What is thought leadership?

 

Thought leadership is a way of sharing ideas and insights that help people reconsider their world or behaviors. It’s less how-to and more how-so, less expert and more exploratory.

Brene Brown helped us think about vulnerability differently. Sheryl Sandberg encouraged women to assert themselves and take control of their lives. Elizabeth Gilbert showed us how we can live creatively.

Yes, these are big names, but so many people are sharing their ideas on a smaller scale and making a difference within their spheres of influence.

So, how can you do that?

 

Your practice is at the intersection of Purpose, Perspective, and Personality.

All three things are needed to build an effective practice—together, they create a fully unique contribution that is yours alone.

Purpose

What do you wish would change? What frustrates you about how things are right now? Those questions point to your purpose and the core of what other people will align with and see themselves in. Your purpose is central to why you want to participate in discussions and share your thoughts.

Perspective

Information is not a perspective—your stories, experiences, and opinions are. The questions you’re pondering and the insights you come to are a far more exciting way to engage with people. Your perspective is what will persuade people toward your purpose. It will make them say, “Hmmm, that’s interesting.” or “I’ve never thought of it that way.”

Personality

No one wants to read or listen to content stripped of personality, it feels robotic. People relate to people, not polished brands. Your humor, speech patterns, favorite words, and quirks are authentic, and making them part of how you share your thoughts will set you apart from others.

The Three Ps: With each of these aspects of your platform identified, your practice comes to life.

 

Thought leaders:

🚀 motivate and inspire
🚀 have a thoughtful perspective
🚀 are driven by a purpose
🚀 show personality, subjectivity, and authenticity
🚀 share new ideas and insights

🧐 The impact on others? “I think differently now.”

 

Why start your thought leadership practice?

Let’s address the elephant in the room: declaring you want to be a thought leader is cringy. It’s like saying you want to be an influencer, and if you’re over 35, that feels weird. But you never have to say, “I’m a thought leader” to create an impactful online presence. You can just do it.

Thought leadership is a practice of:

  • Exploring a topic that motivates you

  • Prioritizing Insights and ideas over information

  • Participating in interesting conversations within your industry

  • Shaping your ideas so they’re sharper and have more impact

  • Connecting with people outside of your workplace

And as the matriarch of thought leadership, Denise Brosseau, says, thought leadership is your best job insurance. You see the benefits whether you’re looking to move up your current company’s ladder or planning your next career phase.

 

How can I help you craft your practice?

Most of the time, people’s ideas are already embedded in what they talk about or how they work, but they can’t see them because they’re them! Like how the fish swimming in the bowl of water can’t see the water.

I think of my work as having two parts: thinking and doing.

 

🧠 Thought partner🧠

I offer an external perspective, which is priceless when curating ideas. I mine for the gold and buff it. I have more of an editorial angle than a copywriter or more general content producer, so I can find and amplify compelling nuggets that will make people think.

✍🏻 Content producer ✍🏻

Ideas are great, but communicating them well is the only way they’ll get traction. I work with you to determine the proper structure to share your point and the appropriate depth and detail to connect with your audience. I also make sure our work is created in a style that matches your voice and tone.

 

Through workshops, interviews, asynchronous prompts, and collaborative editing, we develop a strategy, a plan, and a customized guide to build your practice with ongoing, credible content.