Thought Leadership – a long running buzz term that irritates me no end.
Largely because, most people miss out a fundamental piece of information when they discuss the topic.
The reality is – most people can’t produce thought leadership content.
Instead, what we tend to see is loud thinking, pathetic posing, and parrots that leech ideas from others.
What do I mean?
Before I go over why most of us can’t produce thought leader content, let’s look at the other labels.
Most people have ideas. Some express them, promote them, publicly discuss them etc.
Some do this consistently. Most will do this with a single topic/subject, a few may cover several such items (often interconnected).
But they don’t meet the criteria to be a “thought leader” – so what they produce are thought-pieces/thinking-content – and because they promote, their thinking is loud.
Then there are those that are, well, just “loud” (sans thinking). No real ideas. No ground breaking concepts. They tend to run around trying to coin terms, throwing out buzzwords, jumping on whatever bandwagon seems to be getting attention at the moment. These are the professional posers – always trying to get in the limelight, and never actually providing anything of real value or novelty.
And then there’s the last group … where the only ideas that seem to enter their heads are “that’s good!”, quickly followed by “I’ll take that!”.
These are the Parasitic Parrots. No originality. Little ability/knowledge (if any).
All they do is take the fruit of other people’s knowledge (and content),
and present it as their own.
Thought Leader criteria?
As per above – not everyone can produce “thought leadership content”.
Though no one seems to mention it – when you look, you can see that all the thought-leaders have several things in common (as does their content).
The main requirement to be a “leader” – is to have a following.
There has to be a significant, active audience and/or support for you, your idea, your content.
If your sector, industry, audience etc. don’t pay you any mind – then you’re not leading anyone.
And it’s not just the “leading” – it’s who’s being led.
If your following/supporters aren’t peers or betters, aren’t established and trusted – then you’re not likely leading anyone of note.
Then there’s the actual “thought” part – you need to be able to tackle a subject, and go in depth, know the status quo, challenge common beliefs etc.
If you lack the knowledge and/or experience, if you can’t express it clearly – then you’re not thinking or prompting others to think.
Next there’s novelty or originality – you have to own the concept you’re presenting.
If you’re not presenting new information, or approaching from a different perspective, or walking the audience along a different path – then you’re not really doing anything new.
And finally there’s the impact of content – it’s meant to change people’s thinking, or even feelings.
If the piece doesn’t inspire, doesn’t alter perspectives, doesn’t cause people to stop and reassess things – is it really “thought leading”?
Don’t agree or believe me?
I don’t blame you. But please, sit back and have a think.
How much content (text, audio, video) have you consumed in the past month, quarter or year?
How many have been insightful, detailed, useful and at least moderately original?
How many made you stop? How many gave you clarity? How many actually impacted you and your perception/thinking?
A handful?
One?
Who were they (or was it) by?
Is it a nobody?
Is it some newbie to your profession?
Is it someone without standing?
Did they get acclaim and accolades?
Chances are – you said “no” to all of that.
In fact, I’m betting that if you did encounter any such content,
it was from a “name”, with an established following, and chances are, they presented a new perspective.
And for the content that did impress you, but didn’t get the public attention …
… chances are, it was by someone that is active, and repeatedly covers a subject, but lacks a mass following, a long industry history etc. (a loud thinker).
Then there’s the others … and you likely had names and faces come to mind when I described Professional Posers and Parasitic Parrots (is there a sector/industry that doesn’t have them?).
I’m willing to bet you can think of at least one of each (and that you pull a face when you think of them).
But, but … Thought Leadership Content!
Yup – you’ll see some folk pushing it – but which labels would you apply to them?.
And of the people you do see talking about it, what do they suggest?
What are these wondrous “thought leader” content ideas?
Pretty much the same handful of things, right?
Such as:
- Share industry news
- Motivational sayings
- Publish data
- Answer questions
- Case studies
- White papers
- Webinars
- yawn…
Seriously – some of those don’t even come close to being thought leadership content!
(Honestly, you can spot the parasitic parrots covering the topic because they say things like “motivational posts” are thought-leader content!)
Other formats are closer – such as Case studies.
But it’s not the format alone that makes the content (think back to the criteria).
Simply having a guide, or telling a success story is not enough.
And there’s no shortage of content formats for thought leadership (or loud thinking, or just showing off your expertise (which you should not be afraid of doing!)).
Thorough checklists, process flow charts, detailed best practices, counter views and opinion pieces that go against common practices/perceptions, deep analysis of data, open letters, industry reports (with analysis/questions/answers), thought maps etc.
Basically – any type of content that allows you to provide thought provoking insights, new ideas and show your expertise (I flinch when I use that word now!).
You’re not a thought leader!
Most of us aren’t, nor will ever be.
But that shouldn’t stop you.
Something I’ve learned over the years via Twitter (X),
is that there’s a ton of smart, experienced people – that aren’t in the limelight, that don’t get the attention they deserve, that do provide insightful, thought provoking content (as well as sharing tips, information, and general value).
You can be one of them,
and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Be a Loud Thinker!
Or just be a regular expert.
(Just don’t be a Professional Poser or a Parasitic Parrot!)
So how do you become a Thought Leader?
By meeting the criteria. That basically means you not only need to be a loud thinker,
but work on building up a network and gaining a foothold in the relevant sector/industry
(this may be a matter of time and effort, or money, or leveraging contacts, or back-scratching and butt kissing – depending on resources and contacts etc.).
So – if you want it – go get it!
I’ve given you some content formats to try, I’ve told you what the criteria is.
It’s now down to you investing the time/effort in producing that content, promoting it, and pushing to get recognised for your knowledge and the value you give.