EP.32 - From Gridiron to Boardroom: Jonathan Perry on Leading with Purpose, Faith, and Responsibility

What does it actually look like when someone builds a career around purpose rather than just achievement? In this episode of the Dynamic Business Leaders Podcast, hosts Roy Richardson and Sean Murphy sit down with Jonathan Perry, co-managing shareholder and co-chair of the real estate practice at Greenberg Traurig's Orlando office — one of the most prominent commercial real estate attorneys in the country.

Jonathan has led multi-billion dollar transactions, including a $2.3 billion real estate investment trust deal and complex cross-border work spanning the Middle East. But what makes his story compelling is the through-line that connects all of it: a relentless commitment to people, community, and the next generation.

In this conversation, Jonathan unpacks the lessons from a childhood in Orangeburg, South Carolina — a tight-knit HBCU college town that shaped his values — through his years as a team captain and Peach Bowl champion at UNC Chapel Hill, a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and ultimately, a distinguished legal career at one of the world's largest law firms. He shares what nearly two decades of coaching youth football and basketball taught him about leadership, why he distinguishes between collecting titles and genuinely leading, and how the unexpected loss of his father at 16 became the foundation for everything he has built since.

Jonathan also addresses the growing role of AI in legal services, the difference between culture fit and culture add when building a team, and why he believes investing in young people is not a volunteer activity — it is a leadership responsibility.

Whether you are a business leader, attorney, coach, or someone still figuring out what success means to you, this episode delivers rare, grounded wisdom from someone who has never separated achievement from accountability.

Connect with the Dynamic Business Leaders Podcast Hosts:

• LinkedIn: Roy Richardson
• LinkedIn: Sean Murphy

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Transcript

Welcome And Guest Mission

Roy Richardson 0:03

Hello, I'm Roy Richardson, and this is the Dynamic Business Leaders Podcast. Welcome back to the Dynamic Business Leaders Podcast. I'm your host, Roy Richardson, joined by my co-host and trusting sounding board, Sean Murphy. Sean, another week, another episode, very special day today. Great to have you here with us, buddy.

Sean Murphy 0:33

Yeah, man, great to be here. Like I was saying before we when we're in the green room, I'm on the last minutes of wrapping up a week of vacation, and we tried to move this thing a couple of times. And lo and behold, as faith would have it, I know Jonathan's a strong Christian man like myself, and I know there are no coincidences. And so to have him on this special day in America, I'm ecstatic, man.

Roy Richardson 0:58

Well, same hair, same hair. And look, today's conversation is about what it actually looks like when someone chooses purpose over comfort and responsibility over recognition. At the intersection of high-stakes, commercial real estate, elite level competition, and an unwavering commitment to the next generation, our guest has built something rare, a career where professional success and community impact aren't competing priorities. They're in fact part of the same mission. And I think that's what makes this conversation especially relevant right now. At a time when a lot of people are trying to define what success really means, Jonathan has spent his career connecting achievement with responsibility. And folks, our guest today is none other than Jonathan M. Perry, co-managing shareholder and co-chair of the real estate practice at Greenberg Troaring, Orlando's office. Jonathan has helped lead some of the most complex commercial real estate transactions in the country while simultaneously investing deeply in his community through organizations like Elevate Orlando, the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, and the UNCF Leadership Council. He's also spent nearly two decades coaching young athletes and helping shape future leaders. But before all of that, he was a team captain and peach bowl champion at UNC Chapitol Hill and had the opportunity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and even spent time as a Screen Actors Guild member. Earlier this year, he was honored with the UNCF Mask, that's M-A-S-K-E-D award, for his commitment to educational opportunity and community impact. And before we dive in and turn the floor over to Jonathan, today's episode is brought to you by Aurora InfoTech, helping organizations grow with confidence by protecting the systems and data they depend on, so innovation never comes at the cost of trust. Jonathan, we're really glad to have you here with us.

Jonathan Perry 2:52

Glad to be here, Roy. Good to meet you today and always honored to be in the presence of my brother Sean, even though he has me working on Juneteenth.

Sean Murphy 3:04

Well, you you have you working because you had some big deals earlier in the week when we wanted to do it. And you know, we were like, okay, you close those deals. But Jonathan, man, welcome, welcome, welcome. I remember the first time we met was at the College Park Rec Center with Joe Barry's hoop stars when our boys were playing and my my Noah was just beginning to play basketball. He was in the third grade, maybe the second grade, and we connected then. And uh we're gonna talk about this later in the podcast, but I you know what sticks out to me, and I've I've followed you on LinkedIn a while. Your commitment to community, man. You never miss your kids' stuff. Every game Justin had or Noah had or Joshua, every game you were at them all. And and and then you were and then you were running a practice, so we're gonna get into it. I think if anybody that we've we've had some great guest speakers, but none that I know that have carried those three things like yourself. So I'm looking forward to it. There's plenty of people that build impressive careers, but there are few who do it while making meaningful investment in people around them like you have, man. And so I'm I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to have you on the show.

Jonathan Perry 4:26

Well, I'm thrilled to be here. I'm gonna have to take you with me everywhere I go. So you can introduce me if you're gonna give me that kind of that kind of introduction. I need to bottle that. You know, didn't quite make every every game, but I'd like to think I made more than I missed, you know, and I guess we'll talk about it a little later. You know, it's it's all about what you define as success and what you value, and uh where you where you put your money and where you put your time is ultimately what you value.

Sean Murphy 4:58

So got it. Well, let's start

Sports Lessons From Football And Failure

Sean Murphy 5:00

with something fun here. You live a few different lives already. Yeah. Football player at a top school like UNC, actor, an attorney at one of the top law firms in the country, community leader. You've been involved with that for a minute. Which chapter do people completely misunderstand when they hear the title?

Jonathan Perry 5:22

Well, I I I gotta say the least known uh and probably most misunderstood title is is actor, because I had to be probably the worst and unluckiest actor in the world. I'm I'm the only guy that got a gig and lost some money doing it. So it's really a very short-lived part of my experience. So I, you know, I was actually cast as a football player back in a Zoe car, one of those, you know, medical drug commercials when I was living in Atlanta. And so I had to, you know, dress up full uniform, and it, you know, it was a casting call. It was in Atlanta, so it was a Dan Reeves commercial back when he was the head coach of the head coach of the Falcons. And and as my luck would have it, you know, I line up opposite a guy who's really trying to impress Dan Reeves and wants to get an NFL gig. And this is some years later, and I've been practicing law, and you know, we're acting, or at least I'm acting, and this guy is going like 100 miles an hour, and I'm like, hey brother, can you just tone it down a little bit? Like, we're not getting the contract here today. You're not gonna get discovered here today. But I ended up catching the flu from where they filmed the commercial and missed like three weeks of work. So by the time I got my check for the commercial and and they took the taxes out, I had lost more money than uh than I'd earned. So I learned my lesson with that, and I went back to practicing law. I was like, that's enough of uh trying to get my ugly mug in front of a camera.

Sean Murphy 7:09

So So which which which of those chapters prepared you best for the work you're doing today?

Jonathan Perry 7:15

By far, Sean, I would have to say it was it was playing football. Football has given me a lot. It's probably given me just as much as I've given it. But one of the things it it taught me was how to work with anyone, right, towards a common goal, how to put your differences aside and and grow in the same direction, how to hold yourself accountable, how to hold others accountable, how to lead by example, how to be a vocal leader. I mean, there's so many lessons that came to me through football, especially, you know, because it is, in my opinion, probably the ultimate team sport, because you got 11 people on the field at a time. You know, 10 guys could do it right and one guy do it wrong, and it cost the team a victory. So you learned so many valuable lessons out on the football field and in the locker room, and and you get introduced to so many wonderful people and coaches, support staff. You just you learn how to interact with others who can help you and who you can help. So that by far has prepared me the most for the position and and seat in which I sit today.

Roy Richardson 8:35

And

Orangeburg Village Values

Roy Richardson 8:36

you're from Orangeburg, South Carolina. For people who have never been there, what was it like growing up in Orangeburg and and what did it instill in you that still shows up today?

Jonathan Perry 8:47

Growing up in Orangeburg was uh an experience I wish every child could have, especially with the parents that I was lucky enough to be born to. It is a small college town home to South Carolina State University and Claflin University, two historically black colleges and universities that were steeped in tradition and you know, etched in the civil rights movement. So there's a a lot of pride that comes with being from Orangeburg. There's a a real sense of community and togetherness, and there is a real village mentality that comes with that. So I come from a strong community, a strong village. And no matter where I am in this country, I I guarantee you I'll run into somebody from Orange from Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Sean Murphy 9:51

Your mom was a professor there, right?

Jonathan Perry 9:52

Yeah. You know, when you talk about like being ingrained in the community, Sean, like you know, like you and Nicole, right? Like everything that my parents did, my mother taught at South Carolina State University. She was a professor of all the natural sciences. She taught for like 40 years there, taught some of the greats, like uh Donnie Schell and Harry Carson, you know, Robert Porsche, who played with the Detroit Lions as well. She she, you know, kind of taught them all. And my father was a high school principal and a former science teacher. So, you know, at every level, whether it was higher education or you know, high school, my family was plugged in. You know, if if I messed up, it beat me home, right? At at school. So, you know, it was a town that not everybody had, you know, no one really had a lot, but everybody had a little bit and shared what they had, and it was a place where my parents and and people of their generation really held it down for us as a community.

Roy Richardson 11:01

Sounds like stuff that we don't see around anywhere anymore. That that community minded. I mean, I'm I'm from the originally from the islands, and that's how we grew up. And Sean, I'm sure it was similar for you. You know, it takes a village to raise a kid in the in the widest sense, that's kind of out the door.

Jonathan Perry 11:19

Yeah, and that's a shame today, especially, because it's at a time where you know we could use a greater sense of community, right? Like people understanding that the world is kind of bigger than than them or their wants or desires. We're all part of a greater thing. I know a few of my neighbors, not nearly enough, but growing up, you know, I could, as you can tell by my size, growing up, I could get a meal at everybody's house.

Sean Murphy 11:48

So they they were like trying to lock the doors, but you know, they finally fed you.

Jonathan Perry 11:55

Yeah, no, you but you know, we're country folks, so if you go to somebody's house, you gotta be prepared to eat a meal, right? Like they're gonna feed you. Like the country folks always say, you know, don't say we didn't feed you. You know, that was the last thing your parents would always say.

Roy Richardson 12:09

So yeah, it's it's a grace of the community. You you said something there just now, Jonathan, about your your parents will probably beat you on the way home. And and and back in those communities and back in our times, you dared not do anything wrong because the community was so tight-knit, you literally got licked all the way home by everyone you passed by. And then on top of that, you still had to wait and deal with your parents, you know?

Jonathan Perry 12:32

Yeah, and look, I really live that. Like my father in his desk drawer in his in his office at the high school, he had a he had a paddle and he had a 38. And what he couldn't handle with the paddle, he said he would handle with the 38. And he was he's about maybe six foot, six foot one, but he was a boxer. He served in the armed forces, he boxed in the army. So he was he was that dude. And he didn't he didn't play, he didn't take any mess. You know, he kinda he was a straight shooter, and I've I've just tried to be half the father and man that he is, because I I knew those were some big shoes to fill.

Sean Murphy 13:16

Right,

Coaching Kids Beyond The Scoreboard

Sean Murphy 13:17

right. Yeah, you you spent nearly 20 years coaching youth football and basketball. That's where we met, and we both have taken this journey. Again, your three boys, my two boys playing sports, and and one, you know, you have two in college, and I got one in college playing ball. And on top of everything else you're doing, you did all of that. And again, that's where it's very impressive to me because when I follow you on LinkedIn, I'm like, he's doing that. What keeps pulling you back?

Jonathan Perry 13:41

Well, that is the answer to that question in terms of what keeps pulling me back into coaching and giving back. I mean, it it's it's part of the culture that I grew up in, first and foremost. But on you know a human level, it's the connection with kids and understanding that through sports we're able to kind of stand in the gap sometimes for our children. You know, like I said, I wish everyone could have had the upbringing that I had and the parents that I had. I had two parents who were not only educated but were educators, right? So there was no question about what was going to be first and foremost my ticket to any sort of success. It was academics. It was being a leader in the classroom. I was never allowed to just be in a class. I had to run for class president, I had to serve in student government, I had to be a part of this club or that club, and it was something that they required. So not everyone has parents, even if they do have two parents, don't have parents that push them and and stand in the gap to help make that a reality. So for me, when I go out to coach, it's it's 10% football, it's it's 90% investing and showing these kids that you care about them, not just because they can run up and down a field or or or or dribble or shoot a basketball, but you know, they've got somebody that's a part of their village. You mentioned Elevate Orlando earlier, and one of the tenets of that organization is that it takes at least one caring adult relationship for a child to succeed. And and part of the vision for that organization is to foster those relationships through the mentors. And as a coach, you are all of those things. You are a teacher, you are a mentor, you are a confidant, you you are a disciplinarian, you run the gamut of of things. And one thing that I've found with kids in general is that you know they flock to and are drawn to love and discipline. Right? And they equate them the same, you know, the same sometimes. So that's what keeps me going back.

Sean Murphy 16:23

When you're coaching young kids that are struggling, especially the discipline that they, you know, uh a lot a lot of the stuff requires. But when you're coaching young people that are struggling with life, not about the game, but with life, what conversations do you find yourself having more often?

Jonathan Perry 16:41

Well, those conversations when it's not about sports, when you really come across a kid that might be acting out or you know, having issues at home, those are what I call like the the real rubber meets the road type conversations. And you know, those conversations spawn from you know, hey, I I love you, I'm here to listen to you. You've got a safe place to communicate what's going on with you. You know, and and and they evolve into an opportunity to minister. Right? Because kids don't really care about direction and instruction. You know, you need to go to church, you need to do this, until they understand that you care about them, right? Their well-being, their their day-to-day lives. In the schools that we work in and volunteer in, and I say we because I believe you guys do it as well. You know, you got kids who are on free and reduced lunch, and you've got kids whose household income falls below the poverty level. You've got some kids that are unhoused, right? Like so you you have uh a myriad of challenges that these kids deal with before they ever step on the field. Right. And they and they have to understand that it matters to you what their existence is like when they take that uniform off or they take off those cleats or they put that basketball back in the closet and they go home at night.

Roy Richardson 18:17

Well, I I would say one of the things that I as I was preparing for this and and reading your your background, one of the things that really stood out to me and got me excited to interview every one of our guests, but so much so here with you, is is the consistency with regards to discipline, mentorship, accountability, and and how it shows up throughout your story and throughout your journey.

Why Law Became The Plan

Roy Richardson 18:43

So I want to rewind a little bit and let's talk about where that journey really began. You were a team captain at UNC, Peach Bowl champion, then a shot with the Buccaneers. At what point in that journey did law become the plan and what ultimately led you to choose the classroom over the field?

Jonathan Perry 19:01

That journey began way before I was a Tar Heel or a Buccaneer. That that journey and and those things were planted from childhood. You know, as I as I noted, my parents are both educators, and my father was definitely a visionary because whatever he said in our house came to fruition through me and my brother. And he used to always say to us, he was I have a brother, Nathan Jr., who is eight years older than me and lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and he's run his own medical practice now for 30 or so years. And he would tell me and my brother when we were young, he said, I wanted a doctor and I want a lawyer. Like, you're gonna be a doctor, you're gonna be a lawyer. And it it it's funny because I know people speak things like that all the time, but it planted a seed in me that that uh he believed that I could be a lawyer. And and so that always had me curious about it. And so anytime I saw something law related, whether it was, you know, an article or whether it was a TV show, I would pay close attention to it. And it just kind of kind of got, you know, the seed got planted in my mind. And when I got to Chapel Hill, I was a political science junkie for a little while. But law school and being a lawyer came way earlier than I wanted it to. I wanted I wanted the football part to last a little while longer. But it was it was you know, the the discipline to study, because a lot of people may look at what I have accomplished and say, well, that came easy. It's like hell no. It did not. I was not a brainiac, I was not you know, just one of the these kids that was just ultra smart from the womb, right? Like I studied. I worked, I applied myself. When others were hanging out, I was in the books. You know, when I got to college, I was so regimented and focused on, you know, making sure that I made Dean's list and and and trying to do those things to keep up the academic standards that were instilled in me. Because I only had my father for 16 years. He died of a heart attack when I was 16 years old. And the lessons and the things that he gave me in 16 years, Roy, Sean, if I could if I could bottle that, because in 16 years with him, I mean, he gave me a lifetime worth of lessons. And it was that foundation that gave. Me, you know, the the discipline and the focus on kind of getting ultimately to law school. That was that was always a part of the plan. Um, but just came like I said, just came a lot earlier.

Sean Murphy 22:14

And and you didn't go to any law school, you went to Emery, man. So kudos to you, kudos to your dad. I know as a dad of two boys that that I didn't know that was your story, and I've kind of spoken that stuff into my sons, man. I'm texting them stuff, the careers paths that I think that they should take. And I'm constantly texting them reminders and things like that. And so it didn't happen by accident, so it was by design. And again, kudos to your to your dad, your mom for taking a mantle after your dad

Big Law As A Service Engine

Sean Murphy 22:44

passed.

Roy Richardson 22:44

So, you know, it would have testing your so at some point the work stops feeling like a career and starts feeling like a calling. When when did that happen for you, Jonathan?

Jonathan Perry 22:57

Well, Roy, I gotta tell you, I I don't know that that's happened for me in that way. You know, for me, I enjoy my career. I enjoy the work that I do. But, you know, I'm not saving lives, I'm not curing cancer. I'm closing deals for for uh wealthy people, and they're, you know, gaining more wealth. And and so, and nothing wrong with that. I'm a big fan of capitalism, don't get me wrong. But for me, it's more of this career that I have allowed me to really fund my passions. My passions are young people in education. All right, if you look at my checkbook, much to my wife's chagrin, right? If you look at my checkbook, you'll see where my money goes. And it and it goes to education and it goes to young people, and not all the ones residing in my house, but those in the community that we try, that we try to help, and and and not just through organizations, but you know, like this year, I was so honored and humbled we were able to award the first two scholarships in my mom and dad's name for high school students who are seeking to study STEM or or law or something real estate related in college. And that's a direct function of this career path and big law. You know, I'm I'm a competitive person, so this keeps my juices going. Uh but as far as like this is what I was born to do, I don't know that this was what I was born to do, but I know I was born to serve. And this allows me to do that.

Roy Richardson 24:47

Congrats, first of all, congrats on on that milestone on being able to name and and and realize a scholarship in your mom and dad's names for for two very lucky students. And and I mean, if more of us could step up to the plate and take care of our own, the world would be a much better place. So kudos to you and and your entire family and organization behind that.

Sean Murphy 25:12

Yeah, you know, I I find it very interesting how many of those decisions seem to come back to impact, creating opportunities, solving problems, building things that last. Um let's talk about the work you're leading, both corporately and in the community.

Roy Richardson 25:30

Yeah.

Inside Greenberg Traurig Deal Platform

Roy Richardson 25:31

So so Jonathan, for for anyone who doesn't know Greenberg Chorg, 3,000 lawyers, 51 offices, transactions in the billions. What does that kind of platform actually mean for a client walking into the Orlando office?

Jonathan Perry 25:45

Greenberg Chorg is very much big law at its highest level. And what that usually means, and what what I really find the most joy in doing what I do is connecting people and access. So connecting clients, taking a client with revenues from you know 10 million and helping them grow to 50 million or or more, you know, those are the types of things that the the platform and the diversity that's in Greenberg True allows us to do. You know, for my stake in it, I can go to anybody and get a real estate contract done. But if I want to put together a real estate development where I've got the best mixed use developer and I've got the best office developer, and I've got resources that allow us to access the the city and its coffers to bring a project to fruition. That's what happens at a Greenberg Troy, and not just here in Orlando, but internationally, cross-border transactions, working in the Middle East now. When I talk about a bigger world, it's it's a bigger world of investment, it's a bigger world of return, it's an opportunity to really take a company that has a global vision and achieve, you know, and maximize it.

Sean Murphy 27:12

Yeah, congratulations on that, man. I remember reading the news, what was it, a year ago when you sold the real estate for South State? Like a half a billion dollars or something like that. It was not a small deal.

Jonathan Perry 27:23

Yeah, last year was a really uh busy year, and this year is is is is no different. Blessed to represent South State Bank and kind of an alternative financing for its footprint across the Southeast. We also had a $2.3 billion deal for one of the real estate investment trusts that I represent out of New York with a hundred open-air shopping centers. So, you know, it those deals are not deals I wouldn't I would be able to do if I wasn't at a Greenberg Troy. You know, it's it's resources, it's manpower, it's technology, and it's access to to capital and and things of that nature that allow us to operate at the highest levels and to really add value to our clients in terms of bringing more than just the technical skills that a lawyer has to have and to help them execute on their deals.

Sean Murphy 28:23

Very cool. Well, look, you're co-managing a major office while leading a significant practice, which is not a small thing to do. Those are very different responsibilities, though. What surprised you most when you stepped into the leadership role that you're in?

Jonathan Perry 28:36

Well, before I stepped into the role, I surveyed it. You know, they'd been asking me to step up and lead for a while. And honestly, I wasn't ready two or three years ago to do it. I was very much just kind of concerned with my practice and my dollars, right? Like I wanted to make my cheddar and I wanted to make sure that my practice was good, my clients were taken care of, and so my focus was very much on me and my practice. And through the course of COVID, I realized that there was that was a very narrow view of the world on my part. You know, it it didn't fit, it wasn't aligning with everything else that I said I was about. So I started to look at what leadership looks like in a law firm. How do I serve other lawyers? How, you know, what could I bring? What could I add? And uh as I began to think about that, an amazing thing happened. I started to really care about my partners and their livelihood and how well they were doing with their practices and looking for opportunities to help them. And I found more joy in doing that. That's the thing in this role now that uh I value the most and I appreciate the most. I was speaking with uh my counterpart at Lownds, Kino Mart Martinez, who is ironically, we're both in like the second year of leading our various firms. And you know, in talking with him, they're set up a little differently. He gets to kind of run the firm. He still has clients and things of that nature, but his his focus is you know running the firm. Greenberg is built a little different. You can you could spend all day helping others, but at the end of the day, you know, you gotta have your numbers and you and you gotta have them right. So it makes you really make a time value judgment on what you're doing. And I've found that the time that I spend uh trying to help folks in my office or you know, grow their practices, be more efficient, look at alternatives, connecting them with other lawyers in the firm who may help them grow, that is exponentially more valuable than some of the other time that I was doing. But it took a different focus on my part, like not really so much an inward focus on my practice, but what do I have to offer so that the next Jonathan Perry, you know, one of our associates who you know comes into this place and wants to raise a family and coach kids and do whatever he wants to do or she wants to do, has the opportunity to do that. So I've I've taken that part of the role kind of more seriously than some of the other things in leadership that you have to deal with. You know, who's not getting along with what secretary and all that, you know, that that's a that's part of it.

Roy Richardson 31:58

The water cooler politics.

Jonathan Perry 31:59

The water cooler, yes, yes, the proverbial water cooler. I can do without that. I hear you, man. I hear you. Other than that, it's been great.

Roy Richardson 32:06

I hear you. We we have here on my firm, we have a strict no-drama clause, you know, in our agreements. So we can we keep that stuff up.

Jonathan Perry 32:14

But send me the language on that so I can I can put that in.

Roy Richardson 32:18

I I will, and I'll probably lean on you to help improve it. So so Jonathan, you know, as as I was preparing for this and reading through your bio and different things, and you know, one of the questions you said you wish people would ask more often is what keeps you engaged? And and so after everything you've accomplished so far, which is very impressive, by the way, what still gets you excited to come to work?

Jonathan Perry 32:45

What gets me excited to come to work now, especially, is connecting people, right? And and really, you know, seeing the growth of something special. Like Greenberg is is a a very diverse law firm in terms of its practice areas. Everything from corporate to intellectual property to real estate to public finance to uh public-private partnerships, maritime, I mean just the gamut. But we have so many clients that are active in so many different areas that when you're able to connect clients and connect lawyers and watch something that no one could fathom that could be done and know that you played a part in putting that together. That's a very rewarding feature. So that that's kind of what keeps me engaged and interested. Being a lawyer has been the greatest learning experience that I've had, birth both in terms of having to learn different businesses that your clients are engaged in, but to learning people and what motivates them and how you know sports took it to one level for me, and now I'm learning a whole new world in that sense, with having to motivate and and work with people of different levels, and it's it's just it's something new every day.

Sean Murphy 34:17

Is there is it a term for you or is it whenever you want to step down on it, or whenever they decide to make a change?

Jonathan Perry 34:24

Well, you know, that's probably a question I should have asked at the beginning. You know, the two gentlemen who sat in the chairs before Courtney Keller, who co-manages with me, and I I believe one sat in for 12 years, the other for 17. So there there is no there are no term limits, but realistically, you know, I I would see myself doing this to really implement some of the things you want to implement and and see what kind of damage you can really do, right?

Sean Murphy 35:00

Right. That's good damage too, though. Yeah, yeah.

Jonathan Perry 35:03

I would say ten, I would say damage in in the good is bad, bad is good vernacular, right? You know, I would say probably eight to ten years is a good target. I absolutely love working with Courtney Keller, who co-manages with me. She I she makes me feel old because I remember when she joined the firm as an associate, and so I watched her become a partner and now you know managing with her. So I feel rather ancient when I when I sit next to her, but she's a dynamic uh leader, a dynamic lawyer, and we compliment each other well, and I and we see the world kind of the same, but in the ways that we don't, it's complimentary and and and we're able to go into the right direction. Very cool.

AI Ethics And Quality Control

Sean Murphy 35:56

Well, listen, AI is beginning to touch almost every profession in commercial real estate and legal services. Where are you already seeing meaningful impact? And where should the leaders be paying closer attention?

Jonathan Perry 36:11

In terms of AI, I am seeing meaningful impact on a daily basis. We are in the middle of launching several captive AI programs. Like we've made a conscious investment as a firm. The the leaders of the overall firm have, not just my office, the Greenberg as a whole. So we have, I would say we are at the forefront of learning how to implement AI in the everyday legal practice, and also how to monetize it because there are all kinds of ethical concerns, you know, concerning the use of AI and how you monetize it, and those are some of the preeminent concerns with it. The other part to me that's very concerning from a law firm and legal industry perspective is quality control. AI, I I think the the cases of AI where you've had hallucinations from AI as a program, you know, it's like the perfect spouse, right? It wants to please you. So when you ask it a question, it's gonna give you an answer. And if it can't find an answer, sometimes it will make one up. And the the the challenge is having seasoned enough lawyers to understand when something, for lack of a better term, doesn't look right in terms of an AI response. So it's it's training folks to use AI, but not letting AI become the standard, right? You still have to have the meaningful human involvement from a legal perspective because AI can't I don't think AI will ever replace lawyers, but lawyers who don't know how to use and work with AI will be replaced by lawyers who do. Does that make sense?

Sean Murphy 38:11

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So what's interesting is um all of this eventually comes down to leadership, especially when the stakes are high and the people around you are exceptionally capable, you know.

Leading Leaders Through Common Ground

Roy Richardson 38:23

Yes, you you've spoken about the lessons from leading leaders. The idea that people are motivated by different things, and great leaders take time to understand that. How has that shaped the way you influence people who are already successful and accomplished?

Jonathan Perry 38:38

You know, leading leaders and and understanding common interests, establishing a common ground is like the backbone of getting anything done when you deal with highly motivated and successful people. We talked earlier about some of the lessons from football. You know, when you come from high school and you go to college, you might have been, you know, all area, all-state, all American, and then you get to college and you're a freshman class. Now every you might have been the only one on your high school team, but now everyone is an all-American of some sort. Everyone is the top of the keep with respect to where they come from. And they got stars by their name just like you have stars by your name. So why should I listen to you? What can I learn from you in that instance? And so you you begin to think about that in the context of a law firm. I work with some of the most highly motivated, highly intelligent people with some real bank, right? There's there's there's Sean Murphy money, there's Jonathan Ferry money, and then there's everybody at Greenberg money, right? And I'm just kidding, I just kidding. But they, you know, when you have people that are this intelligent that that are financially successful and still highly motivated, you know, you have to key in to their psyche and to and relate to them in terms of what motivates them. I if I try to come at someone from a place of authority with a title, it's not going to be very well received, and I won't get the reaction that I'm looking for. But if I can convince someone that it's in their best interest to follow a certain path or to do it a certain way, and get them to buy in and trust in that, then I've I've not only helped them, but I've gained their trust for the next time that we have something we have to do. And we've got somebody that's now bought into what we're trying to do as a team. And to me, that's where sports kind of transcends and steps over and makes me kind of uniquely qualified to do what I'm doing now. It doesn't always work out that way. You know, there's some there's some folks that are siloed and remain siloed, and you just you look for opportunities to keep bringing them into the fold. But for the most part, I believe that finding that common ground, making sure that you are trying to add value to everything and every interaction, and and and and just see that from a place of genuineness and not in a coercive manner, really builds credibility, it builds trust, and those are the things that allow you to influence others.

Sean Murphy 41:40

Got it. And this is so insightful. I'd like to, you know, we normally would try to cut a few things off, but I'd like to keep going because I think that this is going to be very beneficial.

Time Money And Real Leadership

Sean Murphy 41:53

You're leading your firm, you're serving on multiple boards, coaching youth athletes, and helping shape our community with the organizations you're involved with. What separates someone who collects titles from someone who genuinely leads?

Jonathan Perry 42:10

I think one of the or or two of the things that that I would say separate those who collect titles versus those who genuinely lead or are time and you've you'll you'll hear me say time and money a lot, because one of the things that I I've learned to value the most is time. Right? You can't you can't create any more of it, you can't get it back once you've expended it. So in terms of being engaged in these boards or being engaged in these opportunities, it's are you willing and and and will you follow through with spending the requisite time and money that it takes to make an impact and difference at whatever this organization is. Those are the two questions I ask myself because I get asked to serve on a lot of things, and they say, Oh, it's not a big time commitment. We just need you to show up for this meeting and that meeting. Or if you don't if that's all you need, then you don't really need. Yeah. Yeah. Right? Like that's all if that's all you're if that's all you're looking for. A warm butt, right, is is somebody just to to to kind of sit in a seat, then that's not where I want to spend my time or my money. So that's the mindset that to me that separates the opportunity to really serve and the opportunity to honor another title. I don't need another title. You know. Early in my career, Roy, I will tell you that I was of the mind that all activity was just good activity. You get asked to go to this meeting, you get asked to go to that meeting, and you go, and you go, and you go. As I've gotten older, I've started to value the interactions a little differently. And I want, if I'm going to be there, I want to spend time with the people there. I want to know them. I want to understand, like, you know, how can I make this place better and leave it better than I found it? Because we all have other things that we could be doing. Right? Like the time that you guys invest on this platform to help and inform others, you could be, you know, making money doing something else. Right? But it's it's a value judgment for you. You invest in others, you bring this platform to others, and you hope that it inspires them and elevates them. And at the same time, you know, you feel some benefit to that, and that's part of your value judgment on it. But Sean, somebody else might answer that question a different way. Like, what what how would you answer it? It was your question, not my question, man.

Sean Murphy 45:17

I'm always the one that's in the You're the one, you're the one that's impressive. I'm like, man, how does he do it?

Jonathan Perry 45:23

You know, I again it's impressive, man. Well, well, let me let me just share one thing about that. I don't want to get off topic too much, but you know, like I told you, I had my dad for 16 years, and his participation was a little different than my mom's. Right? My father would come to practice and he'd watch us practice in high school, watch football practice or whatever. But he'd be sitting down there with, you know, the guys having the beer, talking trash, occasionally watching what we're doing on the field. My mother's participation was entirely different. In my entire playing career, my mother missed two games. And it was only because we played Kentucky one year, and she just couldn't, she couldn't get around, she couldn't get to Kentucky by herself. Like she she didn't have, my brother couldn't make it. There was nobody I could go with her, and and she I told her, you know what, mom, it's all good. You know, I it was my freshman year in college, and she missed a game we played at Army, my junior year of college. Only two games my mother ever missed. Whenever I was playing at home, because of my father's family was from Wake County, North Carolina, which is about 30 minutes from Chapel Hill, I always had a section of people at the games. And my mother would make people literally make people wear my jersey. If they wanted a free ticket, they had to wear the jersey. If you wanted to pay for your ticket, you could wear whatever you wanted to wear. But if you wanted a free ticket, you had to wear the jersey. So, in terms of support and being there, that meant the world to me. So I not only tried to be at games when I could, if the coaches would allow it, I would be at practice. Right? Because I wanted my boys to understand that I am as hard as I am as a coach, I'm a dad first. And that line gets blurred a lot, but you know, I'm a dad first, and I wanted them to understand that they have my unwavering support in whatever they're trying to do. If they if we're trying to go, if we're trying to go win the checkers tournament, we're going, I'm gonna be if they allow cheer, they don't probably allow cheering the checkers, but I'm right there. I know they don't allow it with chess, right? So I'm there. And that's the thing, man, that where that comes from, right? Like my mother was, I would say I could hear a voice, but I'd be lying. But she was always present. And and when she was present, she was there, you know. Dad might have been there, but he might have been having a beer, smoking a cigar, talking, talking a little trash, telling little lies or whatever.

Hiring For Culture Fit And Add

Roy Richardson 48:30

And and you know, now that now you're a team leader, when you when you think from your leadership responsibilities, which have expanded, what has become your single biggest concern? Performance, culture, succession, client service, or something entirely else when it comes to your team?

Jonathan Perry 48:48

Well, we're in the service industry. So first and foremost, client service, attention to detail, all of that has to be paramount in how we deal with our clients, how we interact with our clients, and the work product that we put out. Not all clients really have a choice, right, in whoever they're gonna hire. So the difference between hiring me or hiring my counterpart at another firm may be that that phone gets answered on the first ring as opposed to the third ring, or that email gets returned in 10 minutes as opposed to 20 minutes. And so the service part is like standard. The thing that I focus on here is culture, and and I break it down in two ways. You know, I want people that fit the culture, but also people to add to the culture, right? So culture fit and culture add. Those are the people when we sit down and interview attorneys that I, you know, we'll we'll get to the baseline of the type of work they've done and their competency level and the levels at which they practice. But the thing I'm really looking to hear is kind of their story, kind of who they are, kind of what they bring, their, you know, any indication I can get of their work ethic and who they really are as a person to see whether, well, they've got to fit the culture, and that's that's great. But I also want people to add to the culture, like to bring something that I may not really even consider to be important, but in in the way they manifest it, it's like, oh, you know what, this helps us. So a well-rounded candidate, the culture fit versus culture ad is always what I'm looking to build now. And then the the competency part is is in the customer service and client service is is the baseline. Like we we have to maintain those standards. And Greenberg really, as a firm in terms of core competency values, does a great job with that in terms of CLE training and making sure that we have all the tools and resources we need to continue to keep ratcheting up client service and our and our skill levels.

Roy Richardson 51:18

Awesome. And and so looking through your resume, someone could assume that the road that Jonathan traveled was smooth. But but success has a way of hiding the difficult chapters. So let's find a minute

Getting To Neutral After Setbacks

Roy Richardson 51:33

there. Sean?

Sean Murphy 51:34

Yeah. You've talked about the concept of getting to neutral, finding calm, clarity in the middle of pressure, right? Can you walk us through a time when you had to put that into practice?

Jonathan Perry 51:48

I've had to put that into practice more than I would like, I guess I should say. I think the very first time I would say was when I was still playing football at North Carolina. And it was the kind of end of my college time, and I I never really dreamed about playing in the NFL. By the time I realized that I might have an opportunity to play in the NFL, it became more of a goal than a dream. But my senior year, suffice it to say, that was the best team that I played on. We were like nine and three. That was the year we went to the Peach Bowl. The two prior years, we were decent enough teams. My freshman year, we sucked. Like just we got our behinds kicked all over the place. And that was the biggest growth year for me of my life. But and I and I gotta I gotta paint the picture for you because in that moment, in my senior year, which was 92-93, that was the first year that they had bowl games after January 1st. They had one bowl game after January 1st, and that was the Peach Bowl. That was the also the first year of the old Georgia Dome. Oh, yeah. Where they played where they played in Atlanta. So that was that was the first year of the Georgia Dome, and it was the first year that there were bowl games after January 1st. We would only bowl game on January 2nd. The other thing you have to keep in mind is that year was also the last year at that particular time of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. And as a part of the new collective bargaining agreement that came into effect in '93, the NFL draft was cut from 12 rounds to seven rounds. Okay. So first quarter of that game, team runs a reverse, offensive lineman, peels back, takes my knee out, blows my knee out. I had worked for four years to make it to that point to go to a bowl game. And in the first quarter, I get my knee gets taken out, and I have to watch my teammates carry out the mission and and win, right? Tough, very, very tough, right? Like I'm holding back tears the whole time I'm there. And second part that starts to sink into me is that game is on January 2nd. So what happens in February for the NFL? Right, the combines, right? The combine. Right? So now I've blown my knee out. I can't go to the combine. I can't go to the senior bowl. You know, I was ranked, I was rated, but I wasn't at the very top. I think I was out of outside linebackers. I was ranked like 15th. Now I'm thinking, oh crap. Now I won't get an opportunity to play. And whatever happens, I gotta rehab and try to come back. I may not even get to to participate in the pro days at the school because of they happened in March and April before the draft. And all at once everything sort of crashed around me. And it made me think about who I was, what I was gonna do. And at 21, I wasn't equipped to handle it. Right? But through faith in that instance, I was able to sustain myself, and then later I did end up getting to work out for a few teams and had teams tell me, Hey, we still like you, we're gonna draft you, we still like you, we're gonna draft you. Now, this was also, like I told you, the draft went from 12 to seven rounds. So the week before the draft, I get flown out to Cincinnati, and the Bengals say, Hey, you know, if you're there when we get to seventh round or sixth round picks, we're gonna take you. And we watch film, we go through everything, we do, you know, we have a whole weekend. It's me and like 20 guys that are up there that they're looking at. Draft day one comes. Obviously, I'm not going on the first day of the draft. It's over. Draft day two comes, Bingles select a linebacker from some other school. Ended up being a good player at the end of the day. But they didn't, they didn't draft me. So now I'm crushed. Right. This is the first thing that I felt like in life that I failed at in a meaningful way. End up getting signed by the Bucks. But throughout all those processes, I I learned that I was equating myself too much with football. And I know this is a long-winded answer, and I apologize, but what what I learned through that situation is each of those times that I thought it was over, there was something else that was right around the corner. But negative thinking and getting too down when bad things happen, or getting way too excited when a team said, Oh, we're gonna draft you, and calling my mom saying, Oh, they say they're gonna draft me, it's gonna be great. And then did not get drafted. It taught me that I needed to condition my mind, right, to try as best as I could to react to positive and negative situations with a rational response. And for the positive side, you know, I probably, as I look back on it now, especially in celebrating things to my kids, I probably could have done a little more celebrating. But for the negative, it kept the baseline for them in watching me and in how I tried to handle things that way, that I think will ultimately help them when the negative things come. And I didn't discover the book in terms of getting to neutral until I heard Russell Wilson talk about it. And so when when I heard him talk about it, I went and I picked it up, and it's it's a really good read. It's it's the guy that trained him, and he's he's talking about you know how you know his impactful his work is and and everything. And then in the middle of all this, he gets hit with cancer. Oh man. And he knows he's gonna die. And so everything else is how he reacts to life and what he learns and shares with Russell Wilson as you know he goes through this journey and like or loathe Russell Wilson. I'm not sure which side of the fence you you follow with that, but one of the things you can say about him is he operates that way. He always never seems flustered, he never seems out of sorts, right? Whether it's whether it's really, really good or really, really bad, he's he's in the middle.

Sean Murphy 59:52

So that that's where a lot of that comes from. That's why I didn't mind buying some good man brand um shoes from him, even though they even even though some days they feel like bricks. I'm like, Russell, man, you gotta put some cushions in these things. I'm spending this kind of money and I'm feeling like I'm wearing bricks.

Jonathan Perry 1:00:11

It's like that first, like that first pair of Jordans, right? Like, oh my god, there's no supporting these things.

Rapid Fire Books Shoes And Awards

Sean Murphy 1:00:17

This is starting to really become my favorite segment. We're gonna do some rapid fire here. First thing comes to mind when I ask you these questions.

Jonathan Perry 1:00:24

That's a dangerous game with me. So I just gotta tell you. Yeah. Roy, I'm I'm that friend, Roy. When they call and you're on speaker, you have to say, hey, I'm on speaker. Yeah.

Sean Murphy 1:00:41

Let's go, let's do it. Uh look, the Go Giver or Getting to Neutral, which book do you hand out first to young professionals? Go giver. Okay. Most overrated buzzword in business today. Value add. Favorite place to think clearly.

Jonathan Perry 1:01:02

Bathroom.

Sean Murphy 1:01:05

A habit that consistently makes tomorrow easier. Planning ahead.

Roy Richardson 1:01:11

So let me ask you here, and just bragging rights question real quick. Peach Bowl champion, NFL free agents, screen actors guilds, or UNCF Mask Award recipient, which one gets the best reaction?

Jonathan Perry 1:01:24

From me or from others? From others. Ooh. I would probably say the masked award. All of that other stuff was fine for me. I enjoyed, like I said, you know, the Peach Bowl was bittersweet for me for the reasons I stated. But we labored for four years to get to that. And I still, you know, I have my ring. I don't really wear it. I wear it like a showpiece sometimes. You know, the screen actors thing was definitely not a moment of triumph. But the master ward, I I gotta tell you, I was I was really blown away because it was totally unexpected. Gwen Hewitt was calling me like for a week, and I figured Gwen wanted some money for the board. And I was like, oh, Gwen, I got no money today. And and she called me and she said, I don't want any money. And so we both we both had a laugh about that. She said, but I'll take some if you want to give me some. But she said that, you know, we'd like to honor you for the work that you've done while you were a member of the Leadership Council and for what you've continued to do in the community. And, you know, that that was I know people will say things are humbling, but that was really humbling. Some of the people that have been recognized with that kind of award, anytime you start talking about like a lifetime achievement awards and things of that nature, number one, I'm glad I'm alive. Right? That's right. But other than that, I mean, you think about, you know, I think about attorneys like Ben Crump and folks that are really kind of out there in the forefront, you know, fighting for things that matter. And I think about recognizing me for that. But it was one of my mentors who said, man, everybody has a role to play, everybody has a part to play.

Sean Murphy 1:03:34

Right.

Jonathan Perry 1:03:35

And, you know, you should be proud of that. And to be to be proud of it and to be humbled by it at the same time was truly a full circle moment. Because to me, it represented everything that my parents had poured into me, everything that I learned from my wife in terms of how to really truly love someone, and and everything that you know, as a man that I wanted to represent for my sons. So that UNCF Master Award meant or means still a great deal to me. And that's one that I would probably tout over the others if I had to if I had to rate them.

Roy Richardson 1:04:24

Awesome. Great. I love the answer. I'm gonna break it down here, make this practical for people listening uh on the next segment here. So Sean, take it away.

Principles For Grace Under Pressure

Sean Murphy 1:04:34

Yeah, yeah. Jonathan, but you operate by four principles, and I really like each one of them. You know, pray without ceasing, live within your means, find three positive in every setback. Do your best and forgive yourself. Which one gets underestimated most often? Which one tends to fall apart first when the pressure is really on?

Jonathan Perry 1:05:02

The one that gets, I think they're one in the same, for me at least. Doing your best and forgive yourself. That's the one that I think is is underestimated, and that's the one I think for me personally that tends to fall apart if I don't hit it. And that's simply because I hold myself to a very high standard. And you know, I have to remind myself that you know you're definitely not always right, and you're not gonna get it right. Right. And and and Nicole, my w my Nicole will definitely remind me of that. But an associate of mine who worked under me, we were working on a deal, and when when it comes down to closing time, like for me, that's I gotta miss breakfast, I missed breakfast. I got to miss lunch, I missed lunch. Like, It becomes a pecking order of we gotta get this done. Like I I expect everybody that's working with me to work through lunch. I expect everybody that's touching the deal to be ready to put forth the effort that I'm putting forth. Right. And so she bought into that. And one of the things that she did was she gave me this little plaque and I I would show it to you, but I think I gave it to my oldest when he went to college. But it's it was about Jay Big and that's what it said. It said, do your best, then forgive yourself. And I it took me a while to really understand kind of what that meant. Because we can plan and we can try to execute and and and we can leave no stone unturned. And sometimes it's just not gonna be enough. And you have to learn how to I guess ultimately what she was trying to tell me is you have to learn how to give yourself grace. And that's the overarching uh thing that I take from that. But I'm like I said, I'm my biggest critic, so when things don't go right, I will replay in my mind to see where I could have done better. You know, I you you learn more from an autopsy. So I I go back and I dissect, and you know, that that can sometimes lead to second guessing or kicking yourself, man, if I would have only done this, or man, if I would have only done that. I try not to use the regret word, but you know, for me, it it just folds that way. So as much as I try to remind myself, that's the one that I had to remind myself of the most. Like the pray without ceasing, you know, I'm I'm there, live within my means. If you got more than one child, you will learn to live within your means. Amen. So uh that one, Roy, is not uh not a tough deal. But when we when I get to doing your best and forgiving yourself, that's the one I struggle with, giving myself grace.

Roy Richardson 1:08:09

That's that that's that continuous uh the self-quality assurance of self-quality assurer, right? Always measuring and reflecting back and seeing how we can improve. God knows I've I've looked back on situations in the past and I was like, what were you thinking back then, right? And and but but but for me, for me at least I said, okay, so it's a it's a moment of maturity because I I realized that it was, you know, I I wasn't all as chalked up as I thought I was back then. But speaking about chalking up and speaking about, you know the transition from youth and our way of thinking to where we're all today, you've said that investing in the dreams of the next generation is our collective responsibility, and 100% with you on that.

Building Next Generation Leaders At Work

Roy Richardson 1:08:55

How do leaders build that into the way they lead and not just the way they volunteer?

Jonathan Perry 1:09:02

I think you have to build that into the way you lead. Number one, like with with anything by by example, you know, it it becomes a function of spending time with uh those in whom you're investing to let them understand that their dreams, their goals are important to you as a leader. Right? Uh so many times we go into professional situations and if you remember when you stepped in, like how invested were you in a company before somebody showed you that they cared about you? Right? Like how did that play out in your mind? I can come in, I can make my widgets, and I can go home, right? Or whatever it is that we're selling that day. But if if I feel like from the top down that the person who is at the top, right, really cares about my day-to-day existence and not just that, but also where I want to grow to, where I want to go to, then I feel like I have an opportunity at whatever company or whatever job it is to grow and mature and be a part. I know it's got a negative connotation in terms of drinking the Kool-Aid, but at a certain level, you want your team to drink the Kool-Aid and like it, right? Like and and not the not the Jim Jones Kool-Aid, right? Right, that's right. Yeah. I mean, you you you you want you want them to feel and you want it to be true that this is a place that they can grow and achieve all of the things. When when I moved to Central Florida in 2006 with Greenberg, right, it was coming from a situation I had been with the Atlanta office of Greenberg for about five years. I'd been practicing for about eight years. And it was abundantly clear to me that the culture of the Atlanta office that I was working in was just not gonna work. I was working, you know, 17 hour days. At that point in time, Noah was barely a year old, and there were stretches of you know four or five days a week that I would not see him awake.

Sean Murphy 1:11:47

Oh wow.

Jonathan Perry 1:11:48

Right. And I knew that this was that was not the life that I wanted to live, but you know, I I didn't see it changing, so I decided to leave the firm, actually. And I had told my managing partner at the time, a good guy named Ernest Greer, who who was now one of the presidents of Greenberg Trawing, I told him that I'm you know, I'm I'm done. I'm I'm leaving, I'm giving this place more than I'm getting in return, and this is not the kind of lifestyle that I want. And it was, and Sean, I believe you know John Wilson. Oh, yeah. Yeah, so yeah, his brother Jude. So Jean, who was and who is a shareholder in this office, was actually working a couple of deals in Atlanta at the time. And so he came in in the in the traditional, if you know John, I mean, this is just who he is. He came in, he found me in the office, walked in, introduced himself, and we just got to talking. And he said, Hey man, you know, I'm working on this deal, I could use some support. Would you work on it with me? And I said, sure. You know, happy to work on it with you. Started working on it with him. We got into some some tough moments in the deal, and I had his back and he had mine, and you know, we got it closed, we got it done. And I I told him, I was like, it was great working with you. I'm you know, I'm I'm on my way out of the firm. And he says, Well, look, man, I gotta tell you, I enjoy working with you. The folks in Orlando who you've done work with before really like you. Very cool. We could use you in Orlando. And I gave him the traditional answer that any young brother who lives in Atlanta would give, like, I ain't leaving Atlanta, you gotta be crazy.

Sean Murphy 1:13:54

Not to go to the country, not to go to the country of Orlando. Exactly.

Jonathan Perry 1:13:58

But I I I went and I told Nicole about what happened, and unbeknownst to me, she was feeling the same way I was, in terms of this was not the life that she wanted in terms of the parenting style that we were having to develop. It was not gonna work, and she was kind of afraid to say something about it because she knew that you know that was our livelihood or whatever. And so we got to talking about it, and then we looked at Orlando and we heard that it was really family friendly, and so I reached out to John. John set it up. We came, I came here and I interviewed and we talked, and and the rest is kind of history. But to circle back to the moment you're talking about, like if it wasn't for someone in that leadership position reaching back to make me understand that, hey, you know, I think you can grow here. I think there's a place for you to develop here consider doing X, I would have been gone and we wouldn't have been having this conversation. So I I think it starts at the top, and and it's really important and incumbent upon leaders to make sure that the the people on their teams or in their organizations understand that we care not just about what you do for the organization, but about what your personal goals and aspirations are, and if there's something that we can do to help you achieve those, then I think as a as a leader it's incumbent upon us to do so.

Roy Richardson 1:15:40

Welcome like a true statesman, I would say, future statesman maybe.

Jonathan Perry 1:15:44

I don't know. But too many bad decisions in college to run for office, brother.

Roy Richardson 1:15:50

I hear you, brother. I hear you, I hear you, I hear you. So so let me ask you this before we close, because we're rotting up the top here.

Dream Board Juneteenth Closing And Invites

Roy Richardson 1:15:57

And and this is this is a question I throw out to every one of our guests. If you could assemble a dream board of advisors from any point in history, who would be at that table and why?

Jonathan Perry 1:16:09

That's a great question. Definitely Jesus. You know, everybody understands that one. Warren Buffett, for sure, because I grew up with no understanding of finances. And you know, my wife is is better with our finances today than I am. So I learned a lot from her, believe it or not, for our personal finances. But definitely him. If I could have my father back, if I could have one conversation with my dad today, I'd give anything. So he would definitely be on that board of directors. And honestly, my my wife, and I have to I have to say all of my kids, because the other two might listen to it and be offended if I don't mention them. But I'll say my wife and Noah because Noah is just an exceptional and thoughtful young man. He really is uh he's kind of wise beyond his years. And I've come to appreciate, not that I don't appreciate the others, but I've come to really appreciate his viewpoint. And Sean, you know Nicole, man. She's she's my conscious, she's my moral compass. She's the one that checks me when my attitude is out of whack, when I want to react to my feelings instead of what's practical and what's right, when I don't necessarily want to take the high road, she demands that I take the high road. Uh so you know that that would pretty much be it. Okay. You know, I don't I don't know. I know I'm pretty sure other people probably have like, you know. No, it doesn't matter. That it's your board. This would be this would be mine. That's true. This would be mine.

Sean Murphy 1:17:59

That's right. That's right. Well, listen, the the the cool thing about what you said, most of the people have used like the same names. And I can't recall, I can't recall anyone saying their dad or their children, which is unique. And you know, you're you're as as accomplished as everybody that's been on. So uh we love it. That's the beautiful thing about it, right? We want uniqueness and and different mindsets. So thank you for sharing that.

Roy Richardson 1:18:31

Yeah, what what an amazing journey and and time uh well spent here. Speaking of time, Sean, it's uh it's time to take a phone, brother.

Sean Murphy 1:18:39

Yeah, man. Well, Jonathan, Juneteenth, 2026, man. People ask me all the time, they're like, you're always so happy, man. I'm like, man, I lived a dream. And this is one of those markers that I'll look back on in 10 years, 15 years. Uh, you know, the Lord had it worked out that I got to interview, you know, highly successful brother on Juneteenth. For this to fall on his day, this is awesome. But what stands out isn't the deals, the awards, or the titles, is that everything seems to flow from the same core conviction for you. Uh, whether you're leading clients, serving on board, coaching kids on Friday night, or helping open doors for the next generation. You've never separated success from service. That's not something you can manufacture. That's character, man. I think a lot of people listening today needed that reminder. And thank you for being here, and thank you for showing up the way you always do.

Jonathan Perry 1:19:41

Well, thank you guys again for having me. It's been a pleasure to chop it up with you. Roy, good to meet you as well. Same hair, same hair. And and and Sean, I will just say, you know, is is is interesting. As men, as we get older, sometimes it's harder to establish real interpersonal relationships with with other men. You know, you meet people through your kids and you get to know each other and things of that nature, but the critical point of my time here in Orlando, you extended an invitation to me to join you and a couple other guys in Bible study. And I really appreciated the fellowship. And it it came at a time when I really needed it because I was at that point I was kind of on an island here in Orlando, because we don't really have any family close except for my brother in in Jacksonville, and and you know, we don't get to see each other as much as as we like. But I just want to thank you for that personally. Yeah, yeah. I don't I don't think I ever really thanked you for that, but that was that was really a critical time for me in deciding that Orlando would be home and that that I could grow a network of real people, and you are as real as they come. So thank you again. Thank you for having me on, Roy, and again, thank all the the folks that made this happen. I appreciate it.

Roy Richardson 1:21:16

You're you're most welcome. And you know, the the time that we spent together here, and I look forward to meeting you in uh in person. I'll say what I'll carry from this conversation is the idea that leadership is ultimately stewardship. You've been entrusted with talent, opportunity, influence, and platform, and rather than treating any of those things as personal achievements, you've treated them as responsibilities. From Orangeburg to Chapel Hill, from the football field to some of the most significant real estate transactions in the country, and from the boardroom to the sidelines coaching young people, the threat has remained remarkably consistent. And what you've been given is being used in service of something larger than yourself, and that's a rare perspective, and it tends to produce rare leaders. We're grateful you joined us today, Jonathan. Grateful for the example you're setting in our community and grateful for the wisdom you shared with our audience. Thank you very, very much, and and can't can't wait to uh to meet you in person, brother.

Sean Murphy 1:22:16

Same year. Thank you, guys. A couple of things before we wrap it up, but I just want to tell our audience you know, Roy and I are sponsors of CEO Leadership Forums. It's a peer-to-peer networking group where we are working to equip 1,500 CEOs and leaders in Central Florida by 2028. Um, we have a strong partnership with the colleges, especially with Valencia, where we've given over 130,000 in scholarships over the last 10 years. We're having our next meeting Tuesday, August 25th from 4:30 to 6.30, where our region's top business owners will talk about leading beyond AI. And so that that that's something that's going to happen. And so thank you all for joining us. And until next time, stay curious, stay driven, and keep leading with purpose.

Roy Richardson 1:23:07

Hi, I'm Roy Richardson, host of the Dynamic Business Leaders Podcast. Are you a business owner or leader of a successful business? If yes, we'd love to have you as a guest on our program. Our goal is simple. We provide a platform for leaders to share their experiences to benefit others. We want to hear your story, how you got started, the challenges you faced along the way, and your passion today. If this sounds like you or you know someone who fits these criteria, then be sure to get in touch with us by visiting our website linked in the episode description below. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and click the notification bell to be notified when our next episode goes live. Or if you'd rather listen to us during your car rides, you can also follow us on your favorite audio channel using your podcatcher. Thanks again, and remember, keep crushing it.