Linda Fisk with LeadHERship Global Podcast Transcript

Royce Hall

Hey, this is Royce Hall, your host of the Coffee Dreamin podcast, I'm a Salesforce Consultant by Day and Podcaster by night, and today I'm joined by Linda Fisk. Linda is a award-winning CEO. She's a TED speaker, a six-time international best-selling author, and many more things.

And she is talking to us today about her work at LeadHERship Global. LeadHERship Global is a community of unstoppable women enhancing their leadership blueprint and embracing their power to be the best versions of themselves in work and in life. So I hope you learn something from this.

I hope you enjoy. Please like, subscribe, and share.

Linda, it's great to have you today.

Thanks for being on the show.

Linda Fisk

Oh my gosh, Royce, it's such a pleasure to be here. I think that the kind of information and really knowledge and insight that you provide to your audience is incredibly impactful. And so to be on your show is a real privilege and honor, and I'm really, really grateful to be here.

Royce Hall

Well, I'm grateful that you're here. I think that what you're doing, you know, your career has been incredible. You've won multiple awards, you've been a TED speaker, you've been a CEO on multiple companies, and now I love what you're doing with Leadership Global, which is LeadHERship, helping women worldwide.

Why don't you tell us a little bit about that? I find that so inspirational.

Linda Fisk

Thank you so much. Yeah, the purpose of LeadHERship Global is to create and support personal as well as professional breakthroughs and really help guide women to achieving greater leverage and greater freedom in their careers and in their businesses. So we provide a collective community of incredibly world-class women thought leaders and experts with resources, tools, connection, access to media, access to funding sources to help them collaborate and facilitate excellent outcomes for each other.

Royce Hall

That's awesome. I love that. I think one of the pivotal moments in my own life was when I was quite young, my mom decided to go back to school.

She went back to college and got a double major in biology and chemistry. Wow. And she used that.

I know, in my career, she got into pharmaceuticals and was a salesperson, and that really changed the direction of my family as a whole. It changed our economic outlook and really shaped both my parents, set them up for success, but also set me and my sister up for success. And I think empowering women like that, that's an incredible thing that you're doing to help women change their own lives and the lives of their families.

That's awesome.

Linda Fisk

Thank you so much, Royce. I will tell you in LeadHERship Global, women have the opportunity to meet inspirational leaders, to create lifelong friendships and be surrounded by people who are deeply invested in their success. And in my mind, that really has made the difference in the trajectory of someone's career, someone's business, someone's ability to feel as though the path they're on is both fulfilling, rewarding, and joyful.

So I have seen women that have served as a source of inspiration and motivation for other women leaders. And the ability to be able to serve a role where you cheer someone on, you offer them objective, unbiased counsel, you support them to greater and greater levels of success and freedom. I got to tell you, there's not a better way of really giving back than to be instrumental in someone else's success.

Royce Hall

Well, let me ask you something. So I'm not a woman, I'm a man. And if there's other guys who are listening to this, do they just turn out here?

Is it something that they can be involved with?

Linda Fisk

You know, I would say that LeadHERship Global is just for women. But we are partnered with a secondary executive leadership community called the C-suite Network. And if you're a man in a position of leadership, whether it's your own entrepreneurial journey, or you're in the C-suite of an enterprise level organization, you are welcome to be a part of the C-suite Network, which is a partner organization to LeadHERship Global.

So while LeadHERship Global is just women, C-suite Network is both men and women that are in positions of leadership and influence of organizations, both nonprofit and for profit of all sizes. And you know, I think that some of the principles that we adhere to, celebrating each other, becoming a lifetime learner, dedicating yourself to your mission, your vision, your passion, acting with courage, cultivating authentic relationships, these are all tenants. These are all principles and values that are shared by both LeadHERship Global and C-suite Network.

And really, both of those organizations are focused on the same thing, which is accelerating the success of our members.

Royce Hall

Fantastic. Well, tell me a little bit more. How did you get into this?

How did you start leadership?

Linda Fisk

You know, what I found throughout my career is that women often face socioeconomic or financial or cultural obstacles that men typically don't. And they needed a safe space in order to connect, in order to share opportunities, in order to unlock doors, in order to take that next step in their career. And what I've learned since through studies from Northwestern University is that women need a very different kind of community and network than men do.

Typically, women need a close circle of very intimate relationships where they can ask questions that are very vulnerable, very transparent, and they need networks and close intimate sort of confidential connections where they will be able to be incredibly vulnerable, transparent about the challenges that they're facing, and received unbiased objective guidance and feedback about how to overcome those challenges.

Men benefit from many, many really large networks where they can get access to those very elusive opportunities and those really coveted positions. But for women, having a very intimate, close circle of confidants actually serves them much better. So within Leadership Global, we have tried to accommodate both systems, really large networking opportunities.

We have over 10,000 women that are part of Leadership Global, but we also offer small, intimate masterminds, leadership groups, workshops, things like that, where women can build really close relationships with others. And let me just say our members are very successful business owners, founders, investors, C-suite executives who want to collaborate together. They want to challenge each other.

They want to stress test ideas and refine their strategy in a trusting, confidential environment, and that's really what we provide. And I would say if you are a leader in any industry, if you are in a position of influence, of leadership, of a non-profit, for-profit, you're a solopreneur, or you have a thousand direct reports, having this circle around you, this success circle, is incredibly important to be able to accelerate your success.

Royce Hall

Yeah. Well, you just threw out a lot of great insights here. I wonder if there's maybe one or two things that you discovered along the way that are like key things that you always try to coach the women that you're connected with on it.

Are there like key principles that stick out to you in your career and in your influence at leadership?

Linda Fisk

Yeah, great question. And Royce, what I would say is I know firsthand that no one grows as a leader without the support of others. And I believe that women particularly deserve to be lifted up and to embrace their own power to be the very best versions of themselves in work and in life.

And often we need to surround ourselves very purposefully and intentionally with other leaders that we aspire to be like women and men both that serve as motivation, as inspiration, and that can tell us the truth. I got to tell you, Royce, that being able to be purposeful and intentional about the people that are on your front row, the people that are your own personal board of directors is so important. You need truth tellers.

You need people that are going to tell you the truth, but in love because they have your very best intention in mind. You need people who are going to give you feedback and going to give you advice and counsel that's based on helping you achieve your very best. They have no other motivation than to see you succeed.

And again, I absolutely am convinced that no one can grow as a leader without support of other people. So being very intentional, very purposeful around the people that you surround yourself with is just incredibly important. And I know that as women ascend in their career, they're faced with increasing numbers of challenges that are new to them, right?

At every stage of growth and scale, you're facing new challenges, things that you've never experienced before, from revenue operations to sales and marketing to all kinds of, you know, it could be talent, it could be operations, it could be the way that a particular company is designed, it could be all kinds of new challenges that someone faces at each level of growth and scale, and they need to surround themselves with people that they trust, people that they know, people that, of course, have their very best interest in heart.

Royce Hall

Yeah, you know, that's something that I think about quite a bit, you know, even in my own career. So I'm in sales, I'm in consulting in the Salesforce world. And that, you know, that trust piece, you know, having somebody that you trust, somebody that's going to tell you the truth is paramount, especially in the consulting context, you know, people want to, you know, like, your job is to tell me that my baby's ugly, like, and, you know, I think a lot of people struggle with that, because it's like, well, you know, I don't want to take this person off, but it's like, well, no, like, I'm, you know, paying you to sell me the kind of the bald truth here.

And, you know, you can't really replace that. And when you find people that are going to be open and honest with you, like, that's just so empowering.

Linda Fisk

You know, absolutely. That's so well said. I mean, we need people around us who are going to tell us the truth that are going to have those hard conversations, but they're going to do that not to be controversial, not to be confrontational, but to ensure that we're able to take the very best next steps for our own growth and development.

And in my mind, that's one of the biggest gifts that you can give someone is to have a very open, transparent, vulnerable conversation with them for their own benefit. And listen, a lot of times that really hinges on confidence. And I will say that that's a big difference between men and women compared to men.

Women don't consider themselves ready for promotions. They predict they will do much worse on tests. They generally underestimate their considerable abilities.

And so because of that, oftentimes women are very hesitant to enter into conversations where there might be conflict, there might be some sort of confrontation. And yet self-confidence is a link to almost every single element of a happy and fulfilling life. And you have to be confident in your own abilities and in the relationship in order to step in with truth and with perspective that will help the other person grow and develop.

But I will also say confidence gives you the skills and the coping methods to handle setbacks, to handle failures. Listen, I just invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in my current revenue operations technology, and it's not working. It's not seamless.

It's not helping shorten the sales cycle. It's not helping my sales team, giving them a powerful tool that accelerates their success. And now what do I do?

Well, I think that, again, being able to confront that reality and move to a platform like Salesforce that really is integrated with all other technologies and your tech staff, being able to have that really hard conversation and then being able to pivot and make the right decision is so important. But again, that hinges on the confidence you have as a leader and the confidence that other people have around you to tell you the truth. That in my mind, confidence gives you the skills and the coping methods to handle setbacks and failures and mistakes.

And it doesn't mean you won't sometimes fail, but you know you can handle the challenges and not be crippled by them. You know that even when things don't turn out anywhere close to what you plan, you'll be able to avoid beating yourself up and taking the right next step.

Royce Hall

I love that. You're making me think about a couple things here. You know, I'm thinking about Steve Jobs.

I remember reading about his approach to working with his team. And the statement was that Steve Jobs is always right. And what that means is not that like he always has the biggest voice in the room, not that he's never wrong.

But the point is, he argues his point and has an open mind of other people convincing them like, I want you to argue just as hard as I'm arguing my side. I want to argue your side. And at the end, he will be right.

Yeah, because his team has convinced him of the right way of action, even if it's not his. So it's not that you're always right. But you have to have the confidence to argue your position, also the confidence that like changing a position doesn't make me less of a person.

It actually makes me stronger. It makes me.

Linda Fisk

Exactly. Oh, my gosh, for a great example, for sure. And I got to tell you, if you lack confidence, and you want to build yourself confidence, so you can step into conversations that might be difficult initially, but you know, it's the right thing to do.

It's the right next step. It's important to keep in mind that building your self confidence is a process that can't be built overnight. You have to begin experimenting with the possibility of being able to tell somebody a truth that will better their circumstance, help them grow, help them scale, help them step into that next opportunity, and do so with love.

I mean, absolutely, with their best intent in mind, you know, start experimenting with small conversations. And then as you have success, reflect on that, and realize that yes, people are grateful when you're willing to have the confidence to tell them the truth, they're grateful for that, it can actually strengthen relationships. And from there, you can move on to bigger conversations, and those with bigger risks, those with bigger consequences.

Royce Hall

Yeah, yeah, that's a that's great insight. And I remember when I was kind of early in my sales career, kind of building that that confidence in myself was difficult, because I was selling software consultant, even though I've never been like in the software world. So like, maybe that was a bit of a misfit, I don't know.

But like building that confidence, even now, like as a Salesforce consultant, like, I don't know everything. But you know, the beautiful thing is like, I don't have to know everything. Exactly.

You know, you what you do is build your your team of people that are going to inform you, you know, it's okay to say like, you know, I don't know the answer to that. Let me get back with you and come back with the correct answer. Like, that's okay.

Linda Fisk

Absolutely.

Royce Hall

You know, asking good questions, as much as anything, you know, makes you that makes you more valuable. And I think of, you know, how do you build that confidence? It's not by knowing everything.

And like, the more you know, the more more confident you can be. But like, you can be confident early in your career as well. By, you know, knowing the questions to ask by knowing what part of the process you own.

Like, I'm confident in my my part of the process of sales, because I know my sales process. I know what I'm trying to do, what I'm trying to get out. I also know what I'm not trying to do.

I'm not trying to, you know, rearchitect Salesforce for my prospect on the call, because I don't have that skill set. So I'm confident in my part of the process. I think that's very valuable.

That's a very important thing for, you know, people that are trying to build that confident confidence is to say, like, Okay, where do I stop? Stop? And where do I start?

And by knowing what you're not accountable for, kind of release that pressure, you're like, Okay, like, you know, I don't have to fake it till I make it over here, because that's not my responsibility anyway.

Linda Fisk

Exactly. And then also, I've been confidence in your teammates, to be able to take the baton when you pass it to them, right. And I have found that high performing executives, those that we admire, those that are motivating to us, well, they tend to value the perspectives of other leaders, as well as the wisdom that comes from, you know, those practical experiences that are learned by others, in very similar circumstances.

But most leaders don't have a safe environment, where they can share their concerns, they often feel like any kind of public show of vulnerability, or uncertainty actually introduces risk, risk of maybe losing the confidence or the respect of their board of directors, their employees, their customers. So being able to enter into a conversation with a senior executive, where you're giving them permission to actually be open, be transparent, and talk about some of the challenges that they're facing, that quickly becomes a trusted relationship, you become a credible authority, you become a trusted advisor to that executive.

Royce Hall

Mm hmm. I'm actually, I'm actually I'm part of a sales group with it's called sales hookup. I love it.

It's a little shout out to them. And, you know, you're regularly meeting with other sales people. I'm the sole salesperson in my organization.

So, you know, to kind of get that sales camaraderie, I have to, you know, go elsewhere, right? So I'm actually going to be speaking later today on how you kind of build your own authority and your own confidence in the sales cycle. And, you know, one of the, one of the, you know, kind of key thoughts that kind of comes from Sam or selling is, you know, you're you're equal, you know, in that sales call, you're equal with the person you're speaking to, even if that person is a very successful, you know, C suite founder, you know, in that call, you're equal, your time is just as valuable.

So I'm not saying like, thank you for your time, because my time is just as valuable. But also, like, you know, I'm administrating this call, they've never been a part of my sales cycle. They, you know, I'm the one who knows how to do this.

And I have the right to say, like, no, this doesn't work for me, right? This is just like they had the right to say no, you know, this doesn't work for them. I'm, I have the right to say no, and I'm giving them the right to challenge me and have an actual dialogue.

And again, like, that's one of those things that helps build the confidence of like, I'm not again, like, I'm not telling this, you know, CEO, like, I know all the answers to everything you're asking me right now. But I do know how to run this process. I'm the authority on this, and I'm going to lead you through a successful process.

And you know, that gives me confidence in my own action, even though I don't have all the answers all the time. And guess what, nobody does. Nobody has.

But as we build that confidence, we're, you know, we are relying more and more on like, hey, I can actually, you know, figure this out. I can actually like, you know, in my own life, I went from being a certified arborist to being in a salesman in the tech world, it's like, that's, that's a big jump. But like, I think self confidence of like, I got this, like, I can figure this out, you know, my, my analytical brain can break these things down into manageable chunks, and get this done.

And that was a big, I think, confidence growing moment for myself is just like, okay, like, it worked. Like, I actually did it.

Linda Fisk

Exactly, exactly. And you mentioned something, Royce, that's so important. You said that you are a part of a community of other sales leaders.

And I gotta tell you, being in a community of other leaders like you have found allows you to have an outlet to continuously learn and improve in a confidential setting, and get exposure to new ways of approaching problems or issues, or new ways of leveraging opportunities. And I feel like that kind of safe, supportive environment allows members to not only develop friendships, but to develop networks with others that can enrich your both professional and personal life, and help you excel help you accelerate whatever your unique definition of success is.

Royce Hall

Yeah, I think that's that's key is, is understanding that there's a lot of people out there that want your success. Right. And I think a lot of a lot of times it kind of gets stuck in that, like, I got to compete with everybody else.

And if I like you said earlier, if I let my guard down, it shows that I'm weak or less valuable. But really, there's so many, you know, groups out there, especially in the Salesforce world, you know, the Salesforce Ohana, you know, they want to help you out. There's a lot of slack channels.

I'm part of where people are just saying, Hey, I'm stuck on this, can somebody help me out? Yes, we're happy to jump in and answer the question. So you know, there's a ton of enablement out there.

And I think, you know, kind of our own psychology, we have to kind of get out of our way our own way sometimes and say like, you know what, I can't actually have a community that that backs me, I don't have to be like me against the world. You know, there's people that want my success.

Linda Fisk

Yeah, so smart. And I think choosing a leadership to me that supports your unique purpose can also improve, not just the growth and profitability of your organization, because you actually benefit from the hard one lessons and experiences of other leaders. But it can also help you expand your network, which is so important.

You not only have access to best practices on key issues that you may be facing, you get honest advice and feedback from peers who have no conflict of interest. And so in my mind, being able to choose a leadership community that absolutely supports your unique path, your unique purpose is so important. It sounds like you found that.

And you're rising as a leader within that community, because your expertise is so beneficial for the other members of that sales community. So congratulations.

Royce Hall

Thank you. I appreciate that. And I think, you know, one thought here, leadership, you know, that's a character trait.

That's not a title, right? That's not a, you know, my, my type, my name badge that works as leader, like, you know, maybe some people have that in their title, but it is something that, you know, it's a character trait of who you are. I got to speak up.

I've got to share. I've got to say no, when somebody's saying something wrong or going in a bad direction, like, you know, you've got that compulsion to, like, to jump in and get your hands dirty and make decisions like that's so, you know, my advice to people is like, you know, just because you're young and early in your career, you know, that doesn't mean you're not a leader. I remember when I first got into it, I want to say like, I was like a month into it.

So like, I'd never been in software development or anything like that. I've been in operations, operational leadership, had a lot of experience there. But I had not been in, you know, tech leadership.

But I remember there was a tech leaders meetup, like a bunch of people getting together to have beers and whatnot. In Louisville, I'm like, Hey, that's me. I'm a leader.

And I'm in tech. Let's go. So it's like, I know nothing about what I'm doing about my subject matter.

But I'm a leader. And I'm in tech. So fits, you know, and again, I think, you know, being confident, getting your own ability to figure things out.

And, you know, while you're building your expertise, while you're building your business business acumen, you know, don't let that discourage you. I think I don't know if you've seen this, but I've seen on job listings on like LinkedIn, where people are even saying, you know, if you don't meet 100% of this, don't worry, just go ahead and apply.

Linda Fisk

Exactly. And that goes back to confidence, which we talked about before. And, you know, again, women often feel as though unless they can check every single box, unless they meet 100% of the criteria, it's not worth applying.

Whereas men will say 60%, 70% what they're looking for. That gives me a really good shot. And I do think that you have to take that bold step, you have to be courageous in order to advance whatever your definition of success is, you know, what is it?

Fortune favors the brave. And the more that you're able to take bold steps with confidence, the more that you're able to shape your own destiny, you're able to actually create the future that you want to see for yourself. And, you know, it all hinges on relationships.

Relationships are such a powerful part of who we are. They can help us make us feel as though we belong, like we have something to contribute to the world. They can strengthen us.

They give us reasons to affect change, and more importantly, perhaps, to actually be changed. And in order to develop those relationships, you have to be bold enough to reach out, to share your knowledge, share your expertise, be generous with others, and be open to building relationships.

Royce Hall

I love it. Well, Linda, thanks for for sharing your, your journey with us today, your insights. You know, real quick here at the end, how do we find you?

How do we get involved with what you're working on?

Linda Fisk

Thanks so much for asking, Royce. So if you're interested in learning more about LeadHERship Global, LeadHERship Global, or the C-suite network, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'm on all the social platforms but the best way to reach me is on email. My email is simply [email protected].