Today’s consulting profession is experiencing a dramatic shift away from process-driven, old-fashioned models towards profoundly people-centric ones. With organisations increasingly confronted with rising complexity, the well-being of staff, cultural coherence, and adaptability have become key success factors. The call for bespoke models that connect people’s strategies to measurable results grows day by day. Companies no longer look for advice in general terms but for people who can plant change at every organisational level. Emotional intelligence, flexibility, and relatedness are thus the keystones of successful consultancy these days. This shift is part of a larger tendency: that long-term success is not only about strategy but about the ability to develop healthy, purpose-based work environments in which individuals feel they are valued and encouraged to give their best. Lana Johnston, the Founder and Principal Consultant of both Taking It Forward and Connection with Lana, is a visionary leader who is driving different ways for organisations to engage with culture and connection. With a background in finance and a successful history of high-stakes leadership positions, Lana brings strategic acumen to a people-first philosophy. Her two ventures are dedicated to closing the gap between purpose and performance in corporate and personal environments, empowering individuals and organisations to flourish through genuine, lasting transformation.

From Finance to Forward: The Making of a Transformational Leader Committed to People, Purpose, and Progress

Lana Johnston started her career in finance, but her journey was never about figures, it was always about people. Since her school days as a school captain then sports team captain at university, Lana always took on roles that needed vision, teamwork, and the drive to mobilize others towards a common goal. As she climbed the corporate ladder in the financial industry, her inherent leadership skills developed further. At the height of her corporate career, she lead a large team with 29 direct reports, dealing with geographic complexity and cultural variations.

But as she dug deeper into the systems surrounding her, Lana observed a jarring disconnect: companies were treating people management as an afterthought, compartmentalizing culture and performance. She witnessed the price of that neglect not only in productivity, but in engagement, retention, and innovation. Lana created Taking It Forward to bridge a vital gap, one that few organisations knew they had. Her consultancy was the connection between high-level vision and on-the-ground action. Her aim wasn’t to simply advise but to instill enduring change. She guided leaders to see that culture isn’t some vague idea; it’s a quantifiable, tangible business driver. With models that connect people strategies to business results, Lana made the employee experience a strategic imperative.

Grounded in Values: Leading with Curiosity, Courage, Purpose, and the Drive to Create Lasting Change

Lana’s success can be traced back to three characteristics: curiosity, flexibility, and fearlessness. Curiosity enables her to see beyond the surface level to get to the real dynamics of individuals and organisations before prescribing a solution. Flexibility guarantees that no two client engagements are ever the same; she adapts her model to fit the specific circumstances of each organisation. But it’s her capacity to have tough, honest and fair conversations that most distinguishes her. She does not avoid the painful realities that block transformation. Rather, she leans in with compassion, taking organisations through change that counts.

What motivates Lana isn’t about profit, it’s about purpose. Each project she takes on is run through a straightforward question: Will this have a real impact? She knows that when companies link purpose and performance, success comes naturally. This mindset appears not just in her client work but also in how she leads. She encourages collaboration without sacrificing clarity. Lana also strongly believes that change has to be done with people, not to people. Her consultancy is not about swooping in and taking charge, it’s about developing internal capacity with capability so that organisations can keep growing after she moves on.

Turning Obstacles into Opportunities for Impact, Growth, and Meaningful Transformation

Though Lana’s journey has been successful, it hasn’t been smooth. One of the greatest challenges she encountered was changing mindsets particularly at the executive level. Most leaders claim to appreciate culture but don’t make it a priority when they’re under financial pressure. Lana has addressed this by ensuring there are metrics that demonstrate the ROI of people-based strategies. By quantifying the employee experience, she converted it from a touchy-feely goal into a hard business imperative. A second obstacle was keeping momentum up through organisational change. All too often, organisations begin strong but fizzle out when there’s resistance or other competing priorities. Lana outfits internal teams with tools, skills, and accountability systems, so change doesn’t rest exclusively on the engagement of a consultant and they can continue the embedding of change.

This resilience has resulted in a career full of significant recognition. From being among the first women to be named a Business Banking Manager to being chosen for premium talent programs that honed her strategic eye, her career has great standout moments. Her most proud achievements, however, tend to rest in the harmony she has found balancing corporate leadership, not-for-profit board membership, and family life with intention and poise. Her experience on different boards especially in strategy and people areas has enabled her to influence organisational futures in deep ways. These experiences enrich her consulting practice with a unique combination of insight, empathy, and delivery.

Shaping a Legacy of Impact: Building a Future That’s Scalable, Sustainable, and Rooted in Shared Leadership and Purpose

Forward-looking, Lana is also working on expanding Taking It Forward and Connection with Lana on a basis that does not rely on her direct participation or presence. Through Connection with Lana, she focuses on supporting adults who are caring for ageing loved ones, helping them create meaningful connections that reduce regret and foster memorable moments. Her upcoming book, “Small Moments, Strong Bonds: Turn Regret into Connection with Your Ageing Loved One,” distills her expertise into practical strategies anyone can implement.

She is building digital resources, creating self-study programs, mentoring fellow visionary consultants, and setting up systems that enable both businesses to remain at their core while their reach expands. By inserting her methods into replicable models, she ensures that her paradigm for leadership and cultural change can be continued by others sharing her vision and values.

Her intention is not merely to boost her message, it’s to cause ripple effects that endure. She desires all engagements, be they online or offline, to leave behind tools and assurance of enduring change. Whether helping organizations transform their culture or guiding individuals to connect meaningfully with ageing family members, Lana’s work is about creating lasting impact. By establishing reproducible, mission-based models and equipping others to lead from the heart, Lana ensures her work continues to transform people’s lives and workplaces well beyond her time out of the room. In her future, success is not a matter of visibility but of depth and duration of effect.

Words of Wisdom for Future Leaders

For the next generation of leaders, Lana shares ageless wisdom: Begin with purpose, not position. Leadership, she suggests, is not about titles it’s about impact. She urges emerging changemakers to cultivate profound self-awareness, learn their triggers and strengths, and be humble enough to continue learning. This wisdom extends to personal relationships as well, as she demonstrates in her work with Connection with Lana and her book “Small Moments, Strong Bonds,” where she teaches that meaningful connections don’t require grand gestures but rather intentional presence and small, consistent actions. Her approach to leadership embodies a potent truth: that the greatest leaders don’t simply have a vision they invite others in. They provide room for individuals to contribute, grow, and thrive. And as they do that, they develop not only thriving organisations, but authentic legacies based on credibility, trust, and collective advancement where all voices count and purpose energizes performance.