We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shaun Anderson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shaun, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I had a very rough upbringing. I never knew my father and my mother did what she could to support me and my sisters on her janitor’s salary. We went through extreme bouts of poverty and lived in a very run down house. There would be times where rats and roaches would crawl in my bed in the middle of the night! Also, we never had a working bath tub. With all of this, you can imagine the amount of teasing I went through. I would constantly hear how broke and worthless I was from everyone around the neighborhood, classmates, and even some family members. It used to make me feel really bad about myself. But once I hit my mid-teens, I said enough was enough!
I built the confidence inside of me to starting calling myself “Greatness.” Whenever, I would walk into my classroom or around other folk within the city I grew up in, I would shout “Greatness has arrived!” While, I couldn’t fully comprehend what made me counter all of the negativity by shouting this out, it was the catalyst that helped build my confidence and self-esteem. This was the only way that a 15 year old at the time could defend himself. But, the belief in myself now started then!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I wear many hats at this point in my life.. Currently, I am the Department Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Loyola Marymount University. In this role, I lead one of the largest departments on our campus. Also, I teach and conduct research on how sports has influenced business, politics, and society. Additionally, I founded CSR Global Consulting, LLC, a consultancy that advises sport organizations in developing social responsibility initiatives. I have advised several global organizations such as Nike, ADL, PBS, Athletic Greens, and MLB. With this work, I have become a global authority on connection of sport and social responsibility.. My most recent work was the release of my book, The Black Athlete Revolt: The Sport Justice Movement in the Age of #BlackLIvesMatter. This book chronicles the revitalization of athlete activism since the creation of the #BlackLivesMatter and how we are shifting from protests to now having conversations on policy reform. As such, I have established myself as the global authority on sport and social responsibility. To find out more about the work I do, please visit my website: www.shaunmarqanderson.com
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. I had to learn to stop comparing myself to others. Comparing myself to others meant that I did not have the confidence in what the future holds. Everyone’s journey is different. Once you remain consistent in building your platform, you’ll discover that the comparisons are a waste of time.
2. Your vision for you life is meant for you to understand, not everyone else. Think of all of the Fortune 500 companies that have greatly impacted this world. At some point, those companies started as a vision from someone who was probably told initially that it would not work. Building a plan for your life whether it is starting a business, moving on in your career, starting a family, etc., you will have to learn to move forward with your ideas even if you’re moving forward alone. This is a lesson I had to learn.
3. I had to grow into understanding that whatever goals that I wanted to accomplish in life took time. When I purchased my home, there was this tree in the front yard that looked as if it needed to be cut down. For some reason, I kept it. I spent a year nurturing it. Little did I know that this small, worn out tree was an orange tree! Now, three years later, it produces at least 200 oranges a year! Moral of the story is consistency, nurturing, time, and patience can produce a major harvest!
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I used to fear the call of leadership. However, I knew deep down that I would be good at it. I remember years ago when I was told by a pastor that “leaders have to learn how to take hits.” I took this to mean that leaders have to face a lot of challenges and a lot of criticism. Because of my rough upbringing, I was not ready to take on any more “hits.” But every time I would try to run away from leadership, there was a burning sensation to take on that mantle. Despite the fear and concerns, I decided to accept it. Now that I am fully emerged in leadership, I have felt the most fulfilled in life that I ever felt before! Leadership has its challenges, but I thrive in the problem solving! Lastly, I remember a line from the movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The character, Namor, was explaining the history of his people. In his explanation, he said, “Only the most broken people, can be great leaders.” Maybe, this is because those who have experienced the ups and downs of life and have survived can be of service to those who experiencing their own difficulties. Nonetheless, the acceptance of leadership has been my greatest area of improvement.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shaunmarqanderson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaunmarqspeaks/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://linktr.ee/shaunmarqandersonphd
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShaunMarqSpeaks
- Other: https://linktr.ee/shaunmarqandersonphd
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538153246/The-Black-Athlete-Revolt-The-Sport-Justice-Movement-in-the-Age-of-
