Shannon Salentine is an executive coach, speaker, leadership consultant, and founder of Lead for Good – a leadership and team coaching company for changemakers and the places they work.
Shannon believes that when we bring our whole selves to serve the needs of our community and world, we leverage our strengths and humanity to live and lead fully with courage, compassion, and integrity. She’s passionate about partnering with leaders to hold their vision for a better world while integrating the practices and tools they need to amplify their leadership and sustain their own well-being.
Shannon has over 20 years of experience working alongside and leading multinational teams striving to improve the health and well-being of underserved communities. Working and living in countries throughout Africa, the Eastern Caribbean, and Central Asia she has established and scaled teams, fostered local leadership, aligned resources, streamlined systems, and sustained team focus to achieve measurable impact.
Shannon started Lead for Good to champion others under the belief that with a clear vision, tools, and practices, we can do the work we want to do in the world without burning out, losing out on life experiences, or compromising our integrity. Society doesn’t do enough to support our changemakers. Leading for good requires us to reimagine, reconnect, and recommit support for those who are taking the steps to make a difference in our world.
Based in Durham, North Carolina, Shannon partners with organizations throughout the U.S., and abroad. Shannon is a trained coach with a Professional Coach Certificate from the International Coaches Federation. Her coaching approach draws from additional certifications in the Leadership Circle Profile and the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory and training in the neuroscience of coaching, embodied coaching, mindful meditation, and anti-racism
On the day to day, you can find Shannon coaching, collaborating, and speaking on living a purpose-driven life. She spends her week mornings getting her kids to school and her weekends with her family exploring Durham, NC and beyond.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
When I first started my business I laid out a very specific and concrete goal- work half-time and make the same salary as the corporate job I left behind. My typical day is designed around this and its made me incredibly productive. I spend the early morning taking care of myself and my family. This involves getting the kids off to school without feeling rushed or hustling. I start my day in the “office” either at home or in my actual office in downtown Durham around 10:30. Each day is a mix of coaching clients 1:1, designing a leadership development program, and meeting with organizations and companies to talk about the support their teams need. I always hold Mondays as a day without calls or meetings so that I can focus on taking care of my business by updating my finances, reviewing my business development plan, and setting up meetings for the upcoming weeks.
How do you bring ideas to life?
My ideas come to life through my clients. I have a generative approach whereby, overtime, I notice that the clients I work with are experiencing similar problems. When this happens, I have the opportunity to create a new offering or program that aligns specifically with what is needed. What I love about this is that I create offerings that are needed in real-time by real people.
What’s one trend that excites you?
A de-emphasis on the use of social media for marketing professional services….Okay- maybe this is just wishful thinking. When it comes to a service like coaching, the best way to share my offerings is through real connection with another person or organization. I get excited when I meet like-minded entrepreneurs who aren’t obsessed or overly reliant on social media to “sell.”
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I recently started using the PARA method, a personal knowledge management system developed by Tiago Forte. It’s been a great way of keeping my ideas and research organized in a way that is actionable.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Our society doesn’t do enough to remind us that we are incredibly resourceful and that our unique talents are needed in the world. The advice I would give myself is to own my value and not let it be determined by external validation.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
That it is possible to start and sustain a successful business without a fancy marketing plan, a team, or start-up capital.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Each year I lead (and participant in) and annual review process where by I go through each month and document my achievements and activities using my calendar and photo apps. I make sure to capture those highlights that occurred in my personal and private life. I usually do this towards the end of the year and I keep it separate from any goal setting. I’ve found that taking the holiday time to sit and reflect on what comes out of the review to be really rich and helpful in grounding me in a meaningful intention for the new year.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Get out of the house and into nature. I find that when I look away from what I need to do for a while, often whatever is stuck becomes unblocked and my overwhelming thoughts simmer out and have less power over my feelings and actions.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
One key strategy has been creating relationships – one person at a time. There is a simple system behind this- keep track of everyone I speak with and- if I genuinely connect with them and think that they could use my help, I propose we find a way to work together. My proposals aren’t flashy, high revenue- they are specifically designed to offer what’s needed. I also don’t take “no’ as an answer- I see it as more of a “not right now.”
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I spent way too much time working on my own website, social media, marketing. I eventually overcame this by accepting the fact that these were not things that I was good at or enjoyed doing. The lesson is- pay attention- if it isn’t energizing you, find another way to get it done. In my case this meant saving up and holding an ongoing budget for web and marketing support.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
IT Helpdesk with a dedicated concierge for seniors (or anyone who needs it) to call to get help on whatever tech issues they. may be having- whether it be their TV, phone, DVD player, uploading and printing photos, making an airline reservation. I think there are a lot of gen x’ers who are ready to gift a monthly subscription to their parents for the holidays.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Apple Notes- I know this isn’t exactly popular but after learning how to use the PARA method– it has been instrumental in my organization and keeping track of my ideas and the resources I come across.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
This last $100 I spent was on some amazing holiday gifts I was able buy on a quick trip to my favorite shop while leading a workshop in Nairobi, Kenya.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
Atomic Habits – James Clear. I like the idea of habit stacking which has helped me develop these mini-packages of habits that go together- with one leading to the other without having to use a lot of mental energy to decide what I’m going to do next and when.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Right now I’m really into reading anything that is visionary fiction and describes an alternative future. I’m always so impressed with the way a writer is able to describe and build out new worlds, societies, and the stories and characters that go along with them. The Actual Star is a favorite right now (by Monica Byrne)
Key learnings:
- Outsource what doesn’t energize you (but be financially responsible)
- Use your energy to create what your clients want and need
- Relationships last longer and are more meaningful for your business than likes and follows.