meditative view of sunset over a lake

Your Mid-Year Review: Reflection Prompts

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

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Image showing a background of TV static, with a #1 in the middle of the circle in spotlights

You Get One Idea

How would you describe yourself in one word?   It’s a tough question, even for the most self-aware among us. We contain multitudes, and any given person has a wide range of attributes that describe them, depending on the day, the season, and who you’re asking. Funny. Optimistic. Confident. Intelligent.

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thought leadership formula

There Is No Magic Formula for Thought Leadership

My friend Alyssa asked me a question earlier this week, and I’m still thinking about it: Can you be a thought leader AND shy away from controversy? In other words, can you change an industry without pushing any buttons or being perceived as a “challenger”? Can you be a positive, optimistic person

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field at twilight with fireflies

Thought Leadership Idea Starter: Chase the Sparks

Do you know what sets thought leaders apart? It’s not that they’re smarter than other people. They’re not more intuitive. They’re not even necessarily better at their jobs. But they have trained themselves to do one specific thing: They chase the sparks. What is a spark? Sparks are the little

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What are the Ingredients in Your “Secret Sauce”?

“I don’t want to give away my secret sauce!” I hear this all the time from thought leaders. They want to *hint* at the magic behind their work, but they’re afraid of revealing too much. Spoiler alert: unless you’re sharing your ATM pin or you work with nuclear codes, no

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specific and interesting - 4 examples

Want to Be More Interesting? Get More Specific

If you are fascinated by your work — all the juicy details and new things to learn and exciting developments — then why do other people’s eyes glaze over when you go into Work Talk mode? How can you help people who don’t work with you, or who don’t know

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not an expert

“I’m Not an Expert”

“I’m not an expert, so I don’t know if I should be the one talking here.” It’s one of the first nervous arguments I hear from people who want to develop their thought leadership, but they’re not sure if they have permission. Who are they to share their opinions? What

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