Member of the Week for February 20, 2023 Linda Swindling, JD, CSP
About Linda Swindling, JD, CSP, NSA-North Texas Member of the Week for February 20, 2023
Linda Swindling empowers and equips leaders to negotiate what matters … in everything from big deals to workplace drama. Named one of the Top 30 Global Gurus in Negotiation for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, Linda knows first-hand about high-stakes communication and influencing decision makers.
A dealmaker since childhood, Linda’s early career involved hospitality and retail sales. Later, her negotiation expertise was refined in the courtroom and boardroom as a practicing corporate attorney and strategic advisor to CEOs. During her 10 years of practicing law, she became a partner, successfully negotiated several multimillion-dollar agreements, and resolved cases that “couldn’t be settled.”
Linda left her employment, insurance, and mediation practice to found Journey On! - a speaking and professional development company. For more than 25 years, her topic of negotiation has encompassed respectful communication, proactive dispute resolution, inclusive cultures, leadership and team performance, championing change, and achieving breakthrough results.
The creator of the popular Passports to Success book series Linda has authored and/or co-authored twenty books including the award-winning Ask Outrageously: The Secret to Getting What You Really Want and Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers.
A Certified Speaking Professional, Board Certified Coach, and “recovering” attorney, Linda has served NSA both locally and nationally. She is a past-president of NSA-North Texas and a Jos. J. Charbonneau recipient. Nationally, she is a past officer & director of the National Speakers Association, the former editor of Speak magazine, chair of the Meetings Industry Council, and chair of NSA’s Speaker Academy. Currently, she serves on the NSA Foundation’s Board of Trustees and as the National President of the Texas Tech Parents Association.
What audiences you speak for?
Targeted industries: medical, agricultural, construction, technical, and hospitality-related organizations among others.
CLIENTS are global companies, governmental entities, and international associations including Ericsson, George Washington University, Credit Union National Association, AstraZeneca, the Federal Reserve Bank, Intel Capital, Southwest Airlines, Michaels, and more.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS are usually smart, working in leadership, dealing with change, have a customer-facing role, and want to leave an impact.
What led you to this career?
Like many in our association, I was successful in a career that I no longer loved-employment law and mediation. I hired an executive coach, Elaine Morris, based on a program on business coaching produced by the McCuistion television show. After working with Elaine for a year, she asked what made me happy about practicing law. What made me happy was speaking, attracting clients, writing, etc. Elaine was the first to share that speaking and writing could be my full-time career. She sent me to NSA/North Texas. It took three years to transition out of the law partnership and become a full-time presenter and author.
What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
The professional skill I’m working on is leveraging the materials I have and applying them to current situations. Instead, my tendency is to create new solutions and new products.
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
Delegate-delegate-delegate. If my business manager, Jill Scott, or someone else can do it, they should. And create deadlines. A former journalist, my business-related goals MUST have deadlines, or they get little attention. Even in writing a book, I’ll give myself mini-deadlines and mini-rewards.
Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach your work?
I’ve learned from so many NSA’ers it is hard to pick one. Joe Charbonneau taught me the importance of selling. Howard Putnam, Jeanne Robertson, and Naomi Rhode stressed the importance of family and business. Dick Grote and Nido Qubein showed me how to leverage intellectual property, draft complex agreements, and delegate. Dianna Booher showed me the power of writing and publishing. Vince Poscente, Christine Cashen, Mark Sanborn, Karen Cortell-Reisman, Connie Podesta, Gary Rifkin, Patricia Fripp, and Michael Hoffman shared how to engage my audience instead of speaking to them. Dave Lieber nudged me to do a TEDx talk and so much more.
Lorri Allen taught me how to show up on TV. Randy Pennington, Melinda Marcus, and Elizabeth McCormick revealed how to strengthen my brand. Candace Fitzpatrick and Sherry Buffington shared the power of assessments. John Patrick Dolan, Roger Dawson, Greg Williams, and speakers from the Harvard Program on Negotiations encouraged me to pursue negotiation as my expertise. Zan Jones worked with me in all aspects of my business and made me realize the importance of research as well as how to get a message out.
What’s a mistake you made early on in your career, and what did you learn from it?
There was a big push in NSA to specialize and speak only within your expertise. We were encouraged to refer all business “not in our lane” to other speakers. My client asked me to do a speech for the leaders of a large community organization. I told her the topic they wanted wasn’t my “specialty” and gave her the name of another speaker. To support my client’s efforts, I paid and went to the talk. The speaker wasn’t very good.
Afterwards, I told my client, “You were right. I could have done that talk.”
“Yes. You would have done much better,” she said. “That’s why I asked you. Your clients know what you can do after they work with you.”
That opportunity never presented itself again. Since then, I’ve learned to ask more questions and listen to what my clients are asking me to do before saying “no”.
What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of?
While awards and work-related accomplishments are great, I’m proudest of my ability to learn and to stay flexible. In order to better impact lives, I’ve left successful ventures, invested in training, acquired certifications, written books, presented in all sorts of formats, conducted CEO groups, facilitated, mediated, partnered, taken risks, and pondered. For someone who likes to know what the future will bring, expanding my ability to adapt to stay relevant is my greatest accomplishment.
What being a member of NSA-NT means to you (testimonial)
Everything. Literally, everything I’ve learned about the speaking business came from a program or a person I met through the National Speakers Association and NSA-NT. Attending the meetings, enrolling in the Academy, calling up leaders, volunteering locally and nationally led me to a new career, a community of brilliant peers, and life-long friends.
Something personal you want us to know- can be about family, a vacation, a favorite food- anything you care to share.
When I began, there weren’t many speakers who had a young family. Guess what? You can speak for a career and have a wonderful life. In addition to your speaker buddies, chapter members, and mastermind, make time for people outside the business who make you happy. My volunteer work, my friends, my family, my church choir, and my tap-dancing class fills me with joy. This career allowed my family to attend NSA Youth, accompany me on speaking engagements, explore, and take vacations we didn’t know were possible. You can speak and have an extraordinary life!
Contact info and Social Media info:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaswindling/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcQ7PB6z2UAAP2I_JzrSNAQ
https://twitter.com/LindaSwindling
https://www.facebook.com/JourneyOnLindaSwindling
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