What is Thought leadership?
Many people claim it, many people strive towards it. Few achieve it.
.Here are some world famous thought leaders:
- Sheryl Sandberg (Women in the workplace)
- Stephen Covey (Time management matrix)
- Ray Kurzweil (AI and Futurology)
- Steve Jobs (mobile technology)
- Richard Branson (aviation and travel)
- Prof Thomas Piketty (Modern capitalism)
- Elon Musk (Electric Car)
- Warren Buffet (Investing)
- Seth Godin (Marketing Guru)
- Gary Vaneyrchuk (a (Wine) entrepreneur going social)
Any Belgians? It’s delicate but thought leaders on a Belgian scale could be politician Bart De Wever, Economist Geert Noels, disruptor Peter Hinssen, and customer marketeer Steven Van Belleghem.
Definition of thought leadership
‘by Joel Kurtzman, editor in chief at “Strategy & Business” 1994
By the way, If you want to see a really funny speech about thought leadership see Pat Kelly’s thought leader speech below.
A modern definition focusing on 3 vital elements
It starts with content or idea production: the thoughts
One must be different with distinctive, remarkable, visionary, controversial, problem solving, groundbreaking ideas, processes, or arguments. Being a subject matter expert is nice. Really nice. And there are plenty of experts. But for thought leadership, it is not enough anymore to really understand your business and the needs of your customers. A thought leader must be a passionate advocate for his or her topic. He or she must also provide additional meaning, relevance, and engagement to his stakeholders. Because these people are trapped in that enormous gigantic information overload in books, blogs, videos, guides, and other newsletters.
Therefore the second element next to the content: followers
As a Leader, you need interaction with followers. You set a course that others want to follow, and you communicate on your expert content. You are prominently visible and influential. You go in an accessible dialogue with your growing audience. And you share what you think. The interaction with your network must make people think and react.
Authority or public recognition
This third element is the most difficult to achieve because you don’t have it in your own hands. A thought leader is as such recognized within his industry, the society, a large or small community. So the recognition comes from the outside world after having achieved steps 1 and 2. In other words: Thought leadership is bestowed upon you by an audience. It’s an acknowledgment. Don’t you ever dare to refer to yourself as a “Thought Leader”. That is the same as calling yourself handsome. If it’s self-assigned or self-labeling then you’re missing the point!
Thought leadership is a lifestyle decision without shortcuts, not a LinkedIn headliner.
Kevin Hong
An example: Greta Thunberg
SCHOOLSTRIKE FOR CLIMATE
Content
Her first and unique message “school strike for climate” was picked up by the media and received a lot of attention. When questioned by journalists on the spot she developed a very meaningful point of view about the climate crisis and the need for a sense of urgency. She knew how to draw the attention of the press. Later on, she elaborated her ideas and concerns in public speeches, social media messages and articles. You can hardly call her a climate expert, but as a climate activist, she is an authority with strong ideas and arguments.
Followers
Needless to point out that this girl literally has millions of followers when she demonstrates through the streets of any European capital. Remember what happened to her in Brussels. Just watch the social media metrics: you see that both her Twitter and her Facebook account have been booming. Check @GretaThunberg – 16-year-old climate activist with Asperger’s.Her social media accounts in progression:
Twitter:
1 March 2019 222.000 followers
28 March 2019 363.618 followers
1 July 2020 4.100.000 followers
Facebook:
1 March 2019 255.000 followers
28 March 2019 477.472 followers
1 July 2020 2.900.000 followers
Instagram: 1 July 2020 10.400.000 followers
Authority
She’s listened to, the media covers her, powerful people and VIPs want to meet her, and she’s invited to prestigious meetings. In January 2019 she was invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos where Christine Lagarde, CEO of IMF, wanted to be in the photo with her. in February 2019 she went to the Katowice Climate conference and to a social meeting at the European Commission, with a (failing) Juncker. She participated in a Brussels march with thousands of school children. On March 8, 2019, she was nominated Woman of the year in Sweden. Friday 15th of the same month, she organized student marches in more than 30 countries. At the age of 16, she is already nominated for the Nobel peace prize and for other awards. She has her own Wikipedia page and her own TED talk.
Advantages or benefits for freelancers of being a thought leader
More respect
- You do and say things that make your competitors see you as a leader or expert
- Others in your industry come regularly to you to seek your advice
- Your opinion or view on something shapes the conversation in your industry
- When there is a new idea, others come to you to learn your opinion
More sales
Becoming renowned through thought leadership will of course directly increase your turnover, and your revenue. (What if Greta would sell some smart merchandising? She or her organization would become very, very rich)
More opportunities
- You will be top of mind in the media for your field of expertise
- You will be invited to speak at events or give interviews for radio and TV
- People pay you to speak at seminars, write books, and to spread ideas
- You get a lot of opportunities for further career advancements (you can charge higher rates)
What are some risks?
Every important initiative always holds some potential risks.
You need to understand the specific challenges of thought leadership.
Content side
- You may produce unwanted ‘content noise’
As more freelancers embrace content marketing, they are discovering that it’s easy to get lost in a cacophony of content noise. A lot of different marketing tactics are subject to diminishing returns. What once seemed revolutionary has now been used or said so many times that it has lost its effectiveness. Always Beware of unwise or ‘unthoughtful’ content production. Poor content can drive away potential clients.
- You may lose the Competitive (content) battle.
In some niches, there are already established thought leaders with a glut of good content. In some others, entrepreneurs like you are trying to brand themselves as the new thought leader. This competition makes it difficult to breakthrough. The risk here is causing a bad impression for yourself by trying to provide advice that is….. actually just the same as what everyone else has in their communication. Another risk is putting a lot of time and effort into this difficult struggle without seeing any results.
Followers side
- You’re in some way ‘responsible’ for your advice
You expose yourself personally to criticism for the ideas and solutions you put out to your followers. This is a liability you shouldn’t take lightly. What if something goes wrong? What if a piece of advice is harmful? (What if you want to be a Thought leader in a new spectacular food nutrient that proves to be fake?)
- Losing followers
You cannot become or remain a thought leader if others don’t follow. There is always a risk involved that you lose followers for some reason. For instance, at one time you may pivot and go off in an exciting new direction only to discover your customers really don’t follow as they don’t want to go there.
Recognition and authority side
- Failing
Being so public in all that you do contains a risk. If you’re sharing what you’re doing, everyone can see when you succeed and when you fail. You’ll need some kind of a plan for when this happens. No one succeeds 100% of the time, so you’ve got to show your followers how you’re learning from this failure, and how it’s going to help you in the future.
- They may hurt your ego
You certainly do need a thick skin: as a thought leader, you’re going to be in some kind of a spotlight. There will always be adversaries. You will have to take some derision or disbelief for your convictions. A controversial or different viewpoint always creates friction or polarisation. You may awake the haters or the trolls. So be careful.
What do you need to do to become a Thought leader?
There are a lot of websites and blogs that tackle this question. They make it seem very easy. With a lot of trash and some wise words which are repeated many times. I compiled the nicest tips, the best advice, and my own ideas in a personal selection.
The good news
Almost anyone can become a thought leader. Just don’t think you need specific degrees. You don’t need academic qualifications in order to be considered an expert. It really is the experience that leads the way here, not where you went to school. It’s all about what you do, rather than where you’ve been. You don’t have to become a world-famous thought leader. There are different dimensions. You can also become a happy thought leader in a rather small ecosystem.
The bad news
Anyone can become one but only very few will achieve this. But it’s worth pursuing it. Compare it with winning the lottery. It is a matter of hard work and dedication; especially if you are just starting. If it was easy, everyone would be a thought leader. Consider it as a long-time personal journey with many steps to take, one by one. There are no shortcuts. You have to build lasting habits. Just start with delivering good service and useful answers to your customers. And mind you: It’s also easier to become a thought leader if you are an entrepreneur who already created a product or concept that has seen huge commercial success. If your business ideas have borne fruit and you can repeat that, then the world knows that your ideas have proven to work. That’s the reason why many successful entrepreneurs are considered to be thought leaders.
Steps to become one?
TO BE
Be Experienced
You’ll ideally have spent a few years in your niche industry, and really understand it inside and out.
Be Passionate
Finding and understanding your own passion is a substantial step. Passion for your field of expertise will allow you to work hard. This passion will drive you to become the best in your field.
Be Creative
Be curious and ask yourself often: how can this be done differently and better? You should be able to brainstorm original fresh ideas out of the box. You should be able to come up with solutions that can turn an industry on its head.
Be Open
You should make it easy for others to get in touch, connect and work with you. Be approachable via mail, phone, and social media. Also, be open-minded, take time to watch and hear new people and visit new places.
Be Authentic
That is a vital component of having people attracted to you. Don’t be afraid to show your human vulnerability or other emotions. When you try to be someone you are not or when you say things you don’t believe in, the audience will know and feel it.
Be Convinced
You have to be self-confident and convinced that you have ideas for products or services that others need. Don’t be afraid to believe in yourself and to follow your action plan. You need to be able to tell anyone why they should listen to you, why they should follow you.
Be A doer, rather than a thinker
A true thought leader is someone who will take action, rather than just thinking and talking about it.
TO DO
Pick your topic of work or expertise and stick to it and… Love it
No person can be an expert in everything. The critical step for any thought leadership strategy is to find your unique niche or field of mastery. That’s the big strategy question: In what topic should and could a freelancer or solopreneur be a thought leader in? The market(s) that you serve well maybe a combination of two or three strengths or factors. So, narrow it down.
Test your important ideas
Activate and consult a trusted group of people around you; friends, colleagues, and maybe family. Think of them as some kind of advisory board. Listen to them and their criticism, but decide for yourself. Challenge them to refine and improve the value of your ideas or products. Challenge them to re- think your business strategy.
Train and master your communication skills
You must become good at writing and public speaking and video blogging. Ask for help or follow courses if necessary. Reach out to a mentor or a business coach or a club to master the techniques.
Create content and publish often
Find out what your audience wants, through consistent interaction. Start by answering questions that your audience has about your industry. Share ideas and powerful messages about how to change or improve things in your field of expertise. So create a “digital footprint” about your expertise. Some websites with a big following allow you to publish almost for free. Just try it out. Anyway, you will have to raise broad awareness about your expertise through different content channels… As they say: write, write and write.
Speak up
You are going to have to speak, produce live video, get interviewed. So, develop your unique voice and style. Yes, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage when you don’t speak up.
Start marketing yourself as a personal brand
Don’t hesitate to start marketing yourself or pitch yourself to different media when possible. Make sure that you always have your pitch ready in 10 seconds. “What do you do?” By associating your idea with your name and business story, you can get people to become interested.
Network in person and online frequently
Always focus on collecting new ideas and meeting interesting people. For instance through attending conventions and other networking events. Use Google to search the basic terms of your niche or specialty to see who is involved and what is happening, what events are taking place in your locality, set yourself some Google Alerts. Find out who are the influential and well-connected people in your area of expertise. Follow them on social media and try to get in contact with them. Force yourself to ask questions at conferences and to get in touch with the speakers.
Use the power of social media
Make sure you remain accessible on the social media platforms where your prospects and clients may hang out. Active presence with some high-engagement posts enables you to stay top of mind. You should not only be posting your own stuff, you should also interact with other experts to learn from them. Get in contact with the right discussion groups, websites, or publications in your expertise.
Never forget the value creation
Before you communicate: ask yourself ‘does this help me to become a thought leader?’ Think like a thought leader, ask yourself: ‘What would a thought leader do?’
Some simple but important questions ‘to self’ for aspiring thought leaders
Question: What I know or do that others don’t know or don’t do is …
Question: What my followers, friends, and relatives think I’m really good at is…
Question: The personal weakness that I’ll have to tackle the most is…
Question: My pitching baseline as a freelancer is …
Question: I admire …………… as a real thought leader because (s)he ……….
Question: One day I could become a thought leader in the specific niche of …
Question: My strengths that could help me to become a thought leader are…..
Question: My first next concrete step to becoming a thought leader is …
And remember: If not me, then who? If not now, then when?
