Student Spotlight: Brandon Johnson

Get to know dual doctor of pharmacy and MBA student Brandon Johnson.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Why did you decide to pursue a dual graduate degree?

My story began in Wichita, Kansas. Throughout my childhood, my curiosity guided me towards new technology and solving the mystery of how things worked. This usually resulted in me deconstructing something down to its basic parts then scrambling to put it back together. While the reconstruction wasn’t always successful, this process taught me the basics of problem-solving and the importance of each piece to the function of the finished product. As my curiosity expanded, I became interested in chemistry and how the chemistry worked in the human body, which eventually led me to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals.

During my time in pharmacy school, I worked as a part-time pharmacy intern at a local independent pharmacy called Sigler Pharmacy. My experience with Sigler completely changed my view of customer service and taught me innovative ways to harness the value of our customers. Through this experience, I realized that my passion for pharmacy lies in pharmacy management. I chose to pursue an MBA because I now understand some of the challenges that are associated with running an independent pharmacy in what seems like a monopolized market these days. As an aspiring pharmacy owner, I saw the MBA program as a valuable opportunity to expand my knowledge to address these challenges and to become a more respectable business owner.

What has been one of your favorite moments in the MBA program so far?

One of my favorite moments in the program was when we had our first development workshop with Jay Pryor. Jay is a consultant, mentor, and executive coach for organizations around the world. Through Jay’s workshop, I was able to identify my strengths, weaknesses, as well as reflect on my true character. I found personalized techniques to cope with stress and found ways to refocus my perspective on life to appreciate the positive lessons learned from negative situations.

Jay helped me find a greater appreciation for others and guided me towards a more altruistic mindset. Jay also helped me understand the importance of self-restraint and leading by example. My favorite quote from Jay during our workshop was, “The next time you’re about to gossip, ask yourself three simple questions: Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it true? If you can’t say yes to all three, it’s better left unsaid.” I began to ask myself these questions while at work and discovered that by simply resisting to urge to comment on something, your work environment becomes more peaceful and enjoyable.

What has been the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge for me in this program was adapting to abstract thinking and realizing that the answer may not be as straight forward as you thought. In pharmacy school, exam questions were commonly created to have a single answer backed by guidelines, protocols, and our interactions with the patient. In business, the answers are not that straight forward and usually require some degree of innovative thinking and collaboration. Admitting you don’t always have the right answer is difficult, but is often the most important step towards actually solving the problem. This taught me that having all the answers is less important than knowing how to ask the right questions.

What are your plans for the future? How do you think the MBA program will impact your career moving forward?

My short-term goal is to acquire a community staff pharmacist position in a retail setting to develop my professional skills and to create new knowledge through action in the workplace. My long-term goal is to obtain a leadership position where I can effectively make independent decisions that are consistent with each patient’s values and align with the strategic direction of the organization. Moving forward, I am happy that I invested to pursue my MBA. I believe that the business and personal development skills learned within the program will translate well into any position throughout my career.

What accomplishment, personally or professionally, are you most proud of?

I think that my biggest accomplishment, both personally and professionally, is learning how important self-reflection is to the development of your character and your integrity. The MBA program has opened my mind to new ways of perceiving different situations and helped me find more self-confidence and self-dignity through work. Life is all about the continuous development of your character, knowledge, and your impact on others. I believe that once you learn to accept this, you will find yourself becoming surrounded by more opportunities to live a more fulfilled life.

What is something you still hope to learn, in or out of the classroom?

In my opinion, the hardest part about being a young professional is the fear of failure. As I begin the treacherous “job-search” phase of my career, failure surrounds my mind with every new application and interview. With the added stress of student loans, licensing exams, and mental pressure, failure could have huge implications. I need to be patient and change my outlook to not let my failures define who I am. If I start seeing my failures as good learning opportunities, I will eventually find the success and fulfillment that I have always been looking for.

What else do you think is important for the b-school community to know about you?

Like many college students, I didn’t take my coursework as seriously as I should have. Honestly, I saw some of my assignments and exams as a tedious waste of my time. This negative mentality that developed over the years of my college experience made me depressed, angry and incredibly unhappy. As I near the end of my college experience, I finally realize how my constant negative outlook on school affected my mental health. Once you learn to shift your focus from the negatives to the positives, every situation (good or bad) becomes more valuable to your personal development and coursework begins to feel like less of a burden. Here is my advice to other students who are having similar feelings: Find gratitude in your challenges, appreciate the process, and start seeing life from a new perspective.