To say that Aliza Licht is a familiar face in New York fashion is a bit of an understatement. Licht has two decades of digital and brand marketing under her chic (and quite possibly Donna Karan Collection) belt, and is the founder and president of multi-media brand Leave Your Mark, which is focused on career development and personal branding. She is also behind the Leave Your Mark podcast, and recently sat down with CFDA CEO Steven Kolb for her newest episode, which launches this Sunday, Sept.5th here.
We caught up with Aliza to talk about her brand, fashion experience, career advise, and, of course, the podcast, which we can’t wait to listen to.
Tell us about Leave Your Mark. What is the philosophy behind it?
I like to think of LEAVE YOUR MARK as a career mentorship. The book chronicles my career journey, but with lessons for any industry. It’s tactical advice and the kind of book professionals go back to many times. I believe in paying forward what I have learned and giving people that extra hand in directing them toward a successful future. Mentors are essential, but people must understand that they need to do the work. No one is going to hand you success.
The book has evolved into a podcast with a much broader audience. My guests are extremely accomplished in their fields and share tactical advice that anyone listening can employ immediately. It’s inspiration and motivation every Sunday, and I want people to listen and feel empowered to take that next step.
This past April, I launched the LEAVE YOUR MARK Community, a members-only experience where I bring together aspiring young professionals ages 20-27 from around the world to connect, develop, inspire, and mentor. It’s a virtual and self-paced boot camp that starts October 18th – November 19th. People can apply at leaveyourmarkcommunity.com
When and why did you start it?
LEAVE YOUR MARK was published in 2015 and was born from my role as the former social media personality, DKNY PR GIRL. For six years, I dished out daily life and career advice in the form of tweets and blog posts. An editor from Grand Central Publishing who was following along reached out cold and offered me a book deal. In truth, I declined it at first because it just seemed daunting to accomplish while in a full-time role and with two young kids, but when I realized that I wanted to do something to help people navigate their careers, it all clicked
Why is this more important now than ever?
The world has changed. Jobs that in the past seemed essential are no longer. People have to pivot and reposition themselves to fit new roles. One of the many lessons in LEAVE YOUR MARK and certainly what I am teaching in the Community is how to build your personal brand. Your reputation doesn’t follow you; it gets there before you do. It’s your greatest asset and nurturing that, and your relationships are what will get you to that next level.
You have worked in the fashion industry for many years, most notably with Donna Karan. What were some of the learnings that you have brought to Leave Your Mark?
Working for Donna Karan and Patti Cohen (her right hand and my mentor) taught me everything I know about leadership and creativity. Specifically, Donna’s ability to welcome a great idea from anyone at any level. There was no hierarchy whatsoever. From Patti, among the many things I learned was when you let people fly and nurture and support their growth, they can do great things. That’s what she did for me, and in turn, that’s what I did for my team and continue to do today. Their leadership style gave me the room to speak up for what I believe in and never be afraid to voice my ideas. That includes even when I disagreed!
Your podcast is amazing, and we’re excited that you interviewed Steven. How was the conversation? What did you take away from the conversations?
Thank you! Steven was an incredible guest, and I am so honored to share his career journey. There are so many lessons from his episode, but the advice he shares about understanding how your role fits into the bigger picture stands out to me the most. Knowing why you’re there in the first place and understand when to be front and center or hang back to let others shine. I also loved how he transitioned his experience from the nonprofit world to his role today. He didn’t come from the world of fashion, but that didn’t matter because the foundational skills he had acquired from his previous roles gave him all he needed to know to land the CEO role. His willingness to learn the ropes of fashion publicly and not be afraid to say what he didn’t know is a testament to checking one’s ego at the door. A lesson many people can benefit from.
If you have one important piece of career development advice, what would it be?
If your colleagues and boss never hear your voice in meetings, if you don’t share your insights or opinions, if you don’t put yourself out there as an ideas person, no one will ever picture you in a senior role. Present yourself as someone who is not afraid to contribute and even sometimes disagree professionally. You’ll earn trust and respect, and those two things will serve you for your entire life.
IG: @alizalichtxo @leaveyourmarkpodcast @leaveyourmarkcommunity
Twitter: @alizalicht @LEAVEYOURMARKxo
