As the name implies, thought leadership is about leading conversations, not following the crowd.
When you initially think of the phrase “thought leader” the term may conjure images of a CEO delivering a keynote speech on an international conference stage or giving an interview on a national morning television show. Yes, those are absolutely ways to position yourself before your industry as a leader once your personal brand is well established.
But if you’re still working to build your brand, you need a different strategy to get in the game.
If you’ve never done any public speaking, I’d advise you to start by joining a panel of your peers before trying to secure a keynote. If you’ve never given an interview perhaps pitching one of your favorite podcasts would be a more practical step than reaching out to Good Morning America. Wherever your thought leadership journey takes you, you’ll need a strong track record of smaller consecutive receipts to even be considered for those bigger opportunities.
As a brand strategist and thought leadership coach, I am often approached by professionals who’ve built solid careers and industry reputations but are ready to step into thought leadership in order to take advantage of the increased income, influence, and impact that come along with the title.
These are accomplished, experienced people who are unclear on how to leverage thought leadership to break away from the pack. They’re not newbies to their professions; they simply have yet to share a consistent narrative about who they are.
Enter storytelling.
If you’re just getting started and want to work your way up to the keynote stages and media interview, you can get your feet wet online using storytelling. Start building your thought leadership profile by telling your story through three specific types of posts every month.
I recommend going where your audience is, and for most professionals, LinkedIn is the best place to start. But feel free to share these stories online wherever your audience gathers and engages.
Wins, Lessons, and Confessions
Story Type #1 – Wins
Wins are self-explanatory. Everyone – and I mean everyone – wants to be affiliated with a winner. Whether you’re announcing a promotion, an award, your participation in a prestigious fellowship, or your latest media or speaking opportunity, never forget to share the good news.
People want to hire and elevate winners, so let people root for you! Here’s an example of a win I shared on LinkedIn.
Story Type #2 – Lessons
Lessons are your chance to show off how you think, what you know, and what the people who pay you have access to. Lessons are a great way to showcase your intellect, but you can also think of them as your way to give back.
When you’re vulnerable and real, people see themselves in you and feel less alone. There are few things more powerful than making people feel something because our feelings help create our memories. Make people feel something and they won’t forget you.
You’re doing your network a great service when you’re generous enough to pull back the curtain on your journey and share what you’ve learned. When you share what’s worked for you, they can shorten their own learning curves. Here’s an example of a few lessons I shared on LinkedIn.
Story Type #3 – Confessions
Confessions are a great way to create a sense of connection. Especially for those who don’t believe in tooting their own horns or see self-promotion as being obnoxious, confessions reveal your humanity.
Connection resonates like nothing else. Sharing your personal and professional journey this way makes people feel more connected to you, and connection opens the door for opportunities.
After sharing wins and lessons, confessions are a way to balance your content. People want to champion a winner, but they also like to root for fallible human beings. Here’s an example of a confession I shared on LinkedIn.
When you share these three stories each month, you’ll be able to
- Grow your audience and influence. A larger audience equals more influence and power, allowing you to command higher speaking fees, media attention, and platform opportunities like book deals.
- Grow your income. These stories create INBOUND requests for new clients and often raise your profile internally at your organization which may help with promotability.
- Get back on the radar of your EXISTING network. My thought leadership clients report new inquiries for business and collaboration on the heels of EVERY post.
- Create talking points for small talk. If you’re an introvert like me, small talk sometimes can be a challenge. When you have a regular cadence of online stories hitting their feeds each month, you automatically give people easy conversation fodder when you run into them in person out in the world.
By posting just three stories each month, you can reinforce your credibility, create a sense of connection, and give people a good sense of what you’re up to.
In an AI-powered online environment, telling your story authentically is even more important. Your stories are unique to you – your personal wins, heartfelt confessions, and hard-won lessons are hard to copy.
If you want to stand out and begin building your profile as a thought leader, don’t be afraid to get introspective and share from the heart.
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