So You Want To Be A Thought Leader

So You Want To Be A Thought Leader

Did you know…..the term “thought leadership” was coined by Joel Kurtzman, editor of Strategy+Business back in 1994??


The key things to note here are “original”, “unique”, and “unprecedented.” In other words, thought leadership needs to add value. Of course!

But unfortunately, much of the supposed thought leadership that we consume does not add value. Note the results of this Edelman/LinkedIn study from a few years ago:??


In 2020, they found that 89% of decision-makers believe that thought leadership is “effective in enhancing their perceptions of an organization”, yet only 17% of them rate the quality of most of the thought leadership they read as very good or excellent.??
In 2021, they observed that a “pandemic-induced glut of low-quality content is diluting the perceived value of thought leadership.”? And 71% of decision makers now say that less than half of the thought leadership they consume gives them valuable insights.”??
The widespread practice of producing quantity over quality creates an opportunity to raise the bar. ( Marketoonist)


Got that???

Given the amount of low quality thought leadership out there, you have a unique opportunity to present yourself as a thought leader!

I’ve got three things for you to consider when establishing your thought leadership.

  1. Identifying your thought leadership topic
  2. The different types of thought leadership
  3. Reinforcing your personal brand and demonstrating leadership


Identifying your thought leadership topic

Your thought leadership topic should be integrated with your personal brand and, just like your personal brand, your thought leadership topic will evolve over time.?

Find a subject area that fascinates you and double-down.? Go deep and learn everything you can. It could be a sub-discipline, an industry focus, a specific element of your product or service, a step in the product pipeline, something technical, an emerging trend…whatever it is, get nerdy.? (In a good way!)?

Think like your 8-year-old soccer-obsessed nephew who can spout player stats at the drop of a hat.??

Yes, THAT level of nerdy.

By knowing all you can about the topic, you’ll be confident about it when it’s time to share your learnings.


The different types of thought leadership

I came across an interesting article that outlined 3 types (I liked this author right away….) of thought leadership:

  1. The Beacon: Working in public + shining as an example
  2. The Curator: Connecting people + resources
  3. The Challenger: Offering a new perspective + starting conversations

In a recent Talk About Talk podcast, I spoke with Roger Martin, my old boss, the former Dean at the Rotman School of Management, who identified two types of thought leadership: public and private.



Using his definitions, all three of the above types can be public thought leaders, while Curators and Challengers can also be private thought leaders.

So what’s the difference?

PRIVATE thought leadership is sharing your knowledge with a specific group of individuals (in your company, your networking group, your circle of friends).??

Roger told a story about how earlier in his career, when he was at Monitor Group, he would communicate internally through memos on various topics. He earned recognition at Monitor for his insights. People would come to him to ask if he had an opinion on X or Y because they trusted his insights.? This is private thought leadership.

PUBLIC thought leadership is just what it sounds like. Sharing your thought leadership with a larger public audience.?

This is what most people think of when they think about thought leadership – people publishing articles, social media posts, blogs, podcasts, or newsletters (ahem…).?

But, as Roger says, “If you run an organization, you’re gonna have to work on your private thought leadership, regardless. But public thought leadership is a lot of work.”


Reinforcing your personal brand and demonstrating leadership

Ok.? So you know your topic and you’re ready to start sharing your expertise with others - either publicly or privately.

What’s the best way to approach this?

Many people equate thought leadership with personal branding, and vice versa.? In fact, I’ve noticed many personal branding coaches on LinkedIn whose goal, it seems, is to help us become thought leaders.?

I define personal branding and thought leadership as two different things.?

Personal branding is about YOU: Your identity, your reputation. In a career context, it’s about establishing your professional identity in a disciplined way.? It’s about being yourself, on purpose.??

Thought leadership is about sharing your unique knowledge, opinions and providing information that others find valuable.? Public thought leaders become known for their expertise and grow a following of people wanting to learn from them.?

OF COURSE, your thought leadership can be a valuable element of your personal brand.?

Does that make sense? You can use your personal brand to share your thought leadership – in fact, being known for your expertise is a great thing to include as part of your brand! But it certainly does not have to be.

And how can you demonstrate leadership (and ultimately thought leadership)?? Well, that’s a whole other newsletter topic, but here’s one thing I like to say to my clients:

TALK leadership!

Use the word “lead” whenever you have the opportunity:

  • When you’re introducing yourself (“I lead the…”)
  • When you’re explaining your career path (i.e. my “path to leadership”)
  • When you talk about what you do (as in global lead, team lead, project lead, division leader, meeting leader, and/or thought-leader!)


Homework

Thought leadership, done well, provides value and gives you a lot of authority in your community.? However, it needs to be approached… thoughtfully.

This week, your homework is in three parts:

  1. Identify your thought leadership topic.? What subject gets you fired up?? What can you talk for hours about? What do you want to be known for?? If you already have your topic - congratulations!??
  2. Think about two or three ways you can demonstrate thought leadership in a public way and in a private way.?
  3. Practice one way to bring your thought leadership topic into one of the three forms of “TALK leadership”?

Then, if you want, share it with me!? Tell me what your thought leadership topic is and how you want to share it with others. I read every response to these newsletters - I promise.

You can message me on LinkedIn or send me a message through the Talk About Talk website.

Have a great week!

Talk soon,

Andrea



Dr. Andrea Wojnicki is a Harvard-educated executive communication coach. She founded "Talk About Talk" to help ambitious executives communicate with confidence and clarity by focusing on topics such as personal branding, overcoming imposter syndrome, listening, demonstrating leadership, and formal presentation skills.? Andrea provides 1:1 coaching, workshops, keynote speeches, and online courses. She also shares her thought leadership as a columnist at Inc. magazine and she hosts the Talk About Talk podcast, with over 150 episodes and counting.



Chareen Goodman, Business Coach

Branding You as an Authority in Your Niche | Helping You Build a Lead Flow System with LinkedIn | Business Coaching for High-Ticket Coaches & Consultants | Creator of the Authority Brand Formula? | California Gal ??

7 个月

Amazing insights! ?? Can't wait to dive into the latest issue of Talking About Talk! ??

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Martina Rowley

Helping overwhelmed business owners get un-stuck with * Admin Support * Streamlining & Efficiencies * Business Management * Accountability & Productivity Coaching. 2024 book author of "Supercharged Productivity".

7 个月

I LOVE this topic and your insights & recommendations on thought-leadership, Andrea! You define what I've "sort of" known already and feel clearer about now; the difference between a public and private thought-leader. While I want to reach a wide audience on my favourite topic and thoughts, I don't actually like the thought of having to travel and fly allover the world multiple times a year [wishful thinking of success and eek to long-distance flights!] as a [future] on-stage speaker. I will need to find other ways to reach & teach. My nerdy topic is Productivity & Time Management and I claim that - unlike what I read so often to the contrary - there IS such a thing as Work-Life Balance!! It seems to, more often than not, boil down to choice/s and the work-life balance is there for the taking - it's up to each of us to make it so. ?? ? This is a Libra talking! ?? ?

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