The Connection Gap
Real talk on building better organisations, better teams, and better bonds with the people who matter most.
Hello, I’m Lana - I’ve spent my career helping people connect. At work. And at home.
Let me introduce myself properly.
I’m Lana Johnston — consultant, author, and founder of two bodies of work that, on the surface, might seem different, but are really driven by the same belief: that genuine connection changes everything.
The professional side.
Through my consultancy Taking It Forward, I work alongside boards, leadership teams, and HR professionals during some of the most complex moments an organisation can face — mergers, restructures, de-mergers, acquisitions, and everything in between.
My job is to help them figure out what’s actually going on with their people — and then do something meaningful about it.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of doing this work across some of Australia’s most respected organisations: most leaders think they know what their people are experiencing.
Most of the time, they don’t.
Not because they don’t care. But because no one ever built them a proper bridge between what leadership intends and what employees actually experience.
That gap costs organisations more than they realise — in culture, in retention, in performance, and in their ability to lead through change.
The personal side.
Away from boardrooms and strategy decks, I’ve written a book called Small Moments, Strong Bonds — and it comes from somewhere much closer to my heart. 💚
It’s for the high-performing professionals who are brilliant at managing stakeholders and leading teams, but quietly struggling to truly connect with their ageing parents.
I call it the “sandwich life” — juggling a demanding career, a family, and the growing realisation that time with the people who matter most is slipping by faster than you’d like.
Through my brand Connection with Lana, I help people make small, intentional shifts — not grand gestures or guilt-laden overhauls — just real moments that become the memories that last.
The same strategic thinking that makes you good at your job? It works here too. You just need someone to help you reframe it.
1. Why this, why now
Because I’ve been having two sets of conversations for years — one in organisations, and one with the humans inside them — and I’ve realised they belong in the same room.
This is where I’ll share what’s real across both worlds: the messy, complicated, and genuinely important work of building connection — whether that’s inside your organisation or around your family dinner table.
Here’s what you can expect from me:
Straight-talking insights on culture, leadership, workforce strategy, and the people challenges that keep HR professionals and leaders up at night.
Practical guidance on connecting with your ageing loved ones — without the guilt, without the pressure, and without needing more hours in the day.
Perspectives that might challenge how you think — because comfortable thinking rarely builds better organisations or better relationships.
2. What I’d love you to do
If any of this resonates, hit subscribe - what I write will earn your time.
And if you know someone navigating a tricky leadership challenge, a cultural shift at work, or the very human experience of caring for an ageing parent while keeping everything else afloat — share this with them.
The best conversations start when the right people are in the room.
I’m glad you’re here. Let’s get into it.
— Lana
3. Who I am and where to find me
Lana Johnston is the founder of Taking It Forward, working in transformation and connection with leaders, HR professionals, and organisations who are serious about putting people at the centre of how they work. Through her Connection with Lana work, she also shares practical tools and thinking to help people connect more meaningfully with their ageing loved ones – before it’s too late 💚. If this Bite sparked something for you, hit reply — she’d love to hear your thinking. Know someone who’d benefit? They can join the conversation here or connect with Lana on linkedin.com/in/lanajohnston or instagram.com/connectionwithlana/
