How do you leverage podcasts, webinars, and blogs to learn from and engage with industry leaders?

I can attest to the importance of being an active listener when engaging with content from industry leaders. By carefully listening to their insights on podcasts, webinars, and blogs, I've gained valuable knowledge and inspiration that has contributed to my own professional growth. Additionally, by staying informed about the latest trends and topics in my industry, I'm better equipped to join conversations and contribute valuable ideas or solutions.

You can’t build a relationship with someone if you don’t know who they are. I cannot tell you the number of people who want to know what I do. All of that (and more) is on my LinkedIn profile. I spent years getting it to where it is today. You can take a few minutes to read it. There is a difference when you contact someone who you have already connected with by either reading something they wrote or listened to something they said. That connection is instant and powerful. That’s how you build an authentic relationship that lasts.

In addition to listening and learning from to their content, it is invaluable to listening and learn about their own network and how they’ve gone about building and growing their own network. You cannot follow someone’s strategies to a tee but it can be valuable to be aware of the networking opportunities that arise out of uncommon situations.

One tactic I've employed in my own journey to engage with industry leaders is to actively participate in the conversations surrounding their content. By leaving thoughtful comments and asking relevant questions, I've been able to create meaningful connections with influencers and experts in my field. This type of engagement demonstrates genuine interest in their work and can lead to ongoing dialogue, which is crucial for building lasting professional relationships.

People appreciate knowing you listened, enjoyed and were inspired by their content - be that podcasts, webinars, live streams or audio events. The simple thing you can do is to follow them and start to engage with their content. You can also reach bout directly to say thank you and share what you enjoyed about their content. I've built connections over the years with many thought-leaders in my field by supporting their content and reaching out with a connection request when it felt like we had build up a rapport. Now many of these people are friends and collaborators.

Sharing the work of the industry leaders, summarizing the key takeaways can be a powerful way to learn as well to start building your own thought leadership. Your recap or your way of reframing the learning can provide a different perspective to the industry leader, catching their attention. Also, sharing their content is a way of adding momentum to the leader’s desire to spread the message and likely gain their attention and trust.

In my experience, offering to contribute or collaborate on projects with industry leaders has been an effective way to establish rapport and showcase my own expertise. By proposing joint ventures, such as co-authoring a blog post or participating in a podcast or webinar, I've been able to both learn from these experts and demonstrate my value as a thought leader. Collaboration often leads to new opportunities and can help strengthen your professional network.

As a brand strategist, I can tell you that the first two steps in building a successful brand are creating differentiation, and making an emotional connection. The same is true in personal branding. Contributing and collaborating allow you to do both at the same time. By offering yourself as a thought leader or subject matter expert, you are building your own brand and widening your professional network. You are also inviting people to get to know you, what you're good at, or what you'd like to share more about within a community. We call this storytelling. And your story is the one you know best.

Creating strong relationships with industry leaders is essential for success, You not only gain access to their knowledge but also create an opportunity for potential future collaborations that can help grow your business and or career. Engaging with industry leaders can also be a great way to get inspired and stay up to date on the latest trends in your field & ahead of the competition by staying informed about new opportunities and strategies. As someone who has been a guest on many podcasts, hosted the Milestones Motivation and Money podcast & has engaged with several industry leaders in my own network, I can say from experience that these strategies are invaluable.

Thought leadership is about adding to the body of knowledge and understanding. When you are listening, learning, and summarizing the thinking, it is apparent that you will think of instances when something the leader had shared may not quite fit or even contradict. These are valuable areas where you will have an opportunity to contribute, add your perspective, and provide context to either strengthen the argument, contradict the argument and provide another perspective, share the context for when the suggested recommendations or conclusions do not hold, and even provide constructive input as the form of questions or alternative perspective to build on your own thought leadership as well as to start to build a more collaborative leadership.

Maintaining relationships with industry leaders requires consistent follow-up and follow-through. In my own experience, I've found that regularly engaging with these experts, sharing my progress or results, and seeking their guidance has been essential for cultivating strong professional connections. Demonstrating commitment and a genuine interest in their expertise not only helps solidify these relationships but also fosters mutual respect and collaboration.

Throughout my career, I've discovered that authenticity and respect are key components of successful networking. When engaging with industry leaders, it is essential to express genuine interest in their work and to approach conversations with an open mind. Being respectful of their time and expertise, while also being open to sharing your own insights, creates a foundation for strong, long-lasting professional relationships.

As a thought leader, my approach to networking has always been purpose-driven. Rather than networking simply for the sake of expanding my professional circle, I focus on learning from and collaborating with experts in my field to advance both my own knowledge and the industry as a whole. By entering networking situations with a clear purpose and goal, the connections you build will be more meaningful and impactful, ultimately benefiting your thought leadership and influence in the long run.