How To Lead When You Don't Fit In, with Shannon Johnston

Connect Mobilize Deliver

Do you feel like you don't quite fit in? Maybe it's in your workplace or even in your family. But, you're just not what other people are expecting you to be.

This may discourage you at times as you strive to build your career and be a successful leader. If it does, this episode will be an encouragement to you.

Visual artist, professor, and experienced leader, Shannon Johnston, returns to talk about how to lead when you don't fit in.

And, she's got the credibility from being a successful leader while rarely fitting in throughout her life and career.

From military bases to mission fields, academia, and the contemporary art culture, Shannon just doesn't fit the stereotypes.

But, as she explains this has been a benefit to her and to the teams she's built and led. And, her uniqueness has been especially encouraging and helpful to other team members who also aren't like the other people in the group.

Today's Guest

Shannon Johnston

In addition to being an artist, Shannon Johnston identifies as a daughter, sister, friend, introvert, teacher, student, feminist, collector, maker, consumer, and nail-biter. All of this informs her creative practice.
It is engagement within and reflection upon community, both large and small, that ground Johnston’s practice. Repetition, generosity, and regeneration drive her making. Collection that borders compulsion builds her palette and ritual forms her process.

Shannon holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Painting from Wichita State University. She currently lives in Wichita, KS with her husband where she is Assistant Professor of Art and Director of Steckline Gallery at Newman University.

You'll Learn

• How to lead when you don't fit in, regardless of your situation and environment
• The benefits not fitting in can bring to your career and your life
• How being a homeschooled middle child in a military family prepared Shannon for a successful career as an artist and a leader
• The power of being different and honoring our differences and the differences of our teammates
• How being the "odd ball out" puts you in a position of power and privilege to connect other people

3 Fundamental Career Skills from Today's Guest

1. Honor the differences

Find the thing that makes you different and the thing that makes someone else different. Embrace both of those and see it as a learning opportunity.

2. Get comfortable being uncomfortable

This has been said before, but it's worth repeating because it takes practice to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Don't walk away from uncomfortable situations.
Leading people is going to make every leader uncomfortable at some point.

3. Recognize the power of being different

Being the "odd ball out" is a position of privilege and power. As the person who is not quite like everyone else, you are uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge to connect people.

Links and Resources from this Episode

Shannon Johnston's website (with more photos from The Scarf Project).

Shannon is @Shannie2345 on Instagram.

Shannon Johnston on LinkedIn.

Connect Mobilize Deliver episode 3: Connecting Through A Weird Piece Of Art, with Shannon Johnston
For More Information
Check out the full show notes at GregHarrod.com.