Seismic Shifts in Leadership

with Michelle  Johnston, PhD

Management Professor / Executive Coach / Leadership Expert

Meeting a kindred spirit who aligns with how I think about great leadership, providing some additional perspectives and stories, is always a treat. Dr. Michelle Johnston is a management professor, executive coach, and leadership expert who serves as the Gaston Chair of Business at Loyola University New Orleans. She recently published The Seismic Shift in Leadership: How to Thrive in a New Era of Connection, which became an Amazon bestseller. Michelle exudes authenticity and her messages are important ones as the world of work continues to shift away from command-and-control leadership styles. 

Episode 70 | Seismic Shifts in Leadership

The truly effective leader today is able to meaningfully connect with their teams and to inspire and motivate them.

What inspired you to write the Seismic Shift in Leadership?

“When I was a young professor I terrified students,” Michelle humbly explains. “I had a whole lot to prove and had been trained by “drill sergeant-like” leaders. I would call students out in front of everyone.  And my teaching ratings were below average, despite working hard... ” Like many leaders, Michelle led others the way she was taught by her leaders. This style wasn’t working and she had to pivot away from command-and-control and a fear-based culture, to truly connecting with those she led. “I felt I needed to get the word out so other leaders can make this seismic shift,” she explains.

In the book, you talk about how achieving connection was very much a personal journey for you. Tell us about that.

Connection was not a natural gift of Michelle’s. She learned to become vulnerable and authentic and put herself out there. The opposite of command-and-control is all about connection, she explains  She was inspired by reading Brene Brown’s Gifts of Imperfection and realized how much she was trying to be perfect. “I realized that perfection equals disconnection. I wore this mask that didn’t enable me to connect with my students.”

The truly effective leader today is able to meaningfully connect with their teams and to inspire and motivate them. But first, Michelle explains, they need to connect with and understand themselves and be who they truly are.

“You need to spend a lot of time owning and knowing your story.” She encourages leaders to think about an event in their lives that really affected how they lead. “Going through this together as a team really builds team trust. Once you know someone’s true story, you’re less likely to assume the worst.”

“Share with people where you’re from, how you were raised, what your leadership journey has been. I had grown up moving around every two years, and I didn’t own this story. I lived almost everywhere! I had to do some soul searching to understand who I was and to own my story,” Michelle describes.

“And once I owned my story and I understood who I was and really accepted my strengths, my blind spots, all of a sudden I went in and I was a very different leader. I was authentic, I was real, I was genuine, I wasn’t putting on an act. I wasn’t trying to be a military drill sergeant. I was finally comfortable in my own skin. And once I was comfortable in my own skin, I connected with the students and then I got faculty member of the year. But it wasn’t until all those things fell into place,” explains Michelle. 

Michelle describes how the leaders who are best at connecting are able to show their people respect, appreciation, and listen to them and make them feel heard during difficult times… it’s about that human connection. 

How does truly connecting make for stronger leadership?

Michelle describes how the leaders who are best at connecting are able to show their people respect, appreciation, and listen to them and make them feel heard during difficult times… it’s about that human connection.  “I see you, I hear you, I appreciate you…” those are the leaders who make real connections and who get the best from their people.

In the book you talk about owning your communication style. I’ve noticed a gap when it comes to leaders who truly listen (many of them talk way too much). What thoughts do you have on talking versus listening and how to help leaders with this gap?

I just finished a 360 report of a manager and that was a main theme. Her strengths got her here and she wants to get to a higher level. But to get there she needs to stop talking and start listening. She would talk, direct, talk, direct….and not listen!

Pete November taught me a lot about this, which is in the book. He turned the 80/20 rule around when working with his team. He began each executive meeting with a personal connection. He taught me that you can run a meeting by asking more questions and listening 80% of the time and directing/talking only 20% of the time. People loved him and sought to work for him!

“And once I owned my story and I understood who I was and really accepted my strengths, my blind spots, all of a sudden I went in and I was a very different leader. I was authentic, I was real, I was genuine, I wasn't putting on an act..." Dr. Michelle Johnston

What do you read and or listen to for your own growth and development?

• “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown really changed Michelle’s life.

• Dr. Ruth Gotian's weekly show “Optimizing Success”

• “The Success Factor” by Ruth Gotian

If you could have one wish for a better world when it comes to leadership, what would it be? 

Assuming positive intent. We assume the worst as humans, but we need to go into interactions assuming positive intent.

About Dr. Michelle K Johnston:

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston is a management professor, executive coach, and leadership expert who is the Clifton A. Morvant Distinguished Professor in Business at Loyola University New Orleans. Her first book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership, The Seismic Shift in Leadership: How to Thrive in a New Era of Connection, is now an Amazon bestseller.

She was recently named A Woman of the Year by CityBusiness and one of the most influential New Orleanians. Michelle is a celebrated keynote speaker presenting at conferences and events nationwide. She received her Ph.D. in Communication from Louisiana State University and was named to the prestigious 100 Coaches Group, which consists of the top executive coaches worldwide.

For speaking engagements, media, and more, visit MichelleKJohnston.com.

Youtube: @dr.laurawhereworkmeetslife  

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Dr. Laura Hambley is a thought leader on Career and Workplace Psychology, passionate about career development. She founded Canada Career Counselling in 2009, however has specialized in career development since 1999 through her Master’s research and counselling in different settings, including outplacement and career transition firms in Alberta.  

Dr. Laura learned early on that effective career planning enhances wellbeing, confidence, and clarity in one’s work and life. Combining the expertise of Psychology with Career Counselling is what she sought to do as she founded and evolved Canada Career Counselling from Calgary to Toronto, Victoria, and Halifax, providing Career Counselling and Career Coaching to thousands of clients over many years.  

Dr. Laura enjoys her work as a Career Counsellor and Career Coach to professionals who are in mid- or senior stages of their career, helping them navigate complex career decisions and pivots. Her extensive experience as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, enables her to understand and address the challenges faced by individuals, leaders, teams, and organizational cultures. Having consulted to a wide range of organizations since the late 1990s, and becoming a future of work thought leader, has enabled her to help individuals and organizations navigate the latest trends impacting today’s organizations.  

Dr. Laura fulfilled her dream of having her own podcast in 2020, called Where Work Meets Life™, where she interviews experts globally on topics around career fulfillment and thriving humans and organizations. She is a sought-after keynote speaker for organizations, associations, conferences, and events.  

In addition to her Master’s in Counselling Psychology (1999), Laura holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (2005) from the University of Calgary. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, as well as a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She also contributes to teaching, supervision, and research as an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary.  

For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations:  

• Canada Career Counselling  

• Synthesis Psychology