--- title: "Christopher Barnett on Behavioral Healthcare, Mentorship, and Leading with Purpose" url: "https://authoritymag.co/articles/christopher-barnett-on-behavioral-healthcare-mentorship-and-leading-with-purpose" publisher: "Authority Magazine" author: "Doug Noll" authorUrl: "https://authoritymag.co/authors/doug-noll" interviewee: "Christopher Barnett" company: "ABA Centers" category: "Business" datePublished: "2023-07-30T03:00:10.482Z" dateModified: "2026-11-12T17:06:48.199Z" tags: "Business" --- # Christopher Barnett on Behavioral Healthcare, Mentorship, and Leading with Purpose *The serial entrepreneur and healthcare CEO shares how personal experience inspired him to disrupt the autism care industry and build a people-first organization.* > I decided at a really young age that I wanted to place a lot of emphasis on work and to positively impact the world we live in. --- As*a part of our series called ‘*[Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO](https://medium.com/authority-magazine/search?q=Before%20I%20Became%20a%20CEO)*’ we had the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Barnett.* *Christopher Barnett has been a serial entrepreneur since the age of 18. After years of success within the real estate world, he entered the healthcare industry, which led him to founding a company that is deeply personal to him, ABA Centers, where he is currently CEO. ABA Centers is a vertically integrated behavioral healthcare organization that provides applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy services to children with autism spectrum disorder through a play-based approach rooted in positive reinforcement.* --- **Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?** I decided at a really young age that I wanted to place a lot of emphasis on work and to positively impact the world we live in. Armed with just a GED, I began my entrepreneurial journey at the age of eighteen and spearheaded several ventures in the real estate realm before entering the healthcare industry about a decade ago. My first role within this space was as the managing partner of a premier behavioral healthcare group which included mental healthcare providers, a medical billing company, and a laboratory company. But it was actually through the inspiration of my family that I carved out the professional path that I am charging down now. A few years ago, I met my wife, Julie, who came into my life as the complete package — including a built-in family of three daughters. I suspected that one of the girls might be on the autism spectrum, but she had been assessed previously and was simply diagnosed with speech and language issues. We later found out that our daughter was, in fact, on the spectrum. This young girl spent years dealing with a misdiagnosis and missing out on the proper treatment that she desperately needed. I was able to see what was available in the space for autism care from a parent’s perspective and the inadequacies were infuriating, so much so that it drove me to transform those emotions into action. The lack of services available and the long waiting lists that families were experiencing were just unacceptable. So, I set out to build a team that could design autism care of the future, a team that was dedicated to genuinely making a difference in the lives of families when those families need it the most. I saw an opportunity to disrupt the autism care space for the better and that is exactly what my newest company, ABA Centers, is doing. (Julie and I have also expanded our family and are now raising five amazing daughters together.) **None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?** I’ve had a lot of mentors, but the one that stands out the most from my early career is Ed McEnery. I met him through mutual friends and he just had something special about him. He had figured out parts of life that I hadn’t at that time. He completely changed how I viewed the world, in particular how I viewed business, which in turn impacted the trajectory of my career. Ed taught me that fulfillment and success come from helping others. He really instilled in me that life is about being of service, not self-seeking behaviors. It clicked for me and because of Ed, I don’t believe that profitability and benevolence are mutually exclusive when it comes to operating a business. I am immensely grateful to Ed for the influence he’s had on my life and, indirectly, the impact he’s had on the lives of thousands of others. But I would say in the current iteration of my career that my mentors are my C-Suite. I purposefully selected each of them because they bring skills and expertise to areas that are opportunities of growth for me. As the saying goes, “if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” I am definitely never in the wrong room with this team. I learn from them every single day. Mike Holzum, our Chief Operating Officer, is teaching me “people first,” that if we take care of the people first then the numbers will take care of themselves. Our Chief Marketing Officer, Joseph Heilner, is teaching me how to be more macro and less micro, which is what’s needed to run a 1,600+ person organization. He’s taught me more about culture than I’ve learned in my 20-year career. Our Chief Legal Officer, Kristy Johnson, is teaching me about burying my ego. She is a voice of reason at all times. Our Chief Technology Officer, Javier Cabrera, is creating some truly amazing programs that allow us to more effectively serve our clients through the implementation of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, solidifying our place as a trendsetter within the autism care space. And I thought I was a numbers guy, but the things that Rusty Taylor is doing as Chief Financial Officer are really going to position our company for the ambitious, but sustainable, growth that’s needed to impact as many families that are navigating the challenges of having a child with autism as possible. These people are mentoring me every single day. All I have to do is pay attention and provide them with the space to flourish. **Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?** In my experience, what differentiates a CEO is that this role is all encompassing. In some way, I am always working. I do some cool stuff. I l like to travel with my family and have unique experiences with them, but when I’m there, I’m also thinking about: “Is our clinical team’s efficiency where it needs to be? Can our corporate team be better supporting our clinics? How can we better tell our story to give parents that glimmer of hope they’re so eagerly after?” I travel extensively for both work and pleasure, but when I travel for personal reasons, it’s not a vacation — I simply get to work from really cool locations. I’m just not able to shut it off and, if I’m being honest, I don’t want to. The CDC released a new statistic earlier this year that [1 in 36 children have autism](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p0323-autism.html), up from 1 in 44 just last year. With this kind of consistent increase, how can I sleep knowing that there are children and families out there that are exasperated looking for some sort of support? My passion for progress goes beyond just our company because I want to change an entire industry. I want to change lives. As CEO, you are constantly in demand. You are being pulled in a million different directions, you’ve got thousands of balls in the air, and you’ve got thousands of irons in the fire — it doesn’t matter what idiom suits you best because you are managing all of them all at once. All the time. **Do you think everyone is cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?** I think that anyone can *be* a CEO, but I don’t think that everyone is necessarily *cut out* to be a CEO, especially if you intend to ambitiously scale the business like we’re doing here at ABA Centers. The primary qualities that I believe are necessary to succeed as a CEO are efficiency and effectiveness. In order to be the CEO of a company that does a substantial amount of business, you have to be efficient. You have to get done in 10 minutes what others might take 30 minutes for, to have one concise conversation versus three. There are only so many hours in a day, so you need to be methodical and intentional about where you put your time and energy. The need to juggle an infinite number of elements of the business — and to do so effectively — most would find daunting and would soon burn out from it. You have to be able to find comfort in the chaos and to be able to communicate clearly through all of it. A certain level of charisma is also needed to be a leader on this level. You have to be able to motivate your team and keep them genuinely engaged, so that when you ask a lot of them — and I admittedly ask a lot of my team — they can ride off the energy that you bring to propel them across the finish line. These qualities can be developed over time, but it takes a deep driving force to hone these skills and then apply them appropriately. Regardless of what skills you already have and what skills you need to grow on your journey to CEO, the greatest thing you can do for yourself is to recognize that you don’t know it all. Always be open to learning and exploring. And the greatest opportunity for learning is through the mistakes that are made. The higher the position on the org chart, the greater the cost of each mistake. As CEO, I regularly make mistakes. I strive to accept them, fix them, learn from them, shake them off, and build upon them. When you’re a CEO, you can’t let mistakes deter you. You must find a way to continue to lead your team forward, even when you falter. **What advice would you give to other business leaders to help create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?** The best work culture is one that’s all about People First. Richard Branson said that “if you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of your business.” I believe that. Our COO, Mike Holzum, has taught me how to develop a People First culture by giving opportunities to the right people, focusing on wins, and nurturing what we call “high-highs” — high potential-high performers. Spend the majority of your time with your high performing team members that have high potential because the number one reason that good employees leave an organization is lack of growth. We give our high-highs more than the opportunity for growth, we also provide them with the support that they need *to* grow. This is a distinct departure from what I believed previously, but arising tide raises all ships. If you elevate your highest performers, they’ll bring up the others — they will coach, they will mentor and, in turn, they will create a team that is more collaborative and more accountable. **Fantastic. Here is the primary question of our interview. What are your “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO” and why?** 1. Expect the Unexpected. I was in real estate in the first iteration of my career, then in 2008 the market crashed. I knew what I was doing: I knew how to develop. I knew how to identify the right projects. I knew how to put the right team together. I knew how to manage the process for expediting. I knew how to do all of that and I made a lot of really good, right decisions. I knew how to run a business, but it still all disappeared. Overnight. And what I learned is that no matter how smart you are or how hard you work, there are influences beyond your control that have the potential to derail your plans. When crisis arises, remain logical, remain level-headed, and draw from your past learnings to forge the best path forward. 2. The CEO Has More Bosses Than Anyone Else. There’s a misconception that when you’re the CEO of a company that you’re “The Boss,” but if you’re a good CEO your mission should be to serve others — and all of those people are your bosses. 3. Perfection Is the Enemy of Completion. A lot of people who want to be a CEO or even an entrepreneur spend all this time coming up with the perfect plan to hopefully effectuate and grow their business, but they never get to that point because they develop analysis paralysis. The best way to do something is to just do it. I’m a firm believer that you become a better batter by taking swings, so at a certain point, stop talking and start doing. Each time you make an attempt, you learn how to do it better and better. There have been many businesses and many opportunities that we jumped on only for the business to be completely different six months to a year after, but by getting into the market, we saw what we needed to do to fill a gap and provide something unique. I could have spent another year and a half pontificating and we would be nowhere. Instead, I took a few swings, struck out a lot, and occasionally hit home runs. The home runs are impactful enough to offset the strikeouts. 4. Make Sure The Mission Matters. The mission is everything. At a certain point, if your biggest motivator is financial success, you’re going to hit a wall. In business, we primarily define success as being a monetary, financial achievement, so it’s easy to say that you want to be “successful” and become preoccupied with the revenue rolling in, but if your biggest motivator is financial success then what happens when “it” happens for you? With my experience employing thousands of people, you can’t work with the level of commitment that I and my leadership team work with if you’re solely motivated by money. I know it sounds good and it seems like you could, but you can’t. As I sit here at this point in my career and I look at what gets me out of bed, what pulls me away from my kids, what allows me to do what I do… It’s not money — it’s the mission. Because there are kids sitting on waiting lists, desperately needing care, pining for the autism treatment that will change their lives, and actually give them a glimmer of hope over their futures. It’s the team members that just want to pour their energy and their expertise into a company that makes them feel they are doing something that matters. 5. Welcome Failure. You can’t be afraid of failure. They say that the only constant in life is change, but there’s one other constant in life: failure. There is no way to avoid it, so why not welcome failure as an opportunity to learn how not to do something? My failures have taught me more than my successes. I’ve made a lot of mistakes — like a lot of mistakes — but every one of them has taught me something. If you’re paying attention when you make a mistake, you learn from it. They asked Thomas Edison, “how did it feel to fail 10,000 times?” He responded, “I have not failed, I successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” And I believe in that mindset. Even when something is successful and produces a positive outcome, there are still probably ways that it could it have been better, so as a CEO you still have to question “hey, that was great, but how can we do it better next time?” There is never a ceiling and even successes can be built upon to become greater successes. **Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?** Henry Ford is alleged to have said: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” I love that quote and I live by that quote. I believe that the world is pliable and what provokes it to bend and flex is your mental energy. Wherever you put your mental energy, that’s where you’ll see outcomes. So, tell yourself that you can change the world and make an impact on people’s lives and that will lead to the most fulfilling career you’ll ever be able to create for yourself. **We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them** Bill Gates. He spent the first portion of his life creating reach, resources, wealth, and power and then at a certain point he said, “okay, that’s enough,” and then dedicated all of his experience and all of his resources into trying to change the world. What a remarkable journey. That has always been my plan as well: to achieve the level of success that I don’t need to worry about making more money and then to spend the rest of my life giving it away. One day when I am no longer in this CEO seat at ABA Centers, my next and last role will be as CEO of my family foundation. We are going to pick causes that change the world. I’m already doing that today with this company, but I feel like this is just my foray into the world of goodwill, so to speak, before transitioning to philanthropy full time. **Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.** --- A*bout the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on*[this](https://podcast.dougnoll.com/podcast-guest.)*link to learn more and apply.* --- Source: https://authoritymag.co/articles/christopher-barnett-on-behavioral-healthcare-mentorship-and-leading-with-purpose (Authority Magazine, Business). Interviewee answers are first-person statements of the guest. Index of all pages: https://authoritymag.co/llms.txt