Shannon Gill: Confessions Of A Terrible Leader

by Jeff Bond

At the core of my work is helping global business, communications, and people leaders create meaningful engagement with their teams and customers. Together with my wonderful colleagues at Chat With Leaders Media and People First Elevation Team, we deliver all-hands meeting support, content, podcasts, creative, cross-cultural training, speaker coaching, and strategic advisory solutions. We are committed to unlocking the power of inclusive storytelling, shared experiences, leadership development, and mixed media to help our clients authentically connect with their most important stakeholders.

Our core values—Partnership, Inclusion, and Empowerment—guide everything we do. By fostering strong partnerships, embracing diverse perspectives, and equipping leaders with the tools to succeed, we aim to transform the way people engage while achieving meaningful work.

Outside of work, I cherish time with my wife and three children, balancing my roles as a husband and father with my professional life in Atlanta, GA. Let's connect and explore how we can create impactful media solutions for your business.

Shannon started her own journey of transformation when she realized what a terrible leader she had been for many of her team members over the years. Growing up as the daughter of a bank CEO and holding Director and VP roles in large organizations did not make her a good leader of people. It took a Hero’s Journey saga of self-awareness and challenge for her to uncover and embrace her true nature, a compassionate and inspiring leader with a strong dose of “GSD” (get stuff done). Taking control of her own mindset and skills was the first step in being a better leader and a better person. She realized that unlike her beliefs from the ’80s and ’90s, work and life are not separate. We cannot just leave part of ourselves at home. Instead, we can embrace all of who we are in every aspect of our life and show up authentically.

This led her to create Guided Ventures Group (GVG), an organization of leaders and experts who use real-world experience to act as guides for others on their journey of professional and personal growth. GVG, a woman-owned business, is the first business under the GVG umbrella because elevating people at work makes a difference in every aspect of their life.

What you’ll learn

What made Shannon self-describe herself as a “terrible leader” in the first two decades of her career.
What commonly held beliefs about being an effective leader during that era influenced how she treated her people then.
Why it was important for her to have the self-awareness to admit to being a terrible leader.
A story of the pivotal moment that led her to want to turn the corner towards becoming a better leader.
What she’s learned to be the top characteristics that epitomize a good 21st-century leader
Why she is involved on the board of Conscious Capitalism Atlanta and how that’s influenced the way she guides her clients towards new ways to lead, live, and learn.

Follow / Learn More

Follow Shannon on LinkedIn
Visit GVG’s Website
Follow GVG on Facebook and LinkedIn

Our Community Partners

B Local GA: A collection of for-profit companies each dedicated to creating a future where businesses operate as a positive influence on society.
InspirEDU: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to support education equity with its commitment to youth and their families, through training, device distribution, and technology career development.
AppBarry: An Atlanta-based software engineering team specializing in building custom web and mobile applications, cloud migrations, and software integrations.
Classic City Consulting: An Atlanta-based WordPress design + development, content writing, and SEO consulting firm.
Stratfield Consulting: Helping organizations successfully adapt to a rapidly changing landscape with an approach that integrates proven consulting, staffing, and recruiting services.