Jhny Wzdm of Hrdrv: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a C-Suite Executive

Mentorship, mentorship, mentorship. I have been blessed with willing leaders that have helped me become a leader myself through the sharing of knowledge and mindset coaching. It’s an absolute must to excel in the C-suite.

As part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company” I had the pleasure of interviewing JHNY WZDM.

A Latinx Music Executive and entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience in the industry, Jhny Wzdm is focused on improving the playing field for music creators worldwide. An advocate for mental health as well as financial literacy, Jhny works daily to create an impact and change people’s beliefs on what success looks like in their respective careers and lives.

Jhny is the CPO of HRDRV, a record label of the future for the DIY artist building over 2,000 artists, songwriters, and producers. HRDRV provides cover artwork, visualizers, production, song reviews, mixing & mastering, studio time, mentorship, logo design, website design and so much more in a non-exclusive manner. Their artists remain 100% in control of their careers and creative processes. Jhny provides coaching and support to take emerging musicians and music businesses to wherever they aspire to go. Providing tools and resources, he can help any musician make their craft lucrative and sustainable.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

I’ve always been a music lover and found myself doing amateur recordings as a teen with the encouragement of my brother, Jay, who was making beats on a computer he was building.

After spending some time with little to no direction, I took my passion for music a step further. I admired the performers on MTV taped in front of a recording console, the elaborate desk with dozens of channels and volume mixers, so I decided that was what I wanted to do so I enrolled in a recording school in LA. Learning to use that physical component of such an esoteric art form deeply resonated with me.

Incredibly excited to learn to use a recording console, I was eager to start the program. Months passed, and still, I didn’t see it on the syllabi. The program ended and I never even touched a recording console. I was shocked a recording school didn’t equip me to use such a huge tool within the recording industry. It threw a curveball to my perspective of music and I relayed these frustrations with my sound engineer Aldo Lehman and Grammy-nominated Producer Chris “Flict” Aparri during an internship. It became apparent I needed to think through other career options within music that were more satisfying to me.

Those 3+ years really showed me the ins and outs of our industry, and it also revealed some of the things that didn’t align with me at my core. I took a long, hard look at what my options were and realized I didn’t “fit in” to the occupations options in front of me. I yearned for impact. After consulting with Mickey Shiloh, I decided to start building towards the impact I wanted to see and make. Fast forward to the present day and I get to live in that purpose every day in being CPO at HRDRV.com and founder of an Audio Recording School that will specifically teach students about the real-world recording environment.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

Early on in my career, I was working with my dad’s Pest Control company. We had an assignment to work at Britney Spears’s house and I got to see her recording studio in her backyard and witness the process from such a close perspective. The concept of recording from home sparked so much intrigue.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

“Be great at the basics.” I underestimated that quote for a very long time. It took me a long time to realize it didn’t mean focus only on the basics, it meant being great at the basics and then build greatness on top of that solid foundation. Being great at steps 3 and 4 won’t help without steps 1 and 2.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on your leadership style? Can you share a story or an example of that?

The E Myth by Michael Gerber denotes the three levels of entrepreneurship: the entrepreneur, the manager and the technician. I applied Gerber’s systems-based building of business in my sector within the music business to help refine and categorize my team’s roles and thus, their impact.

I personally identify as the entrepreneur in this model. I always want to be able to serve from the highest point because everything from intent to impact is moldable and has brought me into my current position as a C-suite executive.

Gerber’s book showed me the importance of systems building, delegation, and optimization beginning at the very start: the approach.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I know what makes all the businesses that I run stand out: the community.

The brands stand for a collective and universal feeling of inspiration and self-worth. We say it all the time at HRDRV: “Validate yourself.” Oftentimes we think we need to go outward for metrics for validation, however, in most cases, I’ve found that going inward first brings so much more satisfaction to the work we do as creatives.

The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?

Emulate the process. Love the work. Work hard and learn the rules only to know them, but build your empire as if they don’t exist. You’ll scale down to fit where you want, as opposed to preemptively playing small to make sure you fit in everywhere.

Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. Can you share a story about advice you’ve received that you now wish you never followed?

It’s less so advice and more so a general belief, especially in the music industry, that there is a hierarchy and only certain people get to do what they love and get paid well. It’s just plain false. Have your own definition of success and work towards that with all you’ve got.

Understand that time is your most valuable asset. When you reach a higher point in your career, everything you do should point at a higher purpose. Do as you please with the time you’ve allocated for yourself; it’s the ebb and flow of my business model.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

The patience I needed with myself to be a student first. We want to crawl then run, but in reality, walking gets you up to speed too.

Having character led me to step out of my comfort zones in the name of a greater purpose and maintaining focus while the world feeds us a ton of noise from all angles.

Finally, creativity encouraged me to approach the career from an unconventional, nonhierarchical perspective.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a C-Suite executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what a C-Level executive does that is different from the responsibilities of other leaders?

Having the title of C-suite means you take everything the corporation stands for into consideration before acting or making decisions. You will be trusted to take initiative and hold the weight of the world on your shoulders at times, but your impact makes it worth it.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?

It is a common myth that it takes a “certain type of person” to be a CEO or executive. I truly, with every fiber of my being, believe anyone can get to that seat. It’s not just about wanting to get there but acting in accordance with your goals.

What are the most common leadership mistakes you have seen C-Suite leaders make when they start leading a new team? What can be done to avoid those errors?

Thinking that everyone knows what they are thinking leads directly to a lack of foresight when it comes to the tasks at hand. When you give a job description without the vision or understanding of why they are doing what they’re doing, it’s easy to get stuck in a task-based way of thinking instead of being driven by the overarching mission. This is especially important in C-suite-level business. If you don’t have an alignment of purpose, things will get messy and out of line. It will only slow you down.

A lot of times we believe the team is an extension of ourselves, but proper systems and detailed outlines of expectations and duties are necessary to clear that up to ensure everybody is on the same page.

It’s all about a constant revisiting of your vision. If you can do that, everybody moves cohesively and can properly communicate with each other in tandem.

In your experience, which aspect of running a company tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?

The importance of finding people with a belief in what you’re out to do is drastically underestimated. It’s not enough for an employee to work for their pay and “like” what they do. The teams that win championships do it by having all hands on deck, every single game.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading From the C-Suite”? Please share a story or an example for each.

1. There are no days off. Even on my “days off” Mickey was texting me at all hours. Sometimes I even find myself writing notes out of my sleep. Once you get the plane in the air, you have to work to keep it there.
2. The work isn’t going anywhere. As much as we push every day, there will always be something to do. Your to-do list will never be blank. Remember that that’s okay, and don’t forget that you’re better off getting sleep than forcing yourself to do “that one last thing” — because there is always more work to be done.
3. It’s decision-making to the 10th power. You will be asked about everything by everyone. No matter how many systems and memos go out, that “Hi, quick Q” text or email is on its way.
4. It’s not all burnout and anxiety. Getting the ball rolling is a mess, but once you get some momentum things can start working on your terms. Fit in a few gym sessions and meditations to stay sharp.
5. Mentorship, mentorship, mentorship. I have been blessed with willing leaders that have helped me become a leader myself through the sharing of knowledge and mindset coaching. It’s an absolute must to excel in the C-suite.

In your opinion, what are a few ways that executives can help to create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?

Be human. I support my CEOs and mentees to the fullest when I’m aware of where they are in terms of pain points and thought processes. Communication is the foundation, but people really get behind you when they can understand the why as much as the task.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would create a system for the gamification of mental health. Gamification is about finding a way to build an incentive-based system where we take preventative actions to improve our mental health before we’re presented with a medical or therapeutic order and need for treatment, after the fact. We can (and should) beat it to the punch. We can gamify mental health in a way to strengthen and improve it as early as possible to understand emotional intelligence. Mental healthcare needs to be reinvented to focus on prevention vs treatment. It must be maintained before it becomes a desperate necessity and negative experience. We can circumvent this process and make mental health treatment and maintenance inviting and fun.

It’s so important to simply perform the tasks that can improve our mental. I look forward to reducing the alienation and stigma surrounding mental health via forms of gamification.

How can our readers further follow you online?

I’m really a direct impact kind of person, so I do consults on HRDRV.com.

Instagram: @jhnywzdm

Twitter: @johnnywizdom

Clubhouse: @JhnyWzdm

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work