DION JOHNSON
Dion is an ex-midwife and Director in public services, where she pioneered, coordinated and led special services serving highly vulnerable and marginalised client groups.
Now, a multi-award-winning women's champion with the re-powerment of women at the heart of her work, Dion works behind the global leadership scenes as Master Coach, Strategic Ally and trusted advisor to some of the most influential women across sectors and industries.
She is challenging and changing the inner narrative about what it means to be a credible influencer in today’s fast changing work space. Her clients are Chief Executives, Directors and Heads across sectors because when these women truly thrive (not just act like they are thriving) so do boards, organisations, industries and ultimately our world.
Dion was born with a pronounced facial disfigurement Her story of ‘unmasking’ is a powerful metaphor that is now captivating and inspiring leaders across the globe to “Show Up, Speak Up and Shake Things the hell Up”, authentically, within their sphere of influence too.
She’s passionate about and uniquely skilled to help women rise above professional challenges and #BeMoreInfluential in their roles and her new book Influential Woman: A Fresh Approach to Tackling Inequality and Leading Change at Work received positive reviews from readers around the globe.
Let’s get started.
All information and links were correct at the date of original publication on
2 Oct 2024
Throughout your journey as a woman of color in business and leadership, what strategies and skills have you found most effective in overcoming obstacles and achieving success?
There’s no doubt, the path to leadership success is full of roadblocks and hindrances for black and brown women and yet, the truth is I’ve been my own biggest obstacle in business and leadership.
I’m a Black woman, in a white man’s world.
I’m a woman of faith, in a religion phobic, secular world.
I’m facially disfigured in a beauty obsessed world
Sadly, I used to believe these things disqualified me and counted me out when it came to being a 'real' success in business and leadership.
I believed that I was not in the same league as ‘real’ successful people and that ‘they’ would never take me seriously or 'let' me make it. I saw every obstacle as confirmation and evidence that what I believed was true and, as a result, my leadership journey was stuttering - It was like driving with my feet on the gas and the breaks at the same time.
I would make progress, because I’m brilliant and driven to make a powerful difference, but then jolt into frustrating and demoralising stand stills at the slightest hurdle because my double mindedness told me I couldn't do it, shouldn't do it, wasn’t allowed to do it, or just didn’t have what it took to do it!
Of course, this wasn’t happening consciously at first, and I invested tens of thousands of pounds to work with the business gurus learning all the tips and tricks and strategies to make business work for me. I thought I needed the 10 steps for this, the 5 secrets to that, and the 3 magic tips for the other…
I did okay, but success was limited. I was making some impact and some money, but nothing like the impact, and income I’m making now. Everything changed when the penny dropped!
I’m the biggest obstacle standing in my way. If I was born for success, (and I believed that I was) what the hell could defy that?
If I’m powerful by design (and I believed that I was) who and what could stop me? I knew external obstacles were real, but I decided I was going to find the way to be the kind of woman that uses obstacles as a way to learn and grow rather than as a reason to quit.
I believe the biggest strategies for success includes:
Becoming a student of life; leadership, purpose, psychology, spiritual and emotional intelligence have been keys to unlocking my unique way and leadership style. I’m convinced that learning and challenging your own thoughts and beliefs is critical our ongoing development and it’s has been key to my success.
Supportive Networks. I have invested heavily in coaches, mentors and travel to be in the right rooms with the right people that help me to grow. They say “no woman is an island” and “it takes a village” - they are right. Building your support networks and being a support to others yourself is a mighty strategy for business success.
Take Those Scary Steps: Nothing has helped me grow like stepping out of my comfort zone and taking action; especially the steps that are scary, asking for the sale, saying “NO” when everyone is saying yes or following your hunch when you don’t see anyone else going the way you feel led to go; it takes courage.
I’ve learned that even if you fail you learn, even if you fall, you gain something on the way back up - Scary steps are the bomb dot com!
In traditionally male-dominated industries, women often face unique challenges. What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs and leaders who encounter such barriers and how can they navigate and overcome them?
We’re often 'the only one' in the room, especially as we climb up into senior levels; attitudes towards gender and race are still struggling to get with the equity programme in certain quarters and the marketplace, built for men can truly struggle with the changes required to make workspace a woman friendly place.
Still, we are here to stay so make habits of the following tips: -
Honour and Respect: Even the most challenging personalities are just people, no more or less valuable than you as human beings - you each bring something of value to the table. Honour and respect cannot be overemphasized. People want to be seen, heard and taken seriously, so search out the understanding of who they are as humans, seek to know what they bring to the table and honour it… but then give yourself the same courtesy and honour you too.
Stay mission-centric: Always be coming from a place of doing what is right for the success of a shared mission. Make your points and counter arguments about the mission and missional success rather than the people, allow the mission to dictate what’s right and what’s wrong. It is very powerful when we present our points of view from an agreed, mission-centric stand point.
Speak Up! Don’t be afraid to call things out. Bottling up your frustrations, suppressing your gripes, keeping your needs to yourself are surefire ways to make work stop working for you. So you don’t need to take out a grievance in the first instance, avoid an accusatory tone, keep it simple and say what’s true for you. Speak to the person or people involved in a really straightforward, way, asking for what you want and saying why you want it (stay mission-centric if you can).
The key understanding here is that you matter as much as everyone else on the team - if you are not okay, the mission can’t have the best chance of success
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are essential for creating thriving corporate environments. In your experience, what are the key benefits and positive outcomes of empowering women to take on senior leadership roles within organisations?
I believe in the power of WOMANITY to make a difference in marketplace operations, outputs and outcomes. It’s a new day in leadership and business governance. The definition of what it means for a corporation to be “thriving” is shifting.
The pandemic has significantly changed our awareness of the game and businesses are being called to play by new rules at every level.
The old system, very masculine in origin and design, prioritises ‘Profit, Power and Personal Status’ but in this new day, the demand is high, for a system that values and prioritises people (both within the organisation and within wider society).
Respecting the Planet and Future Generations: As much as profit and power business leaders and corporate organisations must undergo a cultural revolution. Business must become, genuinely, more humane, more wholehearted, more inclusive and thoughtful about its impact on its people, its world and on the future It’s this revolution that requires a new kind of powerful leadership.
The Leadership that got us here, cannot take us there, to the place where marketplace systems become an indomitable force for the equity, justice and the greater good that is being demanded of it It’s my conviction that women are the answer.
I was a midwife for decades, I was privileged to see empowered womanity in operation, up close and very personally. I can tell you this, women are powerful! Often, way more powerful than she knows.
It’s my conviction that the attributes of a woman supported to stand in her power, for the sake of something she cares about, are the attributes that will initiate, innovate and influence systemic marketplace transformation which is long overdue.
Influential women, at the highest levels of corporate leadership all the way down, that can show us the way. When women are supported to thrive, and not just act like they are thriving, then so will boards, organisations, industries and nations.
Your business has implemented initiatives and programs to support women in their professional and business journeys. Could you share some examples of these initiatives and the impact they have had on empowering women in your organisation?
So often I hear the angry cry at conferences and other pro-women leadership forums “Women don’t need fixing…” “Stop trying to fix women, fix the broken system!!” And I completely agree.
The system DOES need fixing… and women don’t need ‘fixing’ especially in order to be more like men. But, just because we don’t need fixing, doesn't mean we don't have needs.
What some of us (women) DO need is time and quality space to be seen, heard, taken seriously, to heal, be celebrated, understood and supremely supported.
We need time, space and connections that help us to hear ourselves think. A place for honesty and transparency. A place for candid exploration of our dark side and a deep remembering of our strength and powerful side.
We need the opportunity to see ourselves and face things. Sometimes we need skillful and courageous, others to call us out from behind the masks we wear.
That “out of hiding “out of” the BS thinking “Out” of the suppression and depression of our truth into our most powerful authentic and influential expression.
To be this for my clients is what gets me out of bed in the morning. I am a strategic Advisor and Executive Master Coach to Board Level Women.
My client’s come to me when they want to work on being seen, heard and taken more seriously by the people they work with.
When they want to lead with greater influence, impact, power and authority. When they want to make a bigger difference in their organisation, industry and field.
As well as offering private coaching and giving talks, I also host an event called POWER WEEK, a five-part online masterclass supporting board level women to understand The New Mandate and what they need to do to prepare for it.
Participants tell me it’s “powerful” and I currently offer it without charge so that there is NO barrier to entry.
All of my work is geared towards helping board level women to rise above their professional challenges and prepare to take their place and be a powerful, influential contributor to the new mandate. As a result of partnering with me, my clients show up more authentically, speak up more powerfully and shake things up more influentially in the boardroom and beyond.
As a trailblazer and role model, what message would you like to convey to the next generation of women of color aspiring to achieve success in business and leadership??
Be fierce in your pursuit of personal growth and development - always be learning.
Enjoy life - it flies by, changing your world should never mean making life miserable
Make a you-shaped difference, everywhere you go - make them notice you’re in the room and miss you when you leave.
If you are interested in finding out more about Dion visit www.dionjohnson.com