Are you a thought leader?

Over 23 years ago, a book by Charles Handy The age of unreason inspired me to start my own business.  He was ahead of his time in his thinking about how work would change and is an example of a 'thought leader.' I have often thought of this book in recent weeks, observing the world of work change very rapidly due to the coronavirus.

Charles Handy was and is a thought leader.

How is thought leadership useful?

Thought leadership can help you market yourself and stand out in a crowded and competitive market place. Many markets are becoming crowded and more competitive. In a global economy with the Internet, this was inevitable.

What is a thought leader?

"A distinguishing characteristic of a thought leader is the recognition from the outside world that the company deeply understands its business, the needs of its customers and the broader marketplace in which it operates." Elise Bauer.

Thought leadership is ideal for lock-down!

In our digital world and the knowledge age we live in, thought leadership can make you visible to millions. What you write or record needs to be worth reading/listening to/watching, so making time to keep up to date with trends and contemplation is essential.  

Alot of content is being shared by millions around the world, so it needs to be good quality to stand out.

Content marketing

Thought leadership is part of content marketing.

Thought leadership is all about knowledge expertise, creating useful content and giving some of it away freely - this is key to success.

To catch a fish, whether a job or paid projects as a self employed person, thought leadership is like a 'worm on the hook'.

The ocean is the whole world as a result of the World Wide Web which is an exciting if sometimes overwhelming prospect. By writing articles, blogging, creating videos and podcasts, and doing conference speeches and webinars, you can attract your target audience and opportunities to you.  

Indeed, content marketing formed a whole chapter of an 8 chapter book I wrote for the Law Society:

Smarter Legal Marketing. Practical Strategies for the Busy Lawyer

Self reflective question    

How could thought leadership help my career?

I love researching a new topic, learning and then sharing the learning to help others.

My mother once dedicated her first fiction book to me: "To Rachel, who always wants to know more."

Being naturally curious, this Ellen Parr quote below is one of my favourite quotes!!

Inspiring quote

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

Ellen Parr

Five tips to develop thought leadership

1) What topics are you really interested in to develop your thought leadership?

2) Do a Google search on 'thought leadership' and your current/desired specialism. List 3 possible ideas.

3) Make sure you have clearly defined your personal brand, as it will make developing your thought leadership space easier. 

4) Review Malcolm Gladwell's and Seth Godin's content - how do they achieve thought leadership?

5) Choose a medium that suits you e.g. if you love writing, write. If you prefer speaking, do podcasts, or create a video.

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Writing, both paid and unpaid, has been a very strong thread throughout my career - books, chapters, articles, blogs, magazine columns, content creation etc.

Here are a few:

Career management - book

Career development- chapter

Future law firm business models - chapter

Mentoring and coaching - chapter

Talent development - chapter

Professional development - book

Talent management - book

It's nice to remind myself, as they usually sit on a shelf gathering dust, and they took a lot of time and work!