The Seismic Shift in Leadership: Michelle Johnston, PhD, on PYP 536

Erratum: During this episode, I had a brain-fart while trying to recall the conversational Zulu I learned in 2011. The word we were looking for is Sawubona, not Siyabonga. The latter means "We give thanks." Apologies to all Zulu speakers out there...

Michelle Johnston, PhD, is a professor of business at Loyola University in New Orleans, and a highly sought after executive coach. And now, she's also an author.

Her brilliant and heartfelt new book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership: How To Thrive In A New Era Of Connection, is her invitation to the world to reconsider what great leaderships looks and feels like.

Raised by a father who exemplified the "connected" servant leader who supported and elevated the people he led, Johnston felt she had to abandon this "quirky" style of leadership when her academic mentors insisted on top-down control and exaggerated toughness so she'd gain the respect of her students and peers.

Spending her childhood as a corporate brat, rarely staying in the same place for more than a year or two, she learned how to be a chameleon, able to fit in -- but often at the expense of staying true to herself, and really belonging.

The lessons she shares in The Seismic Shift in Leadership are those she had to learn and relearn herself. This alone makes her highly relatable, and a role model for the kind of leadership that relies on connection rather than control. 

But her far-reaching experience working with some of the top leaders in the world allow her to fill the book with stories and examples of connected leadership brought to life.

In a world where all of us are called to lead, whenever and wherever we see that things could be better than they are, Johnston's book is a guide, a beacon, and a friend.

I'm so honored to call her my friend, and to have the opportunity to explore and unpack leadership with her in this conversation.

Links

The Seismic Shift in Leadership: How To Thrive In A New Era Of Connection

Michelle Johnston's website: MichelleKJohnston.com

You, Me, We: Why We All Need a Friend at Work (and How to Show Up As One!), by Morag Barrett

The Heart of Business, by Hubert Joly

The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life, by Ben and Rosamund Zander