It's Not About You

Part 4 of How To Be a Thought Leader

Apologies all for the delay in posting the final piece of this four part series but it has been the most beautiful summer so I have been out and about smelling the roses.

As the heading suggests, my final piece of advice on how to be a thought leader is to focus on others. Like beauty, thought leadership is in the eye of the beholder. It’s your reputation. It’s what other people think of you.

Without being Machiavellian about it, you need to nurture your third-party advocates to get them to position you as a thought leader. Hiring a PR firm certainly has its merits in this regard, but a really good firm will do fewer opinion pieces with your byline and more relationship building. Having this kind of support is, however, not essential.

Pull Others Up With You

The best way to have a chorus singing your praises is to go out of your way to genuinely help others by sharing your knowledge, skills and experiences. Even when you don’t have the time. Sharing that nugget of insight in a meeting or around the water fountain will stick in the mind of the recipient long after the event.

Other great ways to do this are:

• Take on the role of mentor to people you believe have potential both within and outside of your organisation
• Get involved in industry associations or graduate development programs
• Give a lecture at your local college
• Join a group involved in supporting entrepreneurs like a local accelerator program or an impact hub
• Look for non-executive director roles that might be suitable

Connect with enough people by making a positive impact on their life and career, and before you know it, you’ll have an army of fans. Never forget: that up-and-coming youngster you helped out yesterday is going to be the influential decision maker you want to be asking for your advice tomorrow.

Parting Thoughts

Being a thought leader is great for your career. It can help you to open doors you might otherwise not have had access to. And it will definitely present you with opportunity. But by definition, not everyone can be a thought leader. So be very clear about why you want to be one, be honest with yourself about your skills and personality, and consider if there aren’t maybe other ways for you to make a difference in the world.

May the force be with you!