You’re working on your Thought Leadership skills. How do you know if you’re making progress?

Thought leadership starts with actually having an opinion that goes beyond the obvious. Just saying what is expected and popular is not going to take you anywhere. Increasing people are expecting companies and organizations to pick sides, to stand for something even if it means losing sympathies with those who don’t agree. Same goes for individuals building their brands and thought leadership, you have to believe in something and let that shine through. So you need expertise, clear values and courage.

Progress in developing Thought Leadership skills is closely linked with the clarity and specificity of defined goals. Clear, measurable objectives allow for tracking progress and evaluating advancements effectively. These goals serve as a compass, guiding efforts in creating impactful content, engaging with audiences, and establishing expertise in a particular field. Regularly reviewing these objectives and assessing achievements against them helps maintain focus and identify areas for improvement. When insights begin influencing others, sparking discussions, or leading to new opportunities, it signifies tangible progress.

Setting clear goals has many benefits, both tangible and intangible. Some of the most important benefits include: 1. Increased motivation: When we have clear goals, we have a clear reason to get up in the morning and work hard. This motivation can help us overcome obstacles and stay focused on our goals. 2. Improved focus: Clear goals help us prioritize our time and energy, so we can focus on the things that matter most. This helps us avoid distractions and stay on track. 3. Sense of accomplishment: When we achieve our goals, we feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. This can help boost our self-esteem and confidence.

By defining your goals, you know what you need to achieve. It is especially important if you work in a team/organization as everybody will look at the same direction while performing their all responsibilities

Progress in thought leadership is evident through increased engagement, peer recognition, quality feedback, consistent content creation, network expansion, decision-shaping impact, media presence, idea refinement, data-driven insights, and mentorship. Tracking these indicators guides development, ensuring resonance, influence, and relevance in shaping discourse within your field.

Progress in honing Thought Leadership skills through the right channels is marked by increased engagement, audience growth, and the impact of your content. Choosing the right channels is crucial; they should resonate with your target audience and align with your expertise. When your chosen platforms lead to higher interaction rates, more followers, or subscribers, and a broader reach, you're likely on the right path. It’s not just about numbers; it's the quality of connections, the depth of discussions, and the frequency of your content being shared or referenced. These indicators suggest that your insights are valued, your opinions are influencing others, and your presence is becoming authoritative in your domain.

The people that you surround yourself with have a direct correlation to your level of success and happiness. They have an enormous influence on your view of the world around you and your view of success. When you surround yourself with positive, energetic people, you begin identifying with their version of success and their belief systems. John Locke describes this perfectly by famously saying that "We are like chameleons, we take our hue and the color of our moral character, from those who are around us." He is exactly right. So make every effort to surround yourself with strong, courageous, and positive people.

If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go further, go with fellows. It is very hard for you to reach a bigger goal if you do it yourself. Therefore, try to widen your network. You will need their support, assistance, cooperation along the way you go.

Thought leadership seeks depth. It ignores the shallow arguments and presents a layered argument based on unique, hard data and serious analysis.

People message you thanking you for being such a real human. They recommend you because you are authentic and transparent. You enjoy showing up online because you are truly being yourself.

Another important thing is to create an action plan for each goal you set up. This is an agenda of what you will do to achieve the goals. Each plan will be different from each goal and responsibilities. A plan of a teacher must be different from a businessman… but the outline should be the same: it includes 4 Wh- questions: what will you do, who will you cooperate with, when will you do and where will you do it