I Am Blessed To Have Been Born With A Mindset Of Persistence ‒ Interview With Beth Johnson
- Nov 23, 2022
- 5 min read
‘Culture Concierge’ Beth Johnson partners with gutsy leaders as they flip the script to cultivate and uphold people-first cultures. Beth focuses on 6 core leadership principles, all of which are inextricably tied to emotional agility, conscientious communication, and conflict management. As a leader in both the U.S. and Europe, Johnson reenergized and reorganized multiple teams formerly labeled as disengaged, fatigued, or failing. Beth has always promoted human-centric leadership and her 25+ years of leadership experience has proven that ROI follows.
Beth Johnson, Leadership & Culture Coach
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
Hi, I am Beth Johnson, coach, trainer, pet-mom and wife. From the age of six, I knew I was different. I FELT everything around me, often to debilitating degrees. While my friends seemed capable of quick decision-making, setting aside differences, and speaking their truth, I struggled. The truth was painful but hiding was equally so.
At 55, I am grateful for this quality. My sensitivity to people and situations allowed me to grow. To open myself to ideas and opportunities I would never have experienced had I not been willing to listen and learn. I am infinitely more self-aware today. I have faced, and continue to face, issues from my youth (anger, weight, control, abandonment) and now embrace all sides of myself. Including my superpower – my ability to feel AND be present. My feelings no longer shut me down. They empower me.
What am I passionate about? Travel. Learning. Exploring. Trying. Change. Cooking. Animals. Communication. Leadership. Company Cultures. Interviewing and asking questions. Sharing life experiences.
My hobbies? Early in life, you would have found me on the racquetball or volleyball court. After three spine surgeries, degenerative disc, and joint diseases, my hobbies today are more sedate ☺ I love watching documentaries, scrapbooking, reading, and watching movies. There is nothing better than losing yourself in a story, particularly true stories, and taking away lessons you can apply in your own life.
As for children, we never had any. Due to diseases that ran in both of our families, ones that affected every relationship, we believed we did not want children. Later in life, we changed our minds, but too late, given my diagnoses. We turned our parental energies toward our fur-babies and have spoiled each one of them as much as money and time would allow.
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
Beth Johnson Coaching. I help leaders and pre-leaders fill in the gaps of their training and knowledge. This may sound pedestrian but the truth is, so few leaders are actually trained on the finer and most important parts of leading people. Communicating with, growing, inspiring, and exemplifying for everyone in his or her circle of influence. It all boils down the crucial skills I include in my Leadership MOSAIC program – personal motivation, intention, awareness and accountability, emotional agility, courage and execution. Leadership is complex. Moreover, the finer nuances are rarely acknowledged, let alone trained or encouraged.
What kind of audience do you target your business towards?
Leaders in any industry at any level who wish to level-up. Typically, they are facing employee disengagement, attrition, or increased opposition. They feel overwhelmed. They lack support from upper management. They have no, or inadequate, onboarding and training programs. They think everything is working perfectly (statistics show their employees disagree). Leaders who used to be, desire to be, or are passionate about their work. Leaders who understand big-picture, full-circle, long-term thinking. Leaders who understand that people matter more than, well everything, because THEY drive the bottom line and company’s success. Leaders who feel something is ‘off’ but can’t put their finger on the exact problem. Leaders are dissatisfied with the status quo and working to antiquated standards and expectations. Leaders that believe kindness engenders loyalty and encouragement spark innovation. Leaders that promote individuality make the hard decisions but are open to opposing viewpoints and leaders who demand that truth supersede ego.
What are your current goals for your business?
To help others avoid the pitfalls of leadership that took me years to overcome. To help others feel confident, safe, and energized in their work. To return, or possibly introduce, global workplaces to servant-leadership, wholehearted performance, the power of vulnerability, healthy cultures, and robust communication in all its forms.
What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?
My vision of success is multi-pronged:
Working with a consistent flow of leaders seeking to flip the corporate script
Supporting a network of leaders ready and willing to affect permanent culture change
Operating a small business that creates huge, disruptive ripples in the waters of leadership
Authoring 1-5 best-selling books
Sought out for my experience and expertise to coach, train and speak to individuals and groups the world over
Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?
First, and foremost, me. It took decades to understand that I am responsible for my success, choices, words and actions. I am blessed to have been born with a mindset of persistence. However, when I falter, or the inevitable dark times come around, my husband is my biggest inspiration. He has overcome trials that most people would have crumbled under the weight of. He is my biggest advocate and fan. His logic and intellect balance my feelings, and the impact of which is surpassed only by his heart and humor.
What is your work inspired by?
My experiences. A life-long struggle to overcome my own saboteurs; of leading by comparison versus authentically; of believing others knew better than me; of not following my own instinct. People who choose the right, and ‘fight the good fight’, especially through adversity and opposition, inspire me the most. My work is inspired by people who have dealt with more than I can imagine handling myself, yet thrive, survive and serve others.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
Career Overall: That I persisted throughout my career, and achieved what I did, without supportive leadership, coach or mentor.
Career Specifically: My appointment to the European theatre; awards received; Fortune Magazine article
Personal Overall: Staying married despite numerous ‘hard knocks’ including financial, physical, spiritual and emotional
Personal Specifically: Fighting to return to my life and career after 12 years of debilitating pain and degeneration
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
The stigma of seeking help from a coach or therapist; generations of rhetoric that one is weak, incompetent, or less than for reaching out. Why? Because the most respected global leaders have repeatedly proven that success comes with numbers, not unilaterally. They sought success partnerships, a role coaches fill perfectly.
It can be difficult or impossible to reach out for needed support in the office or even with family and friends. Coaches are incredibly valuable resources who support, educate and motivate. Using proven techniques, they lead clients to find answers long buried or invisible to them at the time. They provide recommendations for vision, growth and goals. They are your biggest, unbiased, lovingly honest champion. This is the help every human needs (and desires deep down) and the help that every strong, confident, altruistic leader seeks.
