Make the Connection with 5 Ways To Position Yourself As A Thought Leader On LinkedIn? Vol. 24

"If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you." -Zig Ziglar

Key Takeaways in this Newsletter:

• True Thought Leadership Requires Authenticity and Innovation: Thought leaders stand out by challenging the status quo, offering informed and unique perspectives rather than simply following trends or echoing common opinions.
• Experience and Storytelling Build Credibility: Sharing personal stories, especially those that highlight challenges and lessons learned, adds depth and credibility to your leadership.
• Relatability and Engagement Are Key to Building Community: Effective thought leaders connect with their audience by staying relevant, engaging in meaningful conversations, and predicting industry trends.

Thought leadership goes far beyond a hashtag and sharing your opinions. “Thought leader” is a powerful title given to those who dare to dream and envision a new reality of what’s possible.

Simply put, leaders are not followers. In a “copy and paste” culture, it’s refreshing to come across an authentic leader who takes a stand, prioritizes their audience’s success and generates innovative ideas based on their expertise. While many aspects of the workforce are evolving across industries, your voice as a leader is so important in today’s market.

Did you know 52% of decision makers and 54% of C-level executives spend over an hour per week reading thought leadership content ?

It’s time to package your brilliance in a way that promotes high-value influence and impact and ultimately creates revenue.

Here are five ways to showcase yourself as a thought leader on LinkedIn?.

1. Challenge The Status Quo With Informed Opinions

What leader doesn’t love a good challenge? To create authority in your field, sharing informed perspectives and opinions that go against the grain and challenge how others think is vital. While anyone can have an opinion, what makes for a valuable and well-respected one is how it’s created.

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to support your opinions with relevant evidence, personal experiences and insightful takeaways based on related content. Not only will you feel more confident expressing your opinion when it’s thoughtfully crafted, but you’ll also be able to defend it gracefully when others rebut your perspective.

This is how great leaders lead—through strong conviction. The greatest minds of all time sparked groundbreaking revelations by thinking outside the box and being more committed to a vision than others were. Don’t be afraid to speak up and challenge the status quo. Doing so will exemplify immense integrity, authenticity and confidence.

2. Share Stories That Showcase Your Experience

People will be curious about your credibility as a thought leader in your industry. Experience cannot be taught or bought, making it valuable. There is an old saying that stories sell and facts tell. While people can replicate many things, personal experience isn’t one of them—that’s reserved just for you. Storytelling will shine a spotlight into the depths of your wisdom, character and perseverance, not to mention inspire those who see themselves in you.

Sharing stories of your failures and victories creates a window into your unique journey and the invaluable lessons you learned. These lessons become a critical blueprint for others.

Start with a hook highlighting the key lesson you learned from a personal experience. Share the details of your experience—the challenges you encountered, the solutions you discovered, the lessons you learned, the mindset you adopted, etc.

3. Be Relatable And Relevant

Thought leaders are natural community builders. Part of cultivating community is remaining relatable and relevant. By enthusiastically engaging in conversations, collaborating with community members on hot topics and adding that human touch to your content, you will win over the hearts of your followers.

Your audience appreciates being viewed as more than just a number, and being seen for their expertise. So take the time to genuinely connect, celebrate and express gratitude for your loyal community with LinkedIn? features like live events, post reshares and recommendations. There’s room for everyone at the top. Start with a hook that provides a valuable benefit for your network. Share how you collaborated with other industry experts, personally or through observation, to generate this new benefit-driven discovery. Provide a generous opportunity (e.g., a LinkedIn? live event) that invites your network to learn more about it.

4. Predict What’s Next For Your Industry

With rising trends and discoveries happening by the second (hello, AI), your community places weight on your insights into hard-hitting topics. Through research and personal experience, stay ahead of the curve by predicting what’s ahead in your field. Lead by example and pull back the curtains to show how you’re strategically planning to integrate discoveries into your business.

For a hook, start with a prediction based on groundbreaking innovations happening within your industry. State the importance of this and what it may mean based on data projections and industry behavior patterns. Based on your expertise, explain how your audience can leverage this opportunity to their advantage. To conclude, ask a question that invites comments for feedback, supportive data and other predictions.

5. Assess Your Audience And Create Content For Them

As a leader, assessing your audience is key. Getting into the psyche of your ideal clients and consumers will only elevate your content and offers. The role of a leader is to serve their people at the highest level possible. By consistently showing up, considering feedback and helping find solutions to your network’s most pressing challenges, you’ll establish trust and build authority.

To do this on LinkedIn?, use features like audio events, polls, direct messages and comment threads to gauge your community’s focus. Start your hook with an introspective question that engages your audience. Predict common responses and build out the details of how challenges transpire in your readers’ lives.

Include a market research poll to further understand the exact needs and challenges your network is facing. Use this data to create content and solution-based offers that will support your community at the highest level.

Escape the echo chamber and use these five cutting-edge angles to create your next post and content. They can help establish you as a thought leader and drive your return on investment.

Need help getting started? The Borden Group is ready to partner with you.

Personal Brand Coaching, Managed Personal Brands for LinkedIn?, Personal Brand Content, Personal Brand Strategies, Personal Brand Workshops, Personal Brand Websites, re/Brands, and more!! We work with individuals and teams. I also consult companies and work directly with their internal or external marketing or comms teams. Here are just a few of my testimonials . We have data, case stories, written testimonials/ recommendations, and clients who will speak with you to verify their success working with us, and we are always accepting new clients.

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter today!

If you want to learn more about working with The Borden Group, you can?visit our website , message me directly on LinkedIn, or schedule a discovery call with me here .

Your Executive Advisor,

Melanie

Original article featured on Forbes.