Thinking about thought leadership? Think again ??

So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently. About thought leadership.

What is it, what does it do? And more importantly why should you care?

According to Wikipedia it’s - an individual or firm recognised as an authority in a specific field.

Also 

Thought leadership is the delivery of authentic and genuine content that uses the expertise, insight, and experience of the author, with the goal of sharing that wisdom with others.

Let’s break down those word though shall we.

Thought - An idea or opinion produced by thinking, or occurring suddenly in the mind.

Leader - The person who leads or commands a group, organisation, or country.

So leading with thoughts. BUT (and this is the thing that REALLY rubs my rhubarb) why we do we obsess with top down thinking, why does thought leadership always seem to permeate from above? It’s an obsession that needs to be rectified in my humble opinion. Yes the C suite have (typically) earned their right to the loudest voice, but the times, they are a changin.

What about all the highly technical people on your teams, the nerds, the geeks, who are experts in their chosen fields. Surely they get to have a voice too. Doesn't theirs matter?

For far too long we have had it pummelled into us that this is the preserve of the C suite. No longer brothers and sisters. Social has democratised the process and given anyone (with the wherewithal) to step up to the plate, the ability to step into that most hallowed of spaces. The thought leader.

ANYONE can be a thought leader and that’s exactly how it should be.

But more importantly why should you, as an organisation care about it? 

Edlemans 2022 thought leadership impact report - explains why 82 percent of c-suite and business decision makers say that thought leadership helps encourage them to engage with brands.

Here are a few benefits to thought leadership (amongst others).

• Qualifies you as a reliable source of insight and information that can successfully influence others. (very useful in the customer buying journey).
• Boosts your industry presence and builds your brand (wanna get hired, this is a great place to start).
• Establishes credibility in your field. (Great for being seen as the expert in your space).
• Encourages forward thinking. (You can help steer the direction of the future of your company).

So if that’'s the case, surely you’d want as many thought leaders in their respective fields inside your organisation as possible? ???♂? You’d of thought so.

And whilst you may not be able to attract external thought leadership talent (yet, don’t worry, if you do this right, they’ll come). Wouldn’t it be far easier to home grow your own, trust your staff enough and give them wings and they might just fly, becoming the next generation of C suite executives.

Thought leadership needs to come from the ground up. This is where innovation, creativity and new ways of doing things comes from.

Here’s a few pointers to getting started, oh and don’t wait for permission. Just start. Then you might just find your company wants to hold onto you that little bit tighter. Funny that ??

1. What's your flavour, tell me what's your flavour!

If you want to get the most out of your thought leadership content, it’s important to consider how your audience consumes what you share and where. You need to meet your audience on the channels they use (social, email, etc.) with the type of content they prefer (written, audio, video) sounds obvious right. Don’t be afraid to use a mix of platforms and content types as you’re discerning this. Video and Live-streaming shouldn't be underestimated here. No better place on earth right now than here on LinkedIn my B2B platform of choice.

2. What's your niche

The thought leaders who make the greatest impact are those who are committed to helping others achieve their goals. Think about what makes you unique and how you can leverage that as you develop your platform. What in your history makes you one of a kind and able to help those around you?

What’s your unique personality? Are you a generous encourager who wants to champion people in their work? Or are you a disrupter of the status quo who loves to challenge assumptions?

Would you be open to speaking in public, or does the thought send shivers down your spine?

Understanding your unique gifts and strengths and knowing where you fall short (and challenging yourself in those growth areas) is important to owning your space.

3. Go deep

Having an opinion on a wide variety of subjects to show you are a present, well-rounded professional is okay. But real thought leaders know the riches are in the niches. Really getting laser focused on what your area of expertise is and how you help, sets a precedent and allows people to identify you and your personal brand with ease.

4. Keep up with the latest ideas and trends

The best thought leaders continually stay current on what’s happening in their fields, which is especially crucial in faster-evolving industries like tech for example (AI anyone). This gives you the opportunity to recognise and analyse patterns and trends in the market, which can inspire strategies for achieving business solutions. A great way of doing this is to invite other guests and experts in your space onto your live streams and learn from them. Applying your thinking to newer ways of interpreting your space helps you create entirely new ways thought leadership, which you might not have got to on your own.

5. Authenticity rules

The thought leaders we celebrate most aren’t the ones who know it all, but the ones who show us they’re human and that they care. As you're starting to think about what to share, don’t be afraid to give us a glimpse of your humanity by highlighting mistakes you’ve made and lessons you’ve learned. To err is human after all.

6. Listen ??

Unafraid to admit what they don’t know, true thought leaders make a conscious effort to understand and listen to what others have to say. In many ways they have beginners mindset.

This is a tried-and-true way to stay connected with peers in your field and expand your knowledge on a topic. The more people a leader listens to increases the probability of more ideas being shared, which is usually a good thing. No better way than through social.

7. Draw inspiration from multiple sources.

While it’s true that a thought leader’s success can be attributed to a razor-sharp focus in a particular area, it’s important to draw from multiple sources within this area to increase the chances of good ideas formulating. The essence of creativity, smushing pre existing ideas together to create something entirely new and original is where the money is. Then you completely own that space.

Well I think, I've thought about that enough.

Still thinking about thought leadership as a means to communicate your expertise and authority to your target market? Hopefully this has made you think about it in a different way.

See you here next week, same time as ever.