. He shared that there are four things that leaders are going to be experiencing if they truly are leaders and not just leaders in name only. The first of those is loneliness. We've all heard that. It's lonely at the top. Can you share with our leaders who are reading about a time when you went through a season of loneliness, what it did to you, and what resources or counsel you would give them if they find themselves in season?
Contrary to what common culture tells us, leadership involves making decisions that are not popular. Whenever you do that, you find yourself in a position where you don't have a support system. You simply have a purpose, a decision, and a sense of ethics that you have to withstand and you have to be willing to pay the price for that.
In our culture, we do everything by mutual consent. We do polls. We do everything else to see what people want us to do instead of understanding what we're supposed to do. If you're walking in a relationship with your Heavenly Father, there are things that God tells you to do for the benefit of others that are not necessarily popular for others. In that process, you find yourself alone. That is the price of doing the right thing, not necessarily a benefit.
Walking In Purpose, Not Popularity
I've read your book so I know you've been through things. Is there a time when that played out? I know your faith is very real and got you through it, but are there any words or experiences you can share with our audience on that? I love the comment, “You may not be walking in popularity or polls but you're walking in purpose.” That's so important because sometimes as a leader, you will get that signal from God where you're the one that hears it. You look at Jesus and His disciples. A lot of times, they were like, “We're doing what?” or confronted Him like Peter and said, “You're wrong.” It's like, “No.” I love that you brought that up. Sometimes, you have to walk alone.
The issue is that many times, we evaluate leadership based on what goal is accomplished and where things are. Leadership is not about accomplishment. Leadership is about becoming. People need to follow us because of who we are, not because of what we want to do. The thing that impacted the culture so much in Jesus’ life was His presence. They had never experienced something like that before.
Leadership is not about accomplishment. It is about becoming someone whom people follow because of who you are and not because of what you want to do.
We have all kinds of opportunities to lead in the culture you and I are in but people are generally wanting us to lead them towards something they want rather than something they need. My goal in life has to be understanding whether or not what I'm doing is benefiting them or simply soothing a momentary need that has no real purpose. Even in our business, we're not out here just to solve problems. We're here to serve a purpose and establish the kingdom of God in the realm of responsibility that God has given us. In order to do that, you have to be willing to do things that are unpopular because they're necessary.
I love that you said that benefiting versus soothing and want versus need. We're going to talk about that in abandonment. That’s true. He then talked about weariness. Since I read your book, I know you very well. As leaders, we may be doing things because other people aren't pulling up their part of the equation or we may have great followers. Running the race strong isn't spiritual and professional but there's a physical component too. When I met you, you talked about this next chapter of your life and how you're going to continue to finish that race strong. How do you combat weariness, and how do you stay strong so you can be used in a mighty way?
This is one of the simplest lessons that we can learn. You have to realize the people who want to elevate you are also equally eager to demote you. People who try to build you up are going to be the first ones who are also there to throw sticks when you don't meet their expectations. Leadership is the process of helping people get to places they need to go regardless of their opinion about what you're taking them through.
I was dealing with a young man that I have a lot of respect for, a significant leader in the Christian world. As I've known him over the years, I've realized that there were numerous people in his ministry working with him and co-laboring with him who ultimately turned and walked away. In each one of those processes, there were accusations and criticism. For lack of a better word, there were curses that were being spoken over him simply because he did not fulfill their expectation. After a while, that begins to accumulate. It becomes a weight that you carry.
The Lord is very descriptive to us. We refresh ourselves by getting into the presence of the Lord. The weight on the Lord will refresh, resume, and renew us. They'll rise up. The process of living under that weight of leadership has to be something you deal with spiritually with your Father, not something you try to do through positive thought or any other kind of affirmation.
You had mentioned the sticks and the people who were your biggest advocates. We've all been there. I'm so glad you brought this up. I watched my father go through it. It is any leader with any experience. There's that Judas part where they were never really in there, “Depart from Me I never knew you,” but then you talked about how you didn't meet their expectations of how you thought you'd do it. That division from within is one of the worst things that we, especially as believers, let alone as unbelievers, should not do. Can you break that down for how, as a leader, you handle that? Is that something we misidentified? Why do you think that happens other than we're inherently selfish people, we're not God, and we have this terrible need to shred each other at times?
Every one of us carries in us insecurities, fears, and issues that are related to our inability to properly connect with our Father. Jesus walked in comfortable peace because He was consistently in the presence of God. He heard the voice of God before he spoke. We deal with people who have yet to accomplish that in their lives. They have expectations of leaders. They're looking for leaders to help them overcome an issue. They're looking for leaders to open up opportunities for them. They're looking for leadership to meet their needs when in reality, that is not what a leader does.
I don't bring you the fulfillment of your desires. If I'm doing things correctly, I'm trying to work in harmony with my Father to lead you to your purpose. Sometimes, your purpose is not something that you have readily accepted. You're looking for something else that you've seen in someone else that you feel will massage your own particular desires, needs, or longings when in reality, God has designed you for something completely different. A leader has to be cognizant of, “I have to be cognizant of my Father's desires for you more than your desires for you. Otherwise, I have no right to lead you.”
Leaders on Leadership: Leaders do not bring fulfillment to other people’s desires. They must work in harmony with the Father and lead others to find their purpose.
That is beautifully said. We’ve talked about loneliness and weariness. The next topic my father covered was abandonment. I can remember him telling me, “Tracey, I do more in a day to contribute to my failure than my success.” It's only by the grace of God that he has taken the little bit that I do and manifested it. It's like Paul said. The spirit is there but the flesh is so weak.
How do you stay really focused on the highest and best use of your time? You hit on weariness. You’re like, “I have my needs. I want my needs. Isn't this God's purpose?” You clearly pointed it out. That's different and we may not have heard it yet. How do you get clear? It is a noisy world and a lot of things are good. How do you stay on point about staying and walking with the Father? You talked about walking in peace. What would you recommend to our audience about how to be in that space of perfect abandonment?
The Dove On Your Shoulder: Staying Aware Of God's Presence
What we fail to realize is that we have been created by God to walk in a relationship with God. We have not been created to know about God. We've been created to know God. That's a different relationship. I can study about my Christian walk or I can read the book with the voice of the author in my ear as I am listening. One of the things that we have to do is learn to be aware of God's voice that is constantly speaking to us. If I truly have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has the answer at any one moment of time to every circumstance that I'm in. All I have to do is connect to that and hear it. The process cannot be something I suddenly make a decision to do. It has to be a manner in which I walk.
I heard a speaker I really appreciate. He gave me this picture. He said, “Picture the Holy Spirit sitting on your shoulder as a dove. As you walk through life, if your manner of walk was in such a way that you did not want to disturb the dove from your shoulder, then that dove is constantly there to speak and listen.” If I go through my life constantly aware of that presence, then when the issues occur, I respond correctly.
Leaders on Leadership: Picture the Holy Spirit as a dove on your shoulder. Live in such a way that you don't disturb the dove, and it will always be there to speak and listen.
As we're speaking, I'm sitting in a room and my son is on the other side of the room. He is hearing my voice. He will be more than able to testify to you that I don't do that regularly, but the goal is not to give up on that. The goal is to say, “That's who I want to become. I want that relationship to be so intimate that the voice is so familiar, that I don't feel abandoned, and that I am constantly working in harmony.” In the closing chapter, Mark, the Lord went with them confirming the word with signs and miracles following. How do I live my life so that God is going with me in my assignments and helping me fulfill His purpose in everything I do?
Thank you. I love that mental hook about the dove on the shoulder. Isn't that beautiful? That's one of my favorite verses in Thessalonians. Don't grieve the spirit. Don't hurt because He is there. He is in you. He is part of you as if you're a believer. Thank you for that visual. I can see why that was so impactful.
It wasn't mine, unfortunately.
That's what we do. People are like, “How do you know that?” I'm like, “It’s because I hear a million great things and I read a million great books. It comes in.” I had not heard that one. That one's really going to stick with me, so thank you. We’ve talked about loneliness, weariness, and abandonment. Lastly, my father talks about vision.
I grew up with a lot of visionary people and thinking, “Their brains must be wired differently. They must walk with God in a way and breathe different air. They've been up on the mountain.” My father was like, “Tracey, vision is seeing what needs to be done and doing it.” I was like, “I can have a vision too.” As leaders, sometimes, we have a strange view of what vision is. Can you unpack vision for us and how you continue to refine it and develop it in your future walk with Christ?
Finding Purpose In The Lord's Prayer
I'm 72 years old. A couple of years ago, my sons and I decided to enroll in this course offered by a pretty well-known Christian author and speaker on finding our purpose and how we’re able to define our purpose and what we did. For a period of about three months, we were in weekly Zoom classes. We were taking myriads of tests. We did all the answers, did all the discussions, and looked through all the material. At the end of the 3 months, 1 of my sons came to me and said, “Dad, I have no idea what we listened to.” He didn't reach any conclusion at all. He was like, “What is my purpose?”
It finally hit me one day reading the Lord's Prayer. He said, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” but then he had to use this phrase. The phrase was, “As it is in heaven, let it be on Earth.” It, all of a sudden, struck me. That is my purpose. My purpose is due on earth what I would do in heaven. In our company, we have that. Every Monday morning, we discuss what we do. The question is often asked, “If we were doing that in heaven, what would it look like, and how do we then turn around and do that here?”
The vision is not what I want to see happen. The vision is what God wants to accomplish. Therefore, I don't have to look very far down the road. I have to look one step in front of me. Once I understand what that is and fulfill it, God will reveal the next one. Ultimately, I've walked the whole journey into the arena that He has prepared for me. If I'm already determining ahead what it is that is waiting for me, what I want, or my goals, it's a whole different process.
Vision is not what you want to see happen. Vision is what God wants to accomplish.
I am 72 years old. I started this business a few years ago. I'm going, “God, I have failed multiple times. Why am I doing this now?” He said, “It’s because now, you're finally listening.” The issue is, “How do I do this now in a way that has value and continues?” That's what we do. We get up every day looking for assignments, how we respond to them, and what we need to change. Trust me, every Monday morning, we are constantly evaluating, “How did we do that wrong? What Spirit attitude did I bring into that meeting? What thing needs to be changed?” We're very open with each other, constantly evaluating whether or not we're doing Father's work.
I love that lane. For our audience out there, the more you understand what we're going to be doing in heaven, the more what Lane said is going to resonate with you. This is our training ground, but we are going to be doing what we've been gifted in heaven. I love that you said, “I'm going to be publishing books. I'm going to be talking to great people like you. How I do it here is how I want to do it there. This is what we're going to be doing.”
That's so good. We sometimes have this philosophy that everything is about this stage of our life when in reality, this is nothing more than the formation period of our eternity. The Bible says it hasn't even entered into our hearts the things that God has prepared for us, not just now but in the ages to come. How do I prepare for that? How do I become what I need to do so that I can be that much more effective for God for eternity? That's so hard for me to wrap my mind around but it's there, and it's more real now than it has ever been.
For our audience out there, one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, Dr. Irwin Lutzer, is One Minute After You Die. Have you read it?
No.
It goes into exactly what heaven is going to look like, size, shape, what you're going to be doing, and who's going to be there. You know what your next orders are going to be. It's serious stuff. It's beautiful stuff. It isn’t a, “I did the prayer. I'm going to be floating around.” You don't want to be unemployed in heaven. This is the proving ground where you do it. I love that you brought that up. I love that you talk about not only what you did but what spirit and attitude you did it with. God doesn't need us to do anything other than reflect Christ to others, and that is done in our spirit and our attitude. I love that that's what you guys evaluate.
We talk about the spirit of the world and we talk about the Spirit of God. People do that in such a nebulous form there. The Holy Spirit is using people on earth. The spirit of darkness is also using people on earth. These are people who are not inherently terrible people. There are people who have been deceived and trapped into a lifestyle or a purpose that is completely contrary to what God created them for.
When we look at the evening news on whatever particular flavor channel we want to look at, when we look at politics, or when we look at all the organizations, we have to understand that there are spirits at work and there is activity there. There are people anointed by those spirits to go after certain goals and objectives. Those spirits can be broken, but they are not doing it by fighting the same way they fight. We fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Our battle lines have to be different. Our weapons have to be different. The manner in which we do it is so important and critical.
In our business, we have goals that we want to accomplish for our clients. Many times, these involve fraud, which involves money or financial issues. We can't lose sight of the fact that the person we're opposing is a creation of God that God died for. God looks at that person as precious as He does us. Even though they are under the control of a wrong spirit, they are still precious to Him. What do I take into that battle that defeats the spirit rather than the person and gives the opportunity for the person to find the same freedom that I have?
Thank you for that. You’ve taken us through loneliness, weariness, abandonment, and a beautiful summation of eternal vision. I heard the acronym ALIVE, Always Live In View of the Eternal. That’s really what vision is. It's not just about the here and now but eternity, which we can't even get our heads wrapped around. That was before even time. What was God doing before then? I can't wait to ask Him when I see Him. It’s crazy. Is there anything else as far as leadership that you would like to share with our audience?
There are three things that I've talked to my sons about that are in my heart that I want to do. Number one, I want to spend the rest of my life being grateful. I don't want to regret. I don't want to be defeated. I had an issue where my response was less than stellar. One of my sons said to me, “Dad, did you decide you were not going to be grateful today?” It spoke to my heart because my purpose is to walk with a heart full of gratitude to my Father. I want to be obedient to Him. I want to take on every assignment.
Spend the rest of your life in gratefulness instead of regret.
I've fought some serious health battles. Going to God with the pressure of what He has laid at my feet, I'm saying, “How am I going to do this?” I believe the word that God said to me was, “As long as you keep accepting assignments, I'll make sure you're able to perform them.” I want to be obedient. I want to do the things that God wants me to do. I want to be a practitioner of hearing His voice. I want the rest of my life to be focused on becoming clearer about what God is saying at any given moment.
It has been interesting. I've had two separate occasions with an individual. It had typically been a throwaway moment where you would've walked past. I heard something and when I responded to it, they broke into tears. They broke into hurt. They were hurting. They needed someone to touch their lives. Typically, I would've walked past but God was speaking in that moment of need. I want that. That's what I want. What I don't want to do is be ambitious. I don't want to be ambitious. I don't want to want things. I want to want presence. I want to be somebody who is not necessarily attractive but someone who carries presence.
I was reading Isaiah 53 again. It said He had no comeliness. There was no beauty that we should desire Him. Yet, even in our Christian ministries, we try to put on an image or a facade that appeals to people. What appeals to people is the presence of God. I want to carry a presence. I want to do that. I want to stop being focused on what people think I look like and understand what it is my Father wants me to carry. Life is about that.
We are so fixated on the image we portray. It really struck me. It was one of the impetuses of the book that you mentioned. After Jesus died and was resurrected in His glorified body, and understand that this was not the body He walked the earth with but the glorified body that was raised from the dead, the way He convinced His disciples that it was Him was through the marks that he bore. It was not the glory but the marks. He carried with Him into His glorified body the marks that caused Him to pay a price for their life.
I think about that. The mark that God leaves with us when He deals with this are the very things that affect people. Jacob had his limp. Paul had his issues and his thorn in the flesh. We can go through history over and over again and find great men and women who were marked by God and, in spite of that, were used mightily because it was evidence of God's dealing rather than something to be avoided. I want to live a life where the people that are attracted to me are people that are willing to carry the marks of the dealings of God and that can give freedom to other people through what they've gone through.
If It Didn't Leave a Mark, You Probably Missed the Point
Let's talk about the book because you talked about the marks. The book is titled If It Didn't Leave a Mark, You Probably Missed the Point. Lane gave me a copy of this when I met him and it is all kinds of marked up. Can you tell us about the book?
Lane's Book: "If It Didn't Leave A Mark, You Probably Missed The Point"
I found myself starting several years ago writing down things that had occurred and circumstances I went through. More than anything else, it was me expressing myself to God saying, “This hurt. I didn't understand what happened.” I began looking at things differently. I began trying to find some meaning in all the issues that I got through. I found after a number of years, more than a decade, they started collecting. I thought, “There's really a message here. There's something to say because I've seen the hand of God doing things. I need to make people aware of that. I need to get them to understand.”
Much of the Christian writing that I've read is wonderful, good, and inspirational, and that's powerful. I know there's instruction and all that. My life has not been inspirational. It’s been gritty. It’s been dirty. There's a lot of blood in it. I made miserable mistakes and hurt people tremendously. Sometimes, we have to be real about the issue. We have to try to not make everything holy but to make things real. My attempt in that book is to be real. Some of the titles, I'm sure, probably took you at first, but the point is why say silly things? Let's say the truth and what that looks like.
The other thing was you were so transparent in this. For our readers, if you haven't read it, Lane has dealt with the worst of the worst issues. He dealt with the almost loss of a newborn and the loss of a child due to addiction issues.
Let me interrupt. That child is sitting in that room. He's the financial officer of the organization. God has made and accomplished phenomenal things with him. We go through those hellish circumstances, and yet seasons pass and we see God do unbelievable things. How can we regret what we went through when we see what it accomplished?
Lane even talks about his courtship days and meeting his father-in-law. You talk about it as a young gentleman dealing with pride. You even talk about your health issues with your defibrillator shocking you. He has had it all happen. I love the book. It's so authentic. It's so very well-written. Also, the way you weave scripture through it is beautiful. It's not just about Lane. As you can notice about him, he would never do that. It's all about knowing God closer and helping you see Christ in everything. I like that you talked about how we try to make everything holy. The holes are part of our identity and we should celebrate that.
Sometimes, we have to be real about the issue. Do not try to make everything holy but real.
I'm convinced that part of what I will do in my eternity is display my marks. We're going to be able to show each other the marks that we carry as a testimony of the greatness of God's love toward us. That's going to be part of the joy of our eternity.
Connecting With Lane And Closing Remarks
Thank you so much. What is the best way for people to reach out to you? Also, tell people briefly what the company that you're working in does.
Johnson Dispute Resolution is a consulting company that works between insurance carriers and insureds when they're in dispute over a loss. Our goal is to work with people to come to some kind of a negotiated settlement that preempts litigation and helps solve problems. What we've seen over the years is that because of the tremendous amount of money that's involved in insurance, the disputes have become huge. We want to bring the Kingdom of God mentality into these arguments and see God do righteous things rather than reckless things. We're endeavoring to lead there.
God has blessed us. We're growing rapidly. We've been able to add some significant men to our organization that are helping tremendously. We're so thankful for that. The easiest way to reach me is probably through my Gmail account. It's pretty simple. It's LaneRJohnson@gmail.com if there is anything we can do. The books are available on all the particular sites you see like Amazon but all the book sellers. It's all there if they'd like to take part in that.
Thank you. To our leaders, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said that you'll be the same person five years from now except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read. You've met the tremendous Lane R. Johnson. If you get a chance, please get a copy of that book. I love that, “Display your marks.” For anybody that is dealing with their marks, and we all are, celebrate them and display them.
To our audience out there, if you were blessed by what you’ve read, please make sure you like and hit the subscribe button. We would be honored if you would give us a review. The reviews make a big difference. They help people know what people are tuning in to and who might want to tune in to it. We couldn't do this without you. We thank you so much for being a part of our tremendous tribe.
Lane, thank you for sharing your wisdom and your heart. You blessed me when I met you in person. Lane talked about saying words to people walking by. Lane gave me a word of confirmation and I'm still going before the Lord in it. Thank you brother so much for all you've done for me and all you're doing for our audience.
Amen. Thank you.
You're welcome. Everybody out there, you have a tremendous rest of the day.
Important Links
About Lane R. Johnson
Since 1976, Lane Johnson has been a cornerstone in the construction and insurance industries. His journey began as a contractor, where he honed his skills in building, remodeling, and restoring properties across multiple states. Over the years, Lane became a trusted expert and trainer, sharing his knowledge with professionals across Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and beyond.
With experience as a licensed insurance adjuster and a former COO of Pacesetter Claims Service, Lane has the unique ability to bridge the gap between construction realities and insurance requirements.
At Johnson Dispute Resolution, Lane leads a team of appraisers and consultants who share his dedication to delivering impartial and thorough analysis. Whether you need appraisal or litigation support, you can count on Lane and his team to represent the truth with diligence and professionalism.
Lane is also the author of the recently published book If It Didn’t Leave a Mark, You Probably Missed the Point.