Side By Side’s Inaugural Jim Long Servant Leadership Award

“Gentle Giant” Jim Long to be Recognized by Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse with Inaugural “Jim Long Servant Leader Award” at Recovery Brunch on May 18.

 This July, after greater than two decades of service, Jim Long will step down from his leadership position as Board Chair of Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse after cultivating a reputation as a “gentle giant” and “servant leader” who was “thoughtful, assertive, smart, and understanding of the significant unmet needs of the brain injury community.”

Jim’s dedication of time and talent has been invaluable and it’s our distinct privilege to recognize his service to the brain injury community with the inaugural “Jim Long Servant Leader Award” in honor of his generosity, care, and leadership.

Jim will be recognized at Side by Side’s SOLD OUT Recovery Brunch on May 18th at The Ramspeck in downtown Decatur.

Click here to make a donation in Jim’s honor.

Side by Side Founder, Cindi Johnson,  described Jim’s contributions to the organization over the past 25 years.

Q&A With Cindi Johnson:  

How did Jim Long first get involved? Jim was referred to us by another board director, Lloyd Bell who knew of Jim’s stellar reputation as a leader in the Worker’s Compensation law community. I remember meeting Jim at a swanky private club in his downtown office building for lunch. I was nervous, hoping he would give our small nonprofit the time of day. He was so down-to-earth. When he told me he was a Big Brother and had just married for the first time later in life to a nurse who specialized in women’s health, I knew he had all the qualities I admired - quietly and persistently modeling servant leadership; humility, thoughtfulness, while being assertive, smart, understanding of the significant unmet needs of the brain injury community; and generous of time, talent, and treasure - all music to the ears of a nonprofit director!

What stands out to you about Jim as a leader and colleague? Unwavering support, humble assertiveness, willingness to do the hard stuff, and respect of the confidential partnership between a board chair and the executive director. Jim never presumed to know how to run the organization from a business or clinical standpoint. He always deferred to experts and if one wasn’t in the room, he said, “Who do we need to get to help us with this?” And then he would personally reach out to whomever was suggested. He just did it. It felt so good to know I had a partner in leading the organization and didn’t have to carry the sometimes-heavy burden alone.

What are some of the most memorable moments or experiences you’ve shared with Jim? For years, Jim was the primary fundraiser and player recruiter for our annual basketball event, Jawbones vs Sawbones. He had mentored many of these attorneys, opposed others, supported causes colleagues had requested of him, and was several degrees separated from others. He called anyway. He persisted. Despite his frustration at carrying this burden nearly solo, he did it for the benefit of the members. And for their families. Because he knew nothing was out there to support people like his clients once their cases were settled, not to mention those who never had legal recourse to pay for needed treatment and support.    

Another example is times we could not, for the life of us, get a work comp insurance carrier to pay their bill. He understood the high cost to our  organization. He expertly and quickly advised us how to handle each situation, often calling the member’s attorney himself or partnering with another board member and chair in between Jim’s rotations, Mark Gannon, who was on the “other side” (defense), to call the claims adjuster to explain just how cost effective and critical our services actually are, not to mention, legal and medically necessary! Oh, the number of times we said, “I guess we need to get Jim and Mark on this!”

Can you share a particular example of Jim’s leadership in action? After 20 or so years of solid staff stability, we hit a rough patch during the pandemic. Jim said, as he did often, “What do we need to do?” Jim showed up in every way to support unplanned transition, restructuring, rebuilding. He knew that simply being a presence onsite showed members, families, staff, and me that the organization was strong and committed to our values and mission. He expressed our priorities to the board and guided the process to execute those. He never asked for recognition or validation, never pressured me or challenged my decisions, and in every challenging situation, he spoke as “we”. He made big pills easier to swallow by always finding a way to insert humor to diffuse a tense situation without diminishing its importance.

On a personal level, what has it been like to work alongside Jim? How has he influenced or mentored you over the years? Jim taught me the power of perseverance, humility, and how to step up as a servant leader.

If you could sum up Jim’s impact in a few words, what would you say? He is called a Gentle Giant.

What legacy of service does Jim leave behind? Servant Leader.