Using Thought Leadership to Make a Difference
In our series of interviews with some of this year’s SERENDIPITY hosts, we met with Denise Brosseau, who shares her knowledge on what it takes to be a Thought Leader and how to make an impact in your niche.
Denise Brosseau is a thought leadership strategist, professional speaker, lecturer and author. She is the CEO of Thought Leadership Lab, and is a lecturer at the Stanford Business School where she co-teaches a course on credibility and thought leadership. Previously, Denise co-founded the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (now Watermark), Invent Your Future Enterprises, and Springboard, the prestigious women’s startup launch pad that has led to over $7 billion in funding for women entrepreneurs around the globe. She was recognized as a Champion of Change by the White House and as one of the year’s 100 most influential women in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
What inspired you to start Thought Leadership Lab?
For many years, I served as the founding CEO of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) and had a unique opportunity to travel around the US speaking about women entrepreneurs, startups and venture capital financing. Looking back, I was an ‘accidental thought leader’ — someone in the right time and place but really with no plan on how to capitalize on this fabulous platform and bully pulpit. Looking back, I did some things right, but in many ways I had no idea what I was doing.
Fast forward to a few years later, I was hired by a friend to help her build her own platform as a thought leader and I had so much fun and she had so much success, I knew I was meant to do this for many other people. I wrote my book, Ready to Be a Thought Leader?, in order to share her story and my lessons learned — it was the book I wish I’d had when I started out at FWE.
What are the key challenges in becoming a thought leader and how do you overcome them?
First and foremost, thought leaders are change agents and change is hard! If you are working to redirect your industry to adopt a new technology or way of doing things, get people to change their minds about guns or climate change or open people’s eyes to fresh perspectives about how to create a more inclusive culture, you have your work cut out for you. Thought leadership skills are crucial in any of those settings.
But that leads to the second challenge — making the mental shift to believing you can make a difference. Stepping forward into the limelight can be daunting and you may take some arrows along the way.
It is important to think that the work you are doing really matters.
Make it about the cause you are championing and the difference you can make versus all about whether you are ready.
We’re never ready…but we have to act anyway.
Finally, there is a set of steps you can take and strategies you can adopt to be more effective as a change agent and a thought leader. That’s where I come in. I try to provide the short-cuts, shorten the learning curve and keep people on track and thinking big about the possibilities ahead.
What are your top three keys to success?
I love what I do. I get to work with some of the most interesting people around and I learn from them every day. They push me to stretch and grow and I know I can make a difference for them. That’s what keeps me going above all.
I have a lot of confidence — that’s one thing I have rarely lacked. I don’t know if it’s my Wellesley education — being surrounded by powerful women every day — or my mother who is the only 86 year old computer geek grandmother I know, but either way, I have never doubted that the doors ahead of me can be pushed open and I can get what I want done.
And finally, I have surrounded myself with incredible women as colleagues, mentors, advisors, role models, friends and champions my whole life. That has made everything so much easier. Sometimes I forget to ask for help, but when I do, I know there is someone who will have my back.
Who are women that have shaped your career the most?
There are so many amazing folks who I have depended on and learned from. My co-founder of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs was a classmate of mine from business school, Jennifer Gill Roberts. She may have been younger than me but she was always wise beyond her years and we partnered together over 10 years to build FWE into a ~$2M non-profit.
Sam Horn has been a mentor of mine for about 10 years. She is one of the most creative and inspiring folks I know. Watch her TEDx Talk to see what I mean. She encouraged me to become a professional speaker and an author and is always encouraging and championing me every step of the way.
Mary LoVerde is one of my close inner circle. She is also a longtime speaker and author (and she was on Oprah 5 times!) who keeps pushing me to reach for the stars. As she always says, “The best is yet to come.” AND, she is a master at creating beautiful living spaces and helped me re-do every room in my home about 8 years ago. Now that’s a nice friend!
Wild card: What was your first job?
My first full-time summer job was as an admin clerk at the local phone company — New England Bell in Boston. I moved to Boston the week after I graduated high school to live with my sister before I went to college. It was not only my first job, but sadly my first (and not my last) experience with sexual harassment. This was long before #METOO and I sure wish I knew then what I know now!
What can attendees at the Story POWER House expect to see at your SERENDIPITY session this year?
This will be a hands-on session for aspiring thought leaders from every walk of life — executives, small business owners, social entrepreneurs and those making change in their community. We will walk through a set of time-tested worksheets that will help everyone hone their niche and advance their thinking, messaging, and mindset. I welcome lots of questions. We’ll be working in pairs and everyone will also have a chance to share their ideas with the group and get feedback. I had a great time last year (despite the heat) and I know this year will be even better.
Do you have an ASK for the GUILD community?
I am working on a new in-depth online class that will likely be launching a few weeks after SERENDIPITY. I may need some beta-testers. I’m also working on a new book, Is Your Organization Ready to Be a Thought Leader? I’d love introductions to accomplished thought leaders who have put their organizations (for profit or non-profit) on the map as change agents and thought leaders. Contact me.
SEPARATE Question:
What is your favorite quote?
“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.”
― one of my early mentors, Eunice Azzani said that to me many years ago and I continue to live by it.
