Dr. HUME (Hume Johnson)
Leadership coach and professor emphasizing professional sovereignty, executive communication, and leader identity.
Put Down Your Phone, Show Respect and Sovereignty
When someone is talking to you, stop scrolling. Put your phone down. Make eye contact. Be present. It communicates respect. It upholds the dignity of the person in front of you. It signals that they matter more than whatever is on that screen, and it makes you someone people actually want to talk to. That is sovereign behavior. Sovereignty is not just internal. It shows up in how others experience you.
Demonstrate Skills, Not Credentials, to Prove Value
Skill defines a qualified candidate, not experience. Show proof of mastery - illustrate what you can actually deliver. Credentials and experience is insufficient proof. A degree or certification merely signals that you studied something and job experience says how long you've...
Know Yourself, Then Let Your Unique Value Shine
Can't shine your light until you know who you are and the unique value you bring to the table. #professionalsovereignty
Stop Pointing: Use Neutral Gestures for Better Impact
I teach public speaking to college students and coaching senior leaders on executuve presence. Finger pointing as a gesture is never good. It comes across accusatory and will land in the receiver as being scolded or reprimanded. For some speakers, this is...
Overtalking During Critique Signals Avoidance, Not Listening
The individual who overtalks you every time you are offering constructive critique is ensuring the feedback never lands. That is avoidance with the volume turned up. It reveals a lot. Pay attention
Own Your Value: Achieve Professional Sovereignty
I'm Dr. Hume Johnson, architect of Professional Sovereignty, leadership coach, and professor of communication at RWU. I help leaders and high achieving professionals do three things: 1. Define who they are beyond title and credentials. 2. Own their value without waiting...
Your Worth Isn't Defined By Your Employer
I am a Leadership Coach and Associate Professor of Organizational Communication. I teach Professional Sovereignty™ — your value is not determined by the institution that employs you. Knowing your value and being valued are two different things.
Own Your Value, Not Just Social Media Visibility
One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is to confuse building a #PersonalLeadership brand with social media visibility. In an attention economy, this is understandable. The goal of building a personal brand is not for higher visibility. The goal is to Own Your...
Own Your Skills, Not Just Your Job Title
Your job title is borrowed space.The company owns it. They can revoke it tomorrow. But your expertise, human skills, your lived experience, your core values belong to you. When did you last treat your professional currency like the asset it actually is?
Tell Them Who You Are, Not What You Can Do
When an interview asks "tell me about yourself". Tell them about who you are, not what you can do. Who you are fully shows up in what you do.
Detach Your Reputation From Corporate Titles and Brands
For decades we were taught that professional power lived in the institution. Your job title. The company brand name. Your corner office. So we tethered our reputations to organizations that could revoke our access overnight. What would you have built or done differently...
Your Identity Shouldn't Hinge on a Job Title
Losing a position is not the worst thing that can happen to you as a professional. Discovering you don't know who you are without it: that is the harder thing. What would be left of your professional authority if your organization closes...
Education Is Kindness, Not Just Credentials
Let's be mindful that credentials don't make you educated. Knowing how to interact and engage with other humans is a mark of the educated. Being kind, to be able to consider a perspective even without agreement is the mark of...
Student Rebranding Projects Align Mission, Values, DEI
Today, I had the privilege of listening to students present exceptional organizational rebranding projects. Each framework was anchored in the organization's core mission and values, with deliberate attention to brand identity- reimagining logos, fonts, and slogans; alongside a critical examination...
Leadership Starts with Defining Your Own Value
Honored to be featured for Women’s History Month. My work sits at the intersection of personal branding, leadership, and global identity but at its core, it is about one thing: #ProfessionalSovereignty™. The belief that leadership begins with who you are; that you...