Think about a big-name thought leader you follow and trust. Who are you picturing? I’d bet you’re thinking of just ONE person. One person’s name. One profile picture on LinkedIn. A single face on a book jacket. A splashy headshot on an event agenda. But in my career collaborating with
This summer, I’ve been returning to my mantra for patience: “It’ll come to me.” I’ve been reflecting on how slowing down often encourages the best ideas to bubble to the top. When you hit pause, take a beat, sleep on an idea, stop grinding so hard, and prioritize slow reflection over
A couple of weeks ago, I led a workshop on “strategic storytelling.” I was with a group of very smart people whose job is to go deep on complicated problems. They’re used to building PowerPoint decks full of complex diagrams. Analyzing mountains of data. Getting the whole story and telling
Who gets to be a “thought leader”? Let’s go back to basics and define what it means to be a thought leader, who can be a thought leader, and how YOU (or the people you support) can find your voice as a thought leader. Who is a thought leader? First
Business and politics don’t mix … right? If you don’t run a partisan organization, then politics has nothing to do with your business … right? And you should never be one of those people who post their political opinions on LinkedIn …right? Wrong! The way I see it,
Five years ago, I left my job at a content marketing agency to work on my own. At the agency, I was already in the habit of writing a regular email newsletter to our clients. I wanted to keep using that muscle, so I committed to sending a newsletter to
A lot of people want to be known for their work and their ideas. But when they step into the role of “expert” or “thought leader,” they’re suddenly at a loss for words. That makes sense: When you’re trying to play a part, perform, or talk about an unfamiliar topic,
In my work with thought leaders, I’ve learned a lot about what makes great thought leadership sing. But you know what’s even more helpful? Learning what makes thought leadership get stalled and stuck. Why do smart people with the best intentions (and razor-sharp marketing teams) sometimes get mired in their
When business leaders come to me for help with their thought leadership, they usually have a lot of “who’s” on the tip of their tongues. “Did you see that [X PERSON] is publishing a book? I want to do that.” “I want to show up on LinkedIn like [Y PERSON].”
2024 is halfway behind us. This middle point in the year feels like a good time to pause and reflect. Reflection is a thought leader’s superpower, but most people don’t pause to reflect often enough. So, I invite you to save these prompts and pull them out when you’re feeling
Turn your big ideas into a book proposal or manuscript.
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