BrandsTalk

The power of brand partnerships w/Linda Fisk

December 14, 2021 Brigitte Bojkowszky Season 5 Episode 54
BrandsTalk
The power of brand partnerships w/Linda Fisk
Show Notes Transcript

✨ “Brands: intentional, purposeful communication of principles ” 💫 — Linda Fisk

Bringing two or more brands together for a special offer or promotion can be an incredibly powerful way to harness the buying power of their brands’ target audiences. With this in mind, brand partnerships, respectively, co-branding can be a strong tool to create a tie between the brands that are great on their own, but excellent together. Brands must remain authentic thereby living by their values and goals they want to achieve that are aligned with their vision and mission. Crucial to make such brand partnerships work is the fit of their underlying value systems and the goals they are striving for.

💡My valued and distinguished guest, Linda Fisk, Founder and CEO of LeadHERship Global, talks about the power of brand partnerships, leveraging combined strengths, trust, brand awareness, and market demographics to create upward momentum for sales.

💡Linda also tells her brand story of founding LeadHERship Global, a community of unstoppable women enhancing their leadership blueprint and embracing their power to be the best version of themselves in work and life. 

💡Furthermore, Linda shares with us her perspective on personal branding and why it plays such a vital role in business. Linda also reveals a major personal learning experience, which became a major strength in her life.

💡Last but not least, Linda gives branding advice for corporates who want to become their own boss, start their own brand, build their own personal brand.

Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LJED2IG4Tjc

Get in touch with Linda Fisk:

·        https://facebook.com/leadhershipglobal  

·        https://twitter.com/leadhershipglob   

·        https://instagram.com/leadhershipglobal  

·        https://linkedin.com/company/leadhershipglobal

·       www.LeadHERshipGlobal.com

Book Significant Women: Leaders reveal what matters most: This Amazon bestseller is a co-production of Linda Fisk, myself and twenty other unstoppable, accomplished, courageous and inspiring women from around the world. A book for ambitious women – and men – who seek to have a big impact on the world while also being true to themselves and their values.

Tune in to The LeadHERship Global podcast. A podcast for — and about — unstoppable women stepping into courage, self-love and feminine leadership. 

Get in touch with Brigitte Bojkowszky:

👉 Download Your Entrepreneurial Branding Starter Checklist: https://courses.bridgetbrands.com/f/entrepreneurial-branding-starter-checklist

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Ready for brandstories get inspired and learn from thought leaders, CEOs, business owners, and managers who tell their brandstories who share their valuable insights from their own experience. Welcome to BrandsTalk. I'm your host Brigitte. For brand lovers this show is to help you develop and grow your brand in a more strategic and sustainable way. What the talk, let's get started and dive with me into the world of brands. I have a question for you. i You an unstoppable woman who wants to connect, learn, grow and advance and give back together with and surrounded by women like you. Then leadership global is the right network for you. The most impactful community of extraordinary women in the world connecting in a confidential, supportive, and private community. So for you to learn more about this incredible network, I'm thrilled to have Linda Fisk as my distinguished guest today. She is a multi award winning leader, keynote speaker, author and university professor dedicated to amplifying and extending the success of other high calibre business leaders. She is the founder and CEO of LeadHership global, a community of unstoppable women enhancing the leadership blueprint and embracing the power to be the best version of themselves in work and life. In leadership, global leader supports and guides ambitious creative women to move in the direction of their purpose, their mission and their dreams with powerful connections, critical support practical tools and valuable resources to show up, speak up, step up in their careers and personal lives. I warmly welcome Linda Fisk. Welcome to BrandsTalk. Thank you so much, Brigitte, what a pleasure to be here with you. You know, I have been following your programme now for months and months. And I have to say you have the most extraordinary guests and the most intriguing conversations, they are really informative and entertaining. And I hope I can live up to that standard that you have created in your programming. Thank you. Thank you so much. And that it means a lot to me, I'm so honoured to have you as my guest. And yeah, I feel very, very privileged, that you're taking the time and the effort of being on my show today. So I'm also a proud member of LeadHership global, and I'm full of gratitude being part of this network. And they totally changed my life. And it opened doors to all different kinds of opportunities with all this unstoppable women who support and love each other. So before we go deeper into that, I would like to know a little bit more about your lender, so the audience would love to know more about us. Can you tell us a little bit about your journey of how you got there where you are right now? Absolutely. So like you, I began my career in marketing. And I worked for some of the most incredible agencies in the world. Early in my career. Ogilvy and Mather, J. Walter Thompson, how Ronnie and partners some of the most influential brand building agencies in the world. And I had the distinguished pleasure of working with some of the most brilliant minds in positioning brands repositioning brands launching brands in the world. Through that experience, I recognise that it's really important to understand who you are, and who you want to become along your journey, both as an individual for your personal brand, and for the brand that your company represents. It's so important to be intentional about crafting your branding platform, as well as your personal brand. And through my career. I think that's a important sort of learning that I've taken with me. And in the development of leadhership global, what I find is that the most extraordinary women the most successful women are the ones that are very intentional and purposeful in the way that they craft their personal brand, as well as the brands for the companies that they steward. So the companies that they are taking from a concept an idea all the way to them multinational multimillion dollar enterprise, the way that they create that brand. And what that brand stands for, is really the key to their success. And that's what you have done. And I want to circle back to that you have founded leadership global. And that's also a bold step into enterpreneurship. That YouTube. So you were very intentional about that, I suppose. And what made you do that brave and courageous step? What was the vision that you had that you intentionally followed up and the mission that you are living? And what's the leg? Yes, on a limb behind that, thank you so much, you know, I have a passion for ensuring that women all around the world have access to the same level of tools and resources and connections and networks and funding that men do, and that we come together to lift women up to celebrate them, and to advance their purpose, our whole purpose and lead her ship global is to accelerate the success of women around the globe. And we have created a confidential and supportive community designed specifically, to accelerate the success of each and every member, every woman in leadhership has an opportunity to connect with self directed learning, impactful small group experiences, peer advisory, services, expert coaching, mentoring, and all of that is to help women all around the world define their vision, grow their leadership, expand their influence and create a lasting legacy. And that is what I feel like is sort of the movement happening around the world right now is that there is this new sense of ownership of the power and the purpose of women around the world. And so we are playing our part to enhance the leadership, blue parents have unstoppable women around the world to help them really embrace their power to be the very best versions of themselves, both in work and in life. And so we are very excited about the community that we've created, that really does span just about every continent around the world. And we have been very intentional about connecting with women in leadhership that are ready to claim their power, and change the world. And we like you feature inspiring connections with powerful women in business, in politics and in entertainment. And you are a great example of this, Bridget because, again, you have been so generous and sharing really priceless guidance about the pivotal steps that pushed you in the direction of your purpose, your mission, your dreams. And you have been such an inspiration to the other women of leadership global. Thank you so much, Linda, and I feel very much appreciated. Thank you. Is there a specific profile of women and that would fit exactly into the leadership global. So who is this network for? Exactly? You know, it is women in leadhership in business, politics, and entertainment. But what I have found that really does unite all the women of leadership global is this passion for lifelong learning. If you are someone that regardless of title, regardless of whether or not you're a CEO, CFO, COO, if you're a person that really does find delight in learning, and growing and advancing your definition of success, and you are someone that really understands that to advance your success, you have to be open to guidance to influence to expert perspectives from others, then you are a perfect candidate for leadership global. We provide really, I think, innovative and effective business and career enhancing techniques. But you have to be open to receive that information, and be open to creating lifelong relationships and connections and be an active member of the network. In order to receive the inspiration you need to tackle the issues and problems that may be holding you back. We have a whole team to help you create strategies and opportunities to advance your definition of success in a safe, trusted environment to learn to share to grow, but you have to be authentic, you have to be transparent and you have to be open to the possibility of learning. Okay, so you have now dropped the word it's authentic and you being the CEO of leadership. lowball you a book author and also a podcaster. We also come to that a little bit later. And actually being a book author. That's how we got to know each other actually co authored the best seller, significant women leaders reveal what matters most. So with all of doing that you have become a thought leader in for all this unstoppable women, you have also become a strong personal brand. And as you also said, personal branding is important, it has become a vital topic in our community and around the world. And now, I would like to hear from you what does it mean to be your authentic self? What is an authentic personal brand, in your opinion, I would say that, to develop an authentic personal brand, the very first thing you need to understand is your own value system, you need to become very clear about what you stand for, what your principles are, what your non negotiables are. And once you're really clear about the value system, the principles and practices that you stand for, then that becomes the bedrock, the foundation for your personal brand. And that becomes really sort of your North Star, most people have something in the neighbourhood of five to seven values that they represent, that are non negotiables. For them, those are things that they will stay true to even if challenged, even if it means that they have to sacrifice even if it means that they're in a crisis situation. And the easier path would be to bend the rules a bit or to step out of their value system, they remain intact, they remain steadfast to the goals to the objectives that they have, but within the boundaries of their values. And to have a personal brand really means that those values shine through that you become known for what you represent. So if my one of my core values is to champion women, to lift them up, to connect them and to advance their success, then no matter what that is going to be my North Star, that is going to be a value that guides and directs all my decision making and all of my actions moving forward. Because I'm going to stay true to that value of absolutely championing women around the world and doing whatever I can to advance their success. And so, you know, I'm a firm believer that, for me, personally exposure to exceptional people, allows me to better connect to myself. And so being purposeful in where I spend my time and where I put my efforts allows me to be clear about my personal brand, and what I stand for, through the relationships that I've developed with really exceptional people. Now, once you're clear on your values, and you've checked in with others, to make sure that what you believe you represent is absolutely how they experience you. There has to be alignment between who you believe you are, and who you believe your personal brand is with the exceptional people around you who know you intimately and can validate for you that yes, that's how they experience you. That's how you show up. And that is absolutely true to your character, and to the attributes that they would define you as your personal brand is very much in alignment with that, once you have that validation for the people that are closest to that, absolutely, who you believe you are, and the values that you believe that you embody is absolutely how others experience you and how they would describe you. Once there's alignment there, then I think it becomes clear how to message your personal brand, how to communicate your personal brand in every single touchpoint whether that's your website, or your business cards, or the people you affiliate with or the networks that you join, or even the projects that you embark on, everything becomes aligned to what you represent and who you are at the core. Yeah, and that also holds for your company brand or the services that you offer because your personality ties into your organisation in your company as well. And the values that you as an organisation as an as a company also live by so it shines through your company as well. And then we very often go into partnerships with other brains, so meaning staying true to our values means also Then when you have partnership, we still stay true to our values are not giving that up. So having partnerships means that you can grow faster than you can do it alone. Do you have any examples of partnerships and brands leverage in order to become strong brands in the market to leverage brands? I love this question. Bridget, I mean, so smart. As I said, you know, I'm a firm believer that exposure to exceptional people is where we're able to better connect to ourselves, it's almost a reflection of who we are. So being purposeful in where we spend our time and who we partner with, and where to put our efforts is a reflection of our personal brand. And so you know, being very purposeful in the partnerships that you create in your life is so important. Now, I would say, there is an incredible power in partnership that are based in mutual respect, formed by extending trust, and creating kind of a fundamental awareness of some of the key relationships in your life. Just consider the possibilities when you adopt a new approach to problem solving through partnership, or a pioneering approach to cooperation and collaboration that can literally transform your business, I can tell you true power, true partnership is more than just collaboration. It's about moving to a relationship that involves co creation. It's about shared risks and responsibilities. It's about interdependency. And it provides the opportunity for really organisational transformation. So true partnership is about identifying the shared values that you both are committed to, and then leveraging the combined strengths of each partner to achieve a level of impact that literally could not have been accomplished independently. So being able to step into the power of partnerships, creating a really solid foundation creates opportunities for businesses, for communities and honestly, for the world. And there are so many great examples of businesses that have stepped into partnerships that have literally transformed their entire audience base, right, so their customers and their clients have amplified and been extended through that partnership. And they've been able to associate with another brand that represents the values that they do in a really transformative way. So think about Nike and Apple. You know, the popularity of fitness tracking technology with Nike Plus was really ahead of the curve, because it made it easy for athletes to track their performance while they play while they run while they perform. And that was all thanks to a partnership with Apple. So Apple actually imbedded a tracking technology within Nike clothing within Nike shoes, that allowed Nike to be way ahead of the curve, and providing a service to athletes that made them even more loyal to Nike, but also made them incredibly loyal to Apple. And so it was this synergy of integrating Apple technology into Nike clothing and Nike shoes that transformed the fitness industry. It was absolutely revolutionary, and extended both brands significantly. Apple all of a sudden was now incorporated into a whole segment of society athletes and those dedicated to fitness that perhaps that the that particular segment, never thought of Apple in that way. And Nike was positioned as a technology for front innovator by integrating Apple technology. There's another great example with GoPro and Red Bull. They both are lifestyle brands. They are lifestyle brands that are dedicated to action packed adventurous, fearless and extreme sports. And so when you saw that all of a sudden Red Bull was giving away go pro gear so that those that are doing something adventurous something action packed, could capture that moment with their red bowl. Through the power of partnership with GoPro. It was not only a phenomenal advertising campaign, but it revolutionised what Red Bull stand for. It wasn't just those that were, you know, stayed up a few too many late nights. All of a sudden Red Bull was about being fearless and being extreme because those moments were captured by GoPro. So I just felt like that was a brilliant partnership as well. And then of course everyone knows about Pottery Barn, and Sherwin Williams. Pottery Barn created an exclusive product line of paints, and then added that new section of pottery barn's paints within Sherwin Williams. So now, Sherwin Williams carries an exclusive Pottery Barn line of paint, but also within Pottery Barn, you can order their line of paints through Sherwin Williams, so is this incredible connection. That made sense they're not competing, but they are collaborating. And it extends both brands in really significant ways. There's also examples of Casper the mattress firm with Westown mean, so many different examples of how brands have come together to really, I think, have an explosion of creativity and transform what that brand stands for, and how to extend their audiences how to extend their loyal customers, through partnership. Yeah, thank you so much for bringing all these examples into her so many more like I mean, shell and Lego and other brains that leverage, let's say, celebrities, as a co branding, or go into entertainment, and also country overreaching, as a co branding, that is also become very strong, or going through different channels of distribution. So there are different forms of Cobranding, or also ingredient branding, have a specific ingredient like Intel inside of a laptop, that's also a cobranding technique. So there's a lot of that out there. So when it comes to branding, I have one specific question about leadership global, how did you come up with the name leadership global for that community? You know, I have to give credit to a very good friend of mine, who we were playing around with names for this organisation. And the idea of leadership was always embedded in the value proposition of this organisation, to help women step up into the next level of leadership, and to be able to uplevel their skills, extend their success, amplify their thought leadership. And so this whole idea of leadership was really embedded in the foundation of the value proposition of this organisation. And as we began playing with the idea of leadership, it was really it came about very organically, that a friend of mine said, What about lead her ship, and I thought, brilliant, because that communicates quickly. And I think, unmistakeably, the fact that this is this organisation is all about leadership, but it's also uniquely identified for women. So women in leadership, global can come together for powerful conversations around life, and leadership. And it brings you into conversations with incredible women in leadership. And it gives you the tools that you need as a female pioneer, it provides powerful insights around business, and leadership. And so in my mind, this was just a beautiful way of quickly communicating the clear value proposition as well as the very unique audience that we serve. That's beautiful. And let's come back to building a strong personal brand. There also needs to be I think, a mindset shift, especially when you are getting out of corporate into and start your own business. Do you have any tips for us that help us be and live our authentic self that allows us to own our brain and step into our courage and claim our power in shine? yet? Oh, that is such a really beautiful question, Bridget, thank you so much. And I would say that everyone, every leader deserves to really examine their personal brand and refine it when necessary. In order to reveal your most authentic personal brand. The most essential step is defining who you are, what you represent and what you want your legacy to be. And establishing your authenticity as a leader is the very first step in building a dynamic personal brand. Being true to ourselves is about having the courage to define our own vision of what it is to live a successful life and then embracing what makes each of us unique. So my feeling is now more than ever, all organisations, all corporations need authentic leaders who are honest or transparent, where trusted, and authentic leaders are able to create dynamic personal brands that are built on trust, on engagement, on innovation, and ultimately on results. So how do we build these authentic connections? My feeling is, first we let our guards down, we have to step into our authentic selves to seek and see the human beings that we are behind the labels that we attach to ourselves and to others. So you know, people have these really intimidating titles, these really intimidating long list of acronyms behind their name. You know, there's there's alphabet soup behind people's names that can serve to disconnect and intimidate. But I think the very first thing you have to do to create your own personal brand, is to be incredibly authentic in the connections that you're creating, which means letting your guard down, which means being vulnerable, and to see the human beings behind the labels that we attach to ourselves and to others. And I got to tell you, that, to me, being able to step into your journey, knowing who you are, who you want to connect with, who you want to partner with the kind of relationships that you want to form through understanding who you are at your most authentic core, that leads to more joy that leads to more happiness that leads to more fulfilment. And that also leads to deeper, more meaningful relationships with everyone in your life. Yeah, that's so beautiful. And that leads me to the next question, Linda, you have also started a very successful podcast and leadhership global podcast. And these are the topics you're discussing in there. Right? So vulnerability. It's also about stepping into courage, self love, and feminine leadership, to bypass your intention to come up with that podcast to start it in the first place. Ah, Bridget, you asked the best questions. Thank you so much, really a wonderful host, which is why I love listening to brands talk. But I will tell you lead her ship global is a podcast for and about unstoppable women that are stepping into courage, self love, feminine leadership. And it does feature interviews with incredibly inspiring leaders. And it's designed to help all women, again, define their vision, grow their leadership, expand their influence, and increase their impact so they can leave a lasting legacy. And we have been so fortunate to have incredible thought leaders from all around the globe featured on leadership, global everyone from Sandra P. Robinson, to Samantha Harris to Sharon Lechter. It just so many amazing, incredible leaders that are doing remarkable things all around the world. So, you know, we wanted to create a opportunity to almost have almost be as though you're listening in, and you're overhearing intimate, unfiltered conversations between the world's most influential, influential inspirational women to imagine that if you could just be a fly on the wall, to hear the most intimate, unfiltered, honest, authentic conversations with some of the most powerful, influential women in the world. So what we do is we provide a platform that allows her audience listen in to the sometimes heated, sometimes vulnerable, but always animated discussions that happen when women are unafraid to challenge the status quo, to sit down and tackle some of the most pressing issues that we're facing today as women and as leader. And as you suggested, Bridget, you know, leadership, global breaks down really intimidating topics. So we've covered things like how to successfully negotiate when the stakes are incredibly high, how to build a brand, how to accept failure, how to become more self aware how to build emotional intelligence, how to overcome fear, how to listen to intuition, as well as some of the most pressing issues. They're facing women today, in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, building and scaling, a multinational multi million dollar brand, how to invest in ways that accelerate the accumulation of wealth, how to create a legacy. So guests share their stories through candid conversations, and they dive into the real challenges facing women leaders from every angle and practical actions that you can take today to create change and to really make an impact in the world. Yeah, coming back to the challenges we have often in life and setback, something that you know, life sometimes is not as smooth as we hope it to be. So I would like to ask you, Linda, if you would like to share any experience that was a major learning for you a setback. But you know that setbacks are so important for you growing, going forward, that shaped your life and in high inside yet that you are happy that it happened. Is there anything that you would like to share with us? Well, in fact, bridging, you know, part of this story, because we had, as you noted, the great opportunity to work together on significant women and insignificant women, we were able to really, I think, dive into some of the some of the setbacks, some of the challenges that you and I both individually have have faced and what we have done to try to overcome some of those challenges. And as I noted, in my book, my book chapter with us significant women that, you know, I grew up from the time that I remember all the way through college with a pretty significant disability in that I was a stutterer. And the simple act of having a casual exchange with someone simply seemed out of reach for me, it I wasn't able to create even the most elementary link to other people around me because my inability to look someone directly in the eye and to speak intelligently. And I will tell you that that was an incredibly daunting challenge. I was considered to be clinically shy, I was unable to hold eye contact with any strangers. And I couldn't even shake a stranger's hand and say hello. And over time, I developed a penchant for kind of whispering my words at a uneven rate of speech, repeating my words with a pronounced stutter. And social settings in high stress environments made it nearly impossible for me to speak, I became more and more self conscious, and the tension in my voice made it more and more difficult to utter a word. And over time, my frustration with my attempts to communicate, led to really prolonged pauses before I began to speak, it create a lot of hesitation. And by the time I could literally utter a word the conversation had often already moved on. So over time, it was easier to simply remain quiet. And by the time I was in high school, I had a nickname mouse because I was quiet as a mouse. And this hidden type of stuttering developed as I consciously avoided words, sounds or situations that might invite it involve a struggle. And I hid my problem from many other people because I developed a behavioural pattern, and a coping mechanism that can be pretty vigilant at all times. But I will say that I had very fragile self esteem. And the motional injuries from my struggle with stuttering became almost invisible disability that further isolated me, it made me feel more and more insignificant. I tried to monitor my rate of speech, I tried breath support, I tried all kinds of therapies, but to little effect, and the words just seem to get stuck. Or I was repeating those words over and over and over to the exasperation of anyone that I was speaking with. And so what I will say is that I learned through that environment that really, I needed to not only face the fact that I needed to really focus on overcoming this disability, and doing my very best to try to become a more confident speaker in order to realise the visions I had the legacy I want to create what I believed my purpose to be I had to overcome this disability. And so I became incredibly focused, I took public speaking courses, I took speech therapy, I went to therapists, and I literally spent hours and hours and hours every single week, trying to do whatever I could take any action is appropriate and needed to overcome this disability. And I will say that, after dozens and dozens of public speaking classes, tonnes of speech therapy and counselling, I graduated college, having competed in several public speaking contests, and actually winning four competitions. So it was from that very first public speaking course when honestly I fainted in front of classroom of 25 fellow students to graduation when I I can present to an auditorium of 500 people. It was literally a case study in both grit and grace. Grit was evident my resolve and my stamina to reach a pretty, seemingly impossible goal based on achieving the life that I had envisioned for myself. But Grace was needed along the journey to accept my limitations in my incredibly slow progress and my many, many setbacks. Wow, that is such a touching story. It touches my heart. It's incredible. And you actually turn it around, it became one of your key strengths that you have. You are an exceptional speaker, you have become an exceptional speaker and maybe also because of that, yeah. So that's, that's right. Yeah, I would like to end our podcast episode, our livestream with a wordrap, are you ready to give me quick and short answers? Yes, I am. Leadhership. Accelerating success, mindset, abundance and positivity. Women Powerful and tenacious, significant, important and legacy building. And last but not least brands intentional, purposeful communication of principles Linda for listeners who would like to get in touch with you How do they reach you? I would love to connect with anyone in your audience Bridget that would like to talk about leadhership global be a guest on our podcast, or dive into this idea of partnership and brands more deeply. And the best way to get in touch with me is my website, leadhershipglobal.com that there's an opportunity for you to connect with me there and I am really quick at responding. The other place that I I tend to be a little quicker and my response rate is LinkedIn. So if you go to our LinkedIn page, which again is lead her ship, global leadhership global on LinkedIn, drop me a note and I am more than happy to get back in touch. Thank you. I will put everything in the show notes. So Linda, thank you so much for being my guest today and brandstalk. And at this point, I want to mention a quote by Mark Twain. Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. And you are one of the really great people and thank you for being in my life. And it was a pleasure having you here. Thank you, Linda. Thank you so much Brigitte. Thank you. And that was my conversation with Linda Fisk. If you liked my show, head over to bridgetbrands.com and sign up for my newsletter to never miss an episode. I look forward to welcoming you in my community. Also, don't forget to subscribe to my brandstalk podcast on your preferred app. share it on social media and if you find a minute or two, leave it quick grading or review. Thank you so much. I hope you will stay tuned in on the next episode. When we dive into the world of brands.