3 Ways to Master Thought Leadership

Thought leadership has become such a buzzword that it is in danger of losing its entire meaning. Working on your own thought leadership should be a critical part of your business activities, but the problem is that when most people hear the word, their eyes glaze over and they have no idea where to start. That’s normal because buzzwords rarely inspire us; that’s why they become buzzwords.

The answer is not to focus on the phrase thought leadership, but rather on the concepts at the heart of thought leadership: innovation, disruption and excitement. Focusing on those things can lead to better content, which in turn can lead to a perception of you as a thought leader in your market.

Innovation is important

Innovation is not a new concept, but it does imply you have to create something new or say something new. With so much content being created and published online and offline, it has become very difficult to find anything that sounds new. If you are tired of reading the same things over and over, just imagine how your client or prospect feels. Challenge yourself and refuse to put out blogs, articles, message and especially books that don’t add something new to the conversation. Work harder to come up with a new way of looking at the issue or topic, or a new way of presenting it.

Many of my clients have been extremely successful with this, and it pays off for them. Alison Edgar, author of the bestselling business book Secrets of Successful Sales, not only came up with a new approach to understanding and communicating with prospects and clients (and let’s face it, sales is a pretty crowded market) but she also devised new materials, presentations and videos about the concepts.  This gives her clients a choice of learning styles, from reading to watching, to coaching.

Short pieces, longer pieces, different media and, of course, an innovative model for marketing. Bryony knew that bringing out me-too, mediocre content was not an option. In a crowded space, it won’t make a dent in the noise and will be lost. Bringing out a product, service or content with nothing notably new can even damage your reputation.

Disruption is deadly (in a good way)

Why am I saying disruption is deadly? Well, aside from the obvious alliteration to make my heading more interesting… Picture something happening that is so shocking that it makes heads turn. Picture heads turning so fast that people get whiplash. That’s the kind of disruption that truly shakes things up. Don’t settle for mediocre, and don't let yourself off the hook if you are aiming to say something different. Disruption is a chance to say something that really makes people sit up and take notice.

Think Tesla, Apple, Twitter, Uber, AirBnB. When these companies first launched their iconic products or services, it changed everything about the way we saw cars, music, phones, social media, taxis or accommodation. 

It is possible to do this at any time, with the right kind of angle and message. I have seen one of our clients do this and claim the space for NLP and sports coaching. World-class master NLP trainer Jeremy Lazarus achieved a first mover advantage with his consistently bestselling book Ahead of the Game. He was certainly ahead of the game with his ideas, and this has created a long-term result for him, with further books, courses and products coming out over the years. It doesn’t matter who else comes into your space; there will be copycats and imitators, but being first with innovative ideas and sharing them powerfully in writing gives you an edge that no one can ever take away.

Excitement is essential

And here we have our third key. How many times do you read an article or a book, or watch someone’s video or live presentation and actually feel excited? Probably not very often. If you consume a lot of content like I do, you probably don’t find many gems among the rocks. Content that doesn’t excite others probably doesn’t excite the originator of that content.

There’s a sense that we have to produce more content and more share regularly than ever, and it can make some people feel they have to churn stuff out. Don’t do it! If you are just writing or speaking or doing videos for the sake of it, if you are not excited (or innovative or disruptive), then you are just adding to the noise. It won’t make you feel good and it won’t make your clients or prospects feel good about you.

If you have an important and inspirational message, take the extra time and care to craft it with love, and it will have a much better chance of resonating with those folks who are meant to receive it.

I don’t write many articles these days, and my last book came out four years ago. I don’t over-post on social media, nor have I succumbed to the feeling that I should be filming daily Facebook Live videos. I stop myself because I know that quality continues to be more important than quantity. If you are thinking of doing something major like writing a book, stop and ask yourself if you are truly excited about the project and the content. 

Real thought leadership doesn’t just miraculously happen. It is the result of having the discipline to be innovative, disruptive and exciting, and ensuring that your written and spoken content reflects that. Good luck!