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Partnerships that Matter: Realizing Potential in Yourself and Others
Shannon Wallis (Daytime '93) returns to Fuqua to share her philosophy and inspire others.
May 12, 2009
Shannon Wallis
"One of the biggest life lessons for me was learning that it's okay to ask for help," said Shannon Wallis (Daytime '93).
Wallis, 43, is Global Director of Leadership Development for Microsoft. She comes across as secure and self-confident, but she admits that she didn't always feel that way.
"Fuqua impacted my life on so many dimensions," she explained. "The MBA was a leveling factor in my career, and I gained a different level of professional respect. And the people were so amazing. Some of my closest friends are from Fuqua."
At Fuqua, Wallis also learned the importance of networking, reaching out to others, and investing in others' success-all lessons that have stuck with her and have become part of her personal philosophy. Partnerships, whether formal or informal, truly matter, Wallis said, and those relationships continue to boost her confidence and move her forward.
Wallis faced tough challenges both professionally and personally. She overcame the pits of despair with support from family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers. A couple years ago, she began pursuing motivational speaking and writing to share her stories of overcoming adversity.
She has given two keynote addresses at Fuqua-first at the Daytime MBA Weekend for Women prospective student event in December 2008, and then at the student-led Women's Leadership Conference in March 2009. Both talks centered on a spiritual, transformational journey Wallis made in 2002. She hiked 500 miles across northern Spain on a footpath called El Camino de Santiago. The path was created more than 1,000 years ago as part of a religious pilgrimage. Wallis also describes her excursion in Blueprint for Success, a book she co-authored with Stephen Covey and Ken Blanchard.
Wallis began the Camino after weathering more than two years of tremendous professional and personal challenges, including her mother's battle with Stage 4 cancer. The journey itself was also no cake walk. She suffered from exhaustion and 16 severe foot blisters that became infected and extremely painful. She almost gave up, but she kept going with help from fellow pilgrims, and her Fuqua classmate Susan (Becker) Severn (Daytime '93) who also made the hike.
"It's unbelievable what someone believing in you can do," Wallis said. "There's an incredible power in feeling accepted for who you are, and in others seeing you as your best self. That challenges you to be your best self. It uplifts you and those around you."
"I'm my biggest barrier. Like most people, I've had moments of self-doubt, and I have to overcome them. Most days I can quiet the doubts but on those days when I get too wrapped up in the reasons for why something won't work, I just fake it and act as if everything will work out. Ultimately, I believe that all of us are called into the world to make a unique contribution. I find that focusing on what is possible is much more energizing and liberating, and enables me to make that contribution."
Wallis added that her contribution is now to give back to others, including Fuqua students, by helping them realize their potential.