Latest / Authentic Living / Creating a Culture of Resilience and Trust with Linda Fisk

Transcript

Creating a Culture of Resilience and Trust with Linda Fisk · Authentic Living

• 0:01
  Welcome to authentic living with Roxanne, a place where we have as conversations about
• 0:08
  things that really matter in our lives.
• 0:11
  And now here's your host, Roxanne Derhodge.
• 0:35
  Morning.
• 0:36
  It's Roxanne Derhodge.
• 0:37
  I'm authentically being with Roxanne today.
• 0:39
  I have a colleague, Linda Fisk.
• 0:42
  Linda brings, a space that I think is quite fascinating, just in leadership, but more so,
• 0:49
  to female leaders.
• 0:50
  And she's the CEO of a company called her leadership, lead her ship, and I have to always
• 0:57
  enunciate the her because I love that because it kind of encapsulates that that power in the
• 1:02
  middle when I say the word.
• 1:05
  Linda's a keynote speaker.
• 1:06
  She's an author, university professor.
• 1:09
  And she talks a lot about resilience and, also great and partnerships.
• 1:13
  So, Linda, thanks so much for coming on today, to spend time with us.
• 1:18
  Roxanne, what a pleasure and what a privilege to be able to be a part of your podcast.
• 1:23
  Thank you so much for inviting me to have a chat about some of the subjects and topics I'm
• 1:29
  most passionate about.
• 1:30
  Thank you.
• 1:31
  Let's jump right into What got you to the path where you created the I'm gonna say it's it
• 1:38
  feels like a bit of an oasis like you've created for women.
• 1:42
  What get got you to the point where you decided that, focusing on women and leadership was
• 1:47
  something that was kinda I'm gonna say your sweet spot, in your business.
• 1:51
  You know, I have had a really fortunate career where I've been able to rise through the ranks
• 1:58
  in a largely male dominated industries, without feeling necessarily a lot of the, A lot of the
• 2:09
  kinds of situations that women often find themselves in where they are demeaned or
• 2:14
  belittled or they're diminished in some way.
• 2:17
  But I will say that through my career, that was such a common theme among my coworkers, my
• 2:24
  peers, my friends who were women who felt as though they didn't have a voice.
• 2:30
  They didn't have the kind of recognition that they were looking for.
• 2:33
  They didn't have the level of respect that they wanted.
• 2:37
  So what I decided to do was create a community that's private.
• 2:42
  That's confidential, but that is based on the idea of creating a a entire global network of
• 2:49
  support for women.
• 2:50
  This is an opportunity for women to advance their purpose to be able to step into their
• 2:56
  power and know that they have relationships that are built around the world based on this
• 3:03
  idea of trust and support.
• 3:05
  And I think that's such a unique opportunity in life right now to be able to find a global
• 3:12
  network of extraordinary women in leadership in credible pioneers, trailblazers, innovators who
• 3:21
  are all there in the you need to lift each other up to support each other and to advance
• 3:28
  whatever definition of success each and every woman has for their life.
• 3:33
  And that's really the culture and that's really the community that we've been able to create.
• 3:38
  And I feel like it has been absolutely transformational for a lot of the women that
• 3:43
  have been a part of leadership role.
• 3:46
  So you said your path was a bit different.
• 3:48
  So I'm curious when you said, you know, I, myself, I started it in a, as an executive in
• 3:54
  my mid twenties.
• 3:55
  And, like you, I didn't see some of the blocks and definitely what they were there.
• 4:02
  So what was what kind of environment were you in that you is it that they were there, but you
• 4:07
  didn't perceive it as a block?
• 4:09
  Or is it like your, like you said, a lot of the women that you come in contact with will talk,
• 4:14
  a lot about, you know, I I, for instance, a an example would be, I remember when I, I joined a
• 4:21
  team, and I was quite young.
• 4:23
  And Unfortunately, some of the female leaders, they weren't as welcoming as I thought.
• 4:31
  They should be.
• 4:33
  So that's an example of something I experienced.
• 4:35
  And now I look back and I go, oh my goodness.
• 4:37
  That was a lack of sponsorship, lack of being an ally at that time, not having quote, quote,
• 4:43
  the terms that have come about since.
• 4:45
  So what are some of the things that the women that come to, your organization, what what do
• 4:51
  they talk about with some of the experience that they've had in corporate?
• 4:55
  Yeah.
• 4:55
  I would say that You know, I believe that over the last 10, 20 years, there has been sort of a
• 5:03
  a greater level of recognition of some of the blocks that you're talking about that women
• 5:08
  often face.
• 5:10
  And in my own career, I would say that, you know, I had a sort of a level of mental
• 5:16
  toughness that allowed me to, overcome and transcend a lot of the microaggressions that I
• 5:27
  think we all have felt in our career at some point.
• 5:30
  And I would say in every area of growth, from your education to your career to even athletic
• 5:36
  training, it's your level of mental toughness and determination that predicts your level of
• 5:41
  achievement.
• 5:42
  And for me, this idea of really having this mental toughness, this grit, is, for me and my
• 5:51
  career was a pretty reliable and accurate indicator of my future success.
• 5:56
  Maybe more so than any other determinant.
• 5:58
  And having that level of grit is important because it becomes a driver of achievement and
• 6:03
  success well beyond with skill and knowledge.
• 6:08
  And if you're dedicated to achieving a long term goal as I was and you were steadfast in
• 6:13
  your pursuit, undeterred by the sacrifices required and some of the microaggressions that
• 6:20
  you're largely going to experience in your career That kind of mental toughness in grit
• 6:27
  can really help propel you down the road to the level of success you're looking for.
• 6:33
  But over and over again, as I speak to women, all through many different industries, many
• 6:40
  different levels of success, They all talk about the need to really persevere.
• 6:45
  So they all have phenomenal talent and abilities and expertise to achieve greatness
• 6:51
  But without that level of determination, that level of resilience and perseverance, you know,
• 6:57
  success can be elusive.
• 6:58
  And I was lucky in that I have that level of mental toughness to be able to stick in and and
• 7:05
  be tenacious, be persistent and I think that's really necessary.
• 7:10
  A lot of women feel drained.
• 7:12
  They feel dismissed.
• 7:14
  They feel demeaned, and they just begin to say, wow.
• 7:19
  Is this the right environment for me?
• 7:21
  Is this the right culture for me?
• 7:22
  Should I be doing something else?
• 7:24
  And I think the good news is that we have options now.
• 7:29
  We don't have to stay in a culture or an environment that is not conducive to being able
• 7:36
  to achieve our level of greatness and to be able to achieve our level of success to be able
• 7:41
  to step into our purpose.
• 7:43
  But when I was coming up the ranks, there weren't as many options to kind of step out of
• 7:48
  the corporate environment.
• 7:49
  And develop something unique to myself.
• 7:52
  So I would say that over the last 10 to 20 years, we as women, are actually in a really
• 7:57
  fortunate position of being able to have options.
• 8:01
  I I completely agree.
• 8:02
  You know, I think of You know, we talk about life balance, and I remember, at that time,
• 8:08
  when I so I've talked my son's 20 now.
• 8:10
  And I remember joggling and traveling and all those things.
• 8:15
  And even to get some basic kind of sometimes allowances at times, you know, you, uh-uh, what
• 8:20
  going straight to meeting.
• 8:21
  I'm not gonna come back to the office.
• 8:23
  You know, that time, those were negotiations that were hot and heavy back, you know, in in
• 8:29
  goodness, 1999.
• 8:31
  And I've and now I look at it, and I I I look at what's happened in the pandemic, and I'm
• 8:34
  thinking, hallelujah, there's something positive that's come because now women can kind
• 8:39
  of say, you know, I'm not not women, but also men that I can demonstrate my capacity in so
• 8:45
  many other ways other than it being FaceTime.
• 8:47
  Was the term.
• 8:48
  The term was FaceTime in corporate.
• 8:50
  And it it the FaceTime had nothing to do with my functionality or my productivity.
• 8:56
  But it was a control kind of issue, which is so empowering now to see that companies are
• 9:01
  recognizing, you know, your human capital, your human If you're gonna get performance out of
• 9:06
  someone, they're gonna perform.
• 9:08
  And if if you're having issues with performance, in fact, that's gonna show out
• 9:11
  whether that person is down the hall with you, or they're in their home office.
• 9:15
  So I think that's the positive thing that I've seen.
• 9:18
  And I think with a lot of women, of course, too, now they're not delaying potential things
• 9:23
  that maybe they think, oh, if I, you know, if I were to, you know, say start a family, there's
• 9:28
  gonna be a a bit of a pause.
• 9:30
  I have to hit pause kind of, whereas I remember in my time, that was something of my level.
• 9:35
  I was one of the first executives to get pregnant at that level.
• 9:39
  And then after that, you could kind of see that it was a bit of a cascade, and even through our
• 9:44
  EAs and stuff like that, which was, which was nice to see.
• 9:48
  Yeah.
• 9:48
  And I would say, you know, women now have the opportunity, I think, to, pursue
• 9:54
  entrepreneurialism They have an opportunity to create their own business to become a coach or
• 9:59
  consultant, or to raise a family or to find other ways of finding value and find other ways
• 10:07
  of being productive other than taking a corporate position.
• 10:10
  And it's okay if you decide to go the corporate route but I think it's important to develop
• 10:15
  your own set of values that you use during your journey to achieve your goals.
• 10:20
  So for instance, a value you may set for yourself is resiliency.
• 10:24
  Talked a little bit about that.
• 10:26
  And if you, I rate embrace the idea that setbacks, pitfalls, adversity are simply part
• 10:34
  of the journey of growth, then you can actually maintain those cultivating almost a sense of
• 10:41
  resiliency.
• 10:41
  And so adopting resiliency as a value allows you to get up course correct push forward and
• 10:49
  developing those kinds of characteristics that you need to reach success, and basing it on
• 10:56
  your own values I think that is a a key component to being able to create your own
• 11:03
  purpose in the world.
• 11:04
  Being able to create your own definition of success.
• 11:09
  But by developing the characteristics that you need to reach success like, self control,
• 11:14
  resilience, determination.
• 11:16
  I honestly think you can overcome almost any challenge that you may face in a corporate
• 11:22
  environment or maybe an entrepreneurial venture, but this whole idea is around this
• 11:29
  concept of rich and persistence.
• 11:32
  It's able to really, I think, predict, you know, how you're going to go to market, how
• 11:38
  you're going to orchestrate your definition of success, how you are going to impact others,
• 11:45
  what your leadership style is going to look like.
• 11:48
  And I think the key is not to let the challenges in life or the setbacks in life,
• 11:54
  define who you are, or define the value that you're gonna offer the world.
• 11:59
  I think it's more of an opportunity for you to see this as a as a path where you have choice
• 12:06
  now to maybe learn in a corporate environment and then develop your own and then maybe create
• 12:12
  your own philanthropy.
• 12:14
  Maybe you develop a nonprofit.
• 12:15
  Maybe you create a partnership.
• 12:17
  Maybe you take time out to be a mom.
• 12:20
  But whatever that is, whatever that definition is, I think it's gonna be based on your own set
• 12:25
  of values.
• 12:27
  Yeah.
• 12:28
  Like, you know, with, Bill George, he talks a lot with the true north.
• 12:32
  Right?
• 12:32
  So that's that's that inner compass because you know, through my years, I kind of climbed in
• 12:38
  the ranks.
• 12:38
  I saw so many women put things on hold.
• 12:42
  And, you know, and then you think, you know, I hope those choices are based on a goal based on
• 12:50
  an external factor to yourself because ten say 10, 15, 20 years down the road, are you gonna
• 12:56
  be okay with this versus someone that thinks, you know, like, for instance, I'm a keynote
• 13:01
  speaker, but when my son was younger, I don't wanna be gone all the time.
• 13:05
  So I wanted to keynote, but that wasn't the core core of my business because I thought I
• 13:10
  love it.
• 13:10
  I love being on a stage.
• 13:12
  I love, but to be away from home, more than at home, at a time that was very, very valuable
• 13:19
  would I would have been I would have been in the state most of the times, tried to kind of
• 13:23
  cope in between.
• 13:24
  So I adjusted my business accordingly to be able to do that so that I did more training
• 13:29
  coaching that I could do, from my home office versus kind of being on a plane on a train.
• 13:35
  And sometimes, I think you're so right.
• 13:37
  You know, the perception is I have a goal, but then if you don't kind of couch that in one of
• 13:43
  my core fundamental or top 3 values, where does it get me?
• 13:48
  I might get there, and I'm thinking, I I this is success by whose definition if it doesn't
• 13:54
  fit into your I love that context because I talk a lot about that with leaders in my book.
• 14:00
  I talk a lot about, you know, what's your story?
• 14:03
  Like, why are you doing what you're doing?
• 14:05
  Right?
• 14:05
  And if it's if it's based on somebody else's value, that your meeting and purpose is gonna
• 14:09
  be short lived.
• 14:10
  But if it's based on why you're doing it, then, you know, you have that frame.
• 14:15
  So I think I love that.
• 14:17
  So, grit, that's something, you know, we kind of think of that as you know, down and dirty,
• 14:21
  but I love the the concept because, really, if you think about life, you know, do we have
• 14:26
  small challenges often?
• 14:28
  But there are so many things in life that are huge, right, that can really kind of catapult
• 14:34
  you, or kind of take you off your feet.
• 14:37
  Separations, divorces, illnesses, you know, children that are needing you through a certain
• 14:43
  time, mergers, acquisitions, starting a business, doing a lot, it's not gone so well,
• 14:49
  refiguring.
• 14:50
  There's so many things that are coming at you, but that concept of grit, let's talk a little
• 14:55
  bit about I often say that you need a team.
• 14:58
  Right?
• 14:58
  That's why I look at it.
• 14:59
  Right?
• 14:59
  I need people that support me that, you know, because I know where I need to go.
• 15:05
  And I learned this quite young, about going to certain people for certain things.
• 15:10
  What are some of the things that and leader leadership that you do, to kind of create that
• 15:17
  space for women, because I'm I'm curious about that myself.
• 15:20
  Yeah.
• 15:21
  I would say a couple of things.
• 15:22
  1, in Leadership Global, we create a really dynamic global network of women in leadership
• 15:31
  doing phenomenal things to impact the world.
• 15:34
  These are women who are pioneers and trailblazers in innovators and creators, but
• 15:40
  the one common denominator that they all have is that they are dedicated to helping ensure
• 15:48
  that they are lifting up women, that they are championing women.
• 15:53
  That they are giving just as much as they're receiving.
• 15:57
  It creates this incredibly beautiful ecosystem of women that are pouring into each other that
• 16:03
  are providing the kind of insight and expertise and experience.
• 16:08
  They're providing resources and tools and they're providing learning and expertise and
• 16:13
  networks and introductions that literally accelerate the level of success of each and
• 16:20
  every member.
• 16:21
  And in leadership global, we certainly have, I think, our own unique formula to drive success
• 16:28
  for our members and is based on a 5 point principle.
• 16:32
  Number 1 is that we provide I think an incredibly rich and diverse set of diagnostics
• 16:40
  and assessments.
• 16:41
  So if you're interested in learning more about leadership style or your negotiation skill or
• 16:47
  your public speaking, persona or anything else that's important to you.
• 16:52
  We wanna understand your approach of financial management.
• 16:55
  Do you want to understand a little bit more about your approach to diversity, equity, and
• 17:01
  inclusion.
• 17:01
  We have diagnostics and assessments that help you uncover blind spots and accelerate your
• 17:08
  learning.
• 17:08
  But then once you recognize that there's something you really wanna dive into deeply,
• 17:13
  then we provide an entire resource center available shocked full of articles, workbooks,
• 17:21
  worksheets, podcasts, step by step video guides, There is so much rich, deep information
• 17:28
  about anything that you could be struggling with, whether it's leadership style, developing
• 17:35
  culture, creating a dynamic team, integrating diversity, equity, inclusion, whether it's
• 17:43
  financial management, how to think about growing and scaling, a thriving business, and
• 17:49
  where you need to add that investment.
• 17:53
  No matter what your question is, we have resources that are available to you.
• 17:57
  And then, importantly, there are small group intimate leadership boards.
• 18:03
  There are trust forums.
• 18:05
  There are rise boot camps.
• 18:06
  These are small intimate groups of women that come together for learning for support.
• 18:12
  For being able to work with each other and collaborate and overcome obstacles.
• 18:18
  And solve problems together in a very intimate, relationship, both professional as well as And
• 18:27
  then we also provide huge learning events.
• 18:29
  We bring in thought leaders all over the world, speak to the leaders of lead her ship global.
• 18:37
  And those leaders, those business experts, those coaches, those incredibly sought after
• 18:44
  speakers, come and teach and train and coach in a hands on workshop for all of our members in a
• 18:53
  way that allows them to really die deep into anything that they might need to sharpen their
• 19:00
  skill level on.
• 19:01
  And then, importantly, we provide very private confidential 101 actions too.
• 19:07
  So between 2 separate members, we may have a member who has an area of expertise in
• 19:13
  financial management.
• 19:14
  Helping businesses grow in scale.
• 19:16
  We may have another member that's thinking about investment of her resources and capital
• 19:22
  as she begins to scale her company.
• 19:25
  Well, bringing those 2 together helps both of them learn, grow, and advance their individual
• 19:32
  levels of success.
• 19:33
  So we create a lot of opportunities for women to work together and to be coached and to be
• 19:39
  advised with and advisors.
• 19:42
  We then lead her ship global, and we think that that is an incredible formula of success too,
• 19:47
  seeing 2 women come together to exchange their individual gifts and talents in areas of
• 19:53
  expertise.
• 19:55
  So mentorship is very key.
• 19:57
  Right?
• 19:57
  Like, you know, I also see a light a light shift, and I may be seeing that word from
• 20:02
  having an ally along the way depending on whether you're in corporate, but even as an
• 20:05
  entrepreneur, like myself and, you know, sometimes you're like, I'm at this spot, and
• 20:11
  I'm not really sure.
• 20:12
  Right?
• 20:13
  And then you think, okay.
• 20:14
  Who can help me get, you know, who can help me answer that question or who's ahead of me,
• 20:19
  really, to some degree, because you're you're thinking, and then you you meet other women
• 20:23
  along the way and they're just starting off or, you know, maybe they haven't built their brand
• 20:27
  or they haven't figured out their positioning statement, although sees and you think, oh, I
• 20:31
  can I can have a chat with you about that because I've been there?
• 20:34
  Been there.
• 20:34
  Done that kind of thing.
• 20:36
  So I could see how it'd be a nice space where you could kind of find, I would say it's also
• 20:42
  synergies, right, would be equally as good.
• 20:45
  So let's talk a little bit about partnerships because I think that's important.
• 20:49
  Obviously, you know, in the corporate world, we're looking at mentors, you know, aligning
• 20:53
  with people that can help you along the way, those types of things.
• 20:55
  But, as an entrepreneur, Sometimes you're looking for synergies potentially of how, you
• 21:00
  know, what kind of business you're getting into, whether it's, in my case, it's, you know,
• 21:05
  training, but also keynote speaking and coaching.
• 21:08
  So sometimes it might be to say, okay.
• 21:10
  Well, I'm at this level.
• 21:11
  I'm I'm realizing my business is about to take take another step, but I don't have, you know,
• 21:16
  the infrastructure behind the house to to take on this next step.
• 21:20
  And then I'm looking for somebody in that world.
• 21:23
  So let's talk a little bit about how and I know this is something that you deal a lot within
• 21:29
  your expert.
• 21:30
  And how do you kinda decide
• 21:33
  who to partner with?
• 21:35
  Yeah.
• 21:35
  I and Roxanne went a great great topic to bring to your audience.
• 21:40
  I think there is incredible power of partnership that's based on mutual respect.
• 21:46
  And that mutual respect is actually formed by extending trust.
• 21:51
  So I think once you begin to cultivate a fundamental awareness of some of the key
• 21:57
  relationships in your life.
• 21:59
  You begin to see every single relationship as a possible Sure.
• 22:05
  A possible connection that can help you learn and grow and advance your definition of
• 22:12
  success.
• 22:12
  So imagine just consider the possibilities of adopting this approach to problem solving.
• 22:18
  This pioneering approach to cooperation, to collaboration.
• 22:23
  It literally redesigns the relationships in your life because you start seeing everyone as
• 22:29
  a possible partner in your journey to grow and to develop.
• 22:35
  And it really is based on this whole idea of having a growth mindset having the humility to
• 22:41
  recognize that we may not always have all the answers.
• 22:45
  So true power is in this idea of partnership where it's more than just collaboration.
• 22:51
  It's about moving into a relationship that involves recreation.
• 22:55
  That provides shared risks and responsibilities.
• 22:59
  There's this level of interdependency and almost like organizational transformation that
• 23:06
  can happen when you begin to reach out to others as possible partners by extending trust
• 23:14
  and basing that relationship on mutual respect.
• 23:17
  So my feeling is that partnership is all about identifying a shared value Right?
• 23:24
  So it's all about understanding how both divisions, departments, people, how those 2
• 23:32
  entities will provide shared value and then leveraging the combined strengths of each
• 23:39
  partner in order to achieve a level of impact that Neither party could have achieved
• 23:46
  independently.
• 23:47
  It takes the collaboration, the cooperation of these 2 entities coming together to really be
• 23:54
  able to achieve that level of success, that multiplier effect that really allows both of
• 24:01
  them to blossom and to drive beyond anything that they could achieve on their own?
• 24:07
  I I think that's fantastic, but I I gotta play devil's advocate for a sec.
• 24:10
  If you've kinda been, and most of us, I know I've made, unfortunately, several poor
• 24:16
  decisions in my business sometimes because your perception potentially is off, and maybe you
• 24:23
  extend, you know, you, you know, you open up and you trust and you align, and then you
• 24:27
  realize that maybe the synergies that you thought were there as you get deeper in, you
• 24:32
  realize, oh, no.
• 24:34
  I've already made this decision.
• 24:36
  You know, there's I can't really back up it now.
• 24:39
  And so I think learning from, you know, others, how do you kind of work with people that have,
• 24:45
  let's say, had situations like that that have been less than ideal, how do you kind of help
• 24:51
  them to understand potentially what what may have happened in that element and what kind of
• 24:57
  things they could do a bit differently.
• 24:58
  Right?
• 24:59
  Cause, you know, I also say it's equal responsibility.
• 25:01
  It's not about the other person's equally as much mine and where I was at as well, but, I'm
• 25:06
  just curious what steps you would tell someone because I'm sure people coming in.
• 25:09
  You know?
• 25:10
  Yeah.
• 25:11
  A 100%.
• 25:12
  You have to do your homework before you step into a partnership.
• 25:17
  Now especially if this is a contractual partnership, this is a long term agreement that
• 25:24
  you're creating with another entity, then absolutely, you have to do your homework.
• 25:29
  And my recommendation is that you check into their core values.
• 25:34
  You know, we've talked about values earlier in the podcast, and I think you have to really
• 25:41
  understand the ideas of equity and respect both from your vantage point as well as from the
• 25:47
  vantage point of your proposed car you have to acknowledge the value that each entity brings
• 25:53
  to the partnership and the power of the partnership is going to be built on harnessing
• 25:58
  each partners these strengths.
• 26:01
  So one, you have to know what that partner is willing to to provide into that partnership And
• 26:08
  if you are partnering with someone, because you think they have a core competency in sales, and
• 26:13
  they can bring a sales engine into the park ship that you really need.
• 26:18
  And yet they say, well, that's not really what I'm willing to give to this partnership, and
• 26:25
  there's a breakthrough.
• 26:26
  So two things.
• 26:27
  1, I think you have to absolutely understand and acknowledge the value that each entity
• 26:34
  brings to the partnership and make sure there's a willingness to bring those those gifts, those
• 26:39
  talents, those competencies to the partnership.
• 26:42
  But then you also have to check-in in their genuine commitment to partnership.
• 26:46
  Right?
• 26:47
  So you have to come to the partnership with good faith and keep the focus on creating a
• 26:52
  part shift with this shared ability of vision and a shared definition of success where it's
• 26:58
  clear what each partner will bring to that a shared relationship.
• 27:04
  The next quality that I think is really important before you step forward, before you
• 27:09
  sign an agreement, where you enter into a contract is the level of transparency that
• 27:14
  you're going to build into that partnership.
• 27:17
  You have to commit the openly sharing information, maintaining clear lines of
• 27:22
  communication and having really honest discussions around difficult issues.
• 27:27
  And if you feel like your partner, your proposed partner, is not willing to be fully
• 27:33
  transparent, maintaining clear lines of indication, openly sharing information, and
• 27:39
  having conversations about the difficult issues, then I would say don't move forward.
• 27:45
  And the last thing I would say is if you have come to a place where you say, yes, there is
• 27:50
  definitely a level of equity and respect.
• 27:52
  There's a genuine commitment to the partnership, and we each understand what we're
• 27:57
  bringing uniquely.
• 27:58
  And we are committed transparency that's built into our agreement that there will be clear and
• 28:05
  open lines of communication Then two things that I would say is within the partnership, be
• 28:11
  patient.
• 28:12
  You have to be patient to create space for partners to break through rather than breaking
• 28:18
  down, especially during difficult times.
• 28:20
  Listen.
• 28:21
  No partnership is going to be free from bumps in the road.
• 28:25
  But you have to be patient and you have to be persistent and you have to allow there to be an
• 28:30
  openness and recognition of any missed ups or any mistakes that may be made along the way so
• 28:37
  that in partnership, you can break through and move through that obstacle to the other side.
• 28:42
  And the last thing I would say is just keep in mind that trust and familiarity are 2
• 28:49
  cornerstones to any partnership that's built up only over time.
• 28:54
  So, again, you can't give up on the partnership during the first crisis.
• 28:59
  You have to recognize that trust and familiarity are built up over time to a 1000
• 29:05
  small acts every single day where you're reaffirming to your partner.
• 29:09
  I trust you.
• 29:10
  I want you to know what my priorities are, how I'm solving problems how I'm moving our
• 29:16
  partnership forward over time.
• 29:18
  And through a 1000 small acts, you begin to release form that level of familiarity and
• 29:25
  trust that's needed for a long term successful partner.
• 29:29
  I love that because, you know, it's it's so true.
• 29:32
  Right?
• 29:32
  It's, again, when I talk about the centering that you have to do, right, ready to go inside
• 29:38
  and really, reflect and think you know, why is it, you know, why is it that I started my
• 29:43
  business to begin with?
• 29:43
  And if you are wanting to really extend that net because you're realizing you're going too
• 29:48
  quickly and and you're gonna get, you know, kind of swallowed up.
• 29:51
  And you're trying to make that decision, and maybe you'll be reactive in that you know you
• 29:55
  have to do it quickly, but what I hear clearly is that just slow down, right?
• 30:00
  Slow down, you know, look around tickets each step quite slowly and then reassess as you go.
• 30:09
  But the the ultimate trust to your point, it's not gonna be, developed overnight.
• 30:14
  And, yeah, 1st, both, I guess, partnerships each person has to find their grounding as well
• 30:21
  to to get to understand each other and what it takes to work collaboratively and then with
• 30:25
  time, like, you you'll find that to kind of flow.
• 30:28
  Now Right.
• 30:28
  And I also think that you before you enter into a partnership, and I believe there's
• 30:33
  opportunity.
• 30:34
  Everybody.
• 30:35
  But if you determine, that, yes, we are going to be able to have this kind of multiplier
• 30:42
  effect by partnering together, then you do have to be very clear about what the key issues are
• 30:47
  that the partnership is going to tackle and determine if partnership is the right choice
• 30:52
  there are a lot of ways of creating connection with entities or people or corporations or
• 30:59
  businesses.
• 31:00
  Where it's not a contractual partnership.
• 31:03
  So you need to identify what the partnership needs to be successful.
• 31:07
  And then you need to be clear about the issues that that partnership is designed to tackle.
• 31:14
  Amazing stuff.
• 31:15
  Just wanna ask you one last question.
• 31:16
  I know we're almost at time.
• 31:19
  In this time, what challenges or opportunities do you see for women right now?
• 31:25
  What are you seeing out there?
• 31:27
  You talked about a lot about the opportunities of women can kind of write their ticket.
• 31:31
  They can start a business.
• 31:32
  Any any other challenges that you see We kinda need to keep our eyes on, or what what are some
• 31:38
  of the things that we should be excited about in women in leadership at this point.
• 31:42
  You know, I do think that women now have more choice than perhaps they ever have, which is
• 31:47
  amazing.
• 31:48
  There are more women in funeral ventures now than ever before, and that's something to be
• 31:54
  celebrated.
• 31:55
  But at the same time, I would also note that due through 2020 and even 2021, we have seen
• 32:02
  more women exiting the workforce than ever before.
• 32:06
  And this is often due to the fact that they feel unprecedented pressure to be able to
• 32:13
  homeschool their children raised their children, manage a household, and the pressures
• 32:19
  of being able to do that because Acairs have closed.
• 32:23
  Schools have closed.
• 32:25
  There's now this this, need to do hybrid schools or full time at home school.
• 32:32
  So women don't have a choice but to care for their children, raise their children, and also
• 32:39
  to manage a household.
• 32:41
  And oftentimes, that means that they have to step back from a high powered corporate
• 32:46
  position.
• 32:47
  They have to make the hard choice to leave a hard one position of leadership.
• 32:53
  Right?
• 32:54
  And in doing so, what we're seeing is unprecedented numbers of women leaving
• 33:00
  leadership roles in corporate America in business and being in some ways, through no
• 33:09
  fault of their own, feeling the pressure of having to build something on phone, having to
• 33:15
  be an entrepreneur, having to do some sort of career pivot and become a coach, become a
• 33:20
  consultant, become an entrepreneur, build their own business, create their own pathway.
• 33:26
  And while I celebrate that, that women have the opportunity to do that, I also worry about
• 33:32
  corporate America losing so many brilliant women in positions of leadership.
• 33:38
  Simply because the workplace was unable to be flexible, unable to be nimble and agile and
• 33:44
  flexible in accommodating the precedented pressure that women have found themselves in
• 33:50
  over the last few years.
• 33:52
  And so what I find is that it has certainly I think given birth to a new kind of conversation
• 34:00
  around what does flexibility and workplace look like And how can we be more accommodating of
• 34:06
  women that are juggling more than I can even imagine raising children, especially if
• 34:11
  children have special needs.
• 34:13
  If they are not school age yet, these are really small kids or they're they're just
• 34:19
  beginning their school career.
• 34:21
  And they're you know, they're in preschool or kindergarten or grade school.
• 34:27
  And that really requires the fully hands on.
• 34:31
  This requires the mom to be 100% present.
• 34:35
  And yet they may be the sole breadwinner.
• 34:37
  They may be the only breadwinner.
• 34:39
  For the family.
• 34:40
  So what does that mean for us to be able to support them, to lift them up to be able to
• 34:48
  give them the kind of opportunity to provide for their family and yet raise their family.
• 34:53
  And I don't know that as a culture as a nation, we've come to grips with that yet, but I will
• 35:01
  say it's raised the conversation to the level that I've not in my lifetime, which I think is
• 35:06
  a healthy thing and a good thing.
• 35:08
  But my concern is for all these women who have felt pressured to create a business, to become
• 35:15
  a coach, to become a consultant, to find their own way, and it takes a lot of time, it takes a
• 35:24
  lot of energy.
• 35:25
  It's a lot of dedication to create your own business.
• 35:29
  And so I really think that as women, we have support each other.
• 35:33
  We have to rally around each other.
• 35:35
  We have to champion each other.
• 35:36
  We should buy from women owned businesses.
• 35:39
  We should pay attention to gender equity businesses, women owned and operated
• 35:45
  businesses, and see how we can support them, how we can help them.
• 35:49
  And this has got to be not just a single woman's effort to find her way, but it's gonna
• 35:56
  be a community where we lift them enough and we support them, and we give them the connections,
• 36:02
  the resources, the tools, and the funding that they need to create the level of success that
• 36:08
  they need to provide families to provide for themselves and to live in the purpose that they
• 36:14
  have in their own lives.
• 36:16
  So very important, you know, 11 years ago, I got a severance package and I separated within
• 36:23
  the fur this within 6 months of the same, and I was starting my business.
• 36:27
  Like, I, you know, and I I really I echo what you're saying there.
• 36:31
  You you so need support and that I love the concept of partnerships because at that point,
• 36:37
  that was not something that was available to me that it may have helped me well along.
• 36:43
  And I've often been told, you know, maybe you should have waited till you You have those legs
• 36:48
  for your business, and I think, you know, it's it's it's pretty interesting when you learn
• 36:54
  what you meet out of when you're doing that, you know, separating, raising a child and
• 36:59
  starting a business.
• 36:59
  It it takes you're right.
• 37:00
  It takes every morsel of energy and some to be able to do that.
• 37:05
  To be able to do take those steps along the way.
• 37:08
  So I I love the concept of being there for each other, really us as women, looking for,
• 37:16
  opportunities to, mentor, be mentees to others, to help with parity, whether in whatever realm,
• 37:24
  I think that's so very key because, you know, in in like my on, you know, times in corporate,
• 37:30
  it got better, but it was it was tough at the beginning.
• 37:34
  And I I I think it's it's getting a lot better, from what I'm hearing out there, but there's
• 37:39
  still really a lot more, room for for growth for sure.
• 37:44
  So Linda, this has been amazing.
• 37:46
  Thanks so much.
• 37:47
  Where can people reach out to you, you know, to learn about, leader leadership?
• 37:53
  And, if they're wanting to just chat with you or, you know, talk to you about any parts of
• 37:59
  your business.
• 38:00
  I love that rock band.
• 38:02
  Thank you so much for, offering that.
• 38:05
  If anyone in your audience would like to connect You are welcome to reach out to me on
• 38:11
  LinkedIn, on Facebook, Twitter, even Instagram, but I will say that my Probably my most
• 38:20
  responsive is through LinkedIn.
• 38:22
  I'm on LinkedIn quite a bit, and you can reach out to me through Lead Her shift Global.
• 38:28
  On LinkedIn or my personal page, Linda Fisk.
• 38:32
  And, of course, you're welcome to go to our website lead vershipglobal.com and reach out to
• 38:39
  me there.
• 38:40
  There are a lot of different ways to connect with the team at Leadership Global through our
• 38:46
  website.
• 38:46
  I invite you to do that.
• 38:48
  I promise we'll be really responsive I would love to chat with anyone in your audience about
• 38:54
  any ways where they need support.
• 38:56
  They need connections.
• 38:57
  They need networks.
• 38:58
  They need resources.
• 39:00
  Funding anything to accelerate their level of success.
• 39:04
  That's my heart.
• 39:05
  That's my purpose.
• 39:06
  And I am really open helping anyone who's on their journey and needs a little support along
• 39:13
  the way.
• 39:14
  Well, that's amazing.
• 39:15
  So I hope anybody that's needing that support reaches out.
• 39:18
  And again, if anyone's wanting to chat about authentic heart leadership, females out there,
• 39:24
  whether you're an entrepreneur or a leader yourself, and women or men that, need
• 39:31
  assistance with their authentic heart leadership with their teams please reach out to
• 39:36
  me at Roxanne.
• 39:39
  Thanks for tuning in to authentic living with roxanne creating the space for positive,
• 39:45
  healthy change.
• 39:46
  Roxanne is a keynote speaker, psychotherapist, and coach to work with Roxanne, visit Roxanne
• 39:53
  Durgesh dotcom/blueprint.
• 39:56
  We'll see you next time on authentic living with Roxanne.