"No! I am not a Thought Leader"

Every professional or a company desires to be a thought leader, every third LinkedIn profile of an individual in mid-career stage uses thought leader in their profile – infact the term is thrown around pretty casually in different discussions and at various forums. It’s a sorry state that such a powerful idea as thought leadership has been reduced to a buzzword.

Honestly, it's being thrown around to describe anyone with more than a few thousand followers on Twitter or on LinkedIn, and comes across as an empty marketing vocabulary word.

“Thought leadership has to be clearly distinguished from what it is not. It is not PR, it is not evangelism, and nor is it what people sometimes call an ambassador program...The rise of smart people everywhere means products and services are reviewed by a bewildering army of influencers, thought leaders and analysts whose first-up analysis can be the make or break story. You are surrounded by vocal critics and advocates. You have to match up.”

-      Haydn Shaughnessy, The Growth of Thought Leadership as a Marketing Strategy, ngethinktank.com, July 9, 2011.

A real thought leader is someone who’s opinions steer the fleet and who’s insights are inspirational - someone who stands above subject-matter expertise and is an authority in their field. For me, term "thought leader" is an attribution, a compliment that is earned and given to you, not something you type in a bio that's self-ascribed.

Why thought leader status is desirable? One, it certainly bolsters one’s ego. Two, in today;s marketing focussed world, if you are a writer, an analyst, a consultant, a think-tank thinker, an academic, or a corporate executive seeking influence — then your career depends on thought leadership. If a lot of people (in your target industry or category) know who you are and have heard your ideas, they are more likely to want to work with you. And conversely, if they don’t know who you are or don’t respect your ideas, you’re invisible. The thought leader world is Darwinian; those with the most persuasive ideas, communicated and spread effectively, will thrive at the expense of those whose ideas or skill at spreading them are less fit for the environment.

Watch this video of Pat Kelly from CBC demonstrating the simplest (and most hilarious) way to be a thought leader. I am sure you would have already watched this video earlier as it has been part of many articles and blogs.

Now I don’t count myself to be amongst the thought leader fraternity, but why? Am I not the one of the go-to-persons in my industry? Don’t I have expertise in my area of subject matter? Don’t I have experiences to share which can help other professionals in my industry to learn from? Do I not engage in two-way conversations facilitating exchange of ideas and thoughts? – answer to every question above is a “yes”.

Since 2015, I have co-authored a book, spoke at 35+ conferences and seminars on topics related to analytics, technology, life-sciences industry, evolving healthcare space, D&I, leadership, mentored over 68 students and professionals, hosted and participated in podcasts, and even served as jury for two of the most prestigious awards for life-sciences and healthcare industry in India.

However, in my humble opinion I am still getting to the stage wherein I can share my experience and thoughts which provide a unique perspective on the subject matter expertise.

Over this period, as I have engaged with more and more “real” thought leaders, I have been realising and learning what does it take to be a thought leader:

1. Defined area of your expertise, understanding and self-awareness of your niche, knowing where your expertise is most helpful and where your audience values the most.
2. Ability to create content which represents your personal opinion and experiences, reflects your expertise and presents actionable insights for your audience which specific take aways
3. Consistency in terms of presenting your content for people to be able to remember you and your expertise
4. You must ensure that your intellectual capital — whether it’s initially presented in a public platform, through earned media (publicity), or owned media (social) channels —in a way that it is not self-serving, and that fosters two-way conversations.
5. Above all, calling yourself a “Thought leader” or a “visionary” – let it be earned by you and be assigned by others to you.

You should be proud to say “No! I am not a Thought Leader” if any one of the above does not fit into your profile, yet… and its ok to acknowledge that since it will only propel you in the right direction of working harder to build a thought leadership brand for yourself.

As I said, the term "thought leader" gets tossed around a lot, but there are real benefits to building and implementing an authentic thought leadership plan. When done right, thought leadership can transform your brand. It can position you as leader in your industry, open doors to new opportunities, and build lasting trust with the people.

In true Thought Leadership fashion ??, please share your opinions, experiences and frustrations.