The importance of thought leadership

A theme in this blog is the idea of standing out from the crowd. Yes we all know the market is crowded with this person and that person who all think they have something of value to add to the discussion so it goes without saying that getting yourself heard requires extraordinary efforts. While there are many short term solutions such as news releases, media events and bylined articles there is one way you can ensure consistent coverage and that is by building yourself as a thought leader.

Roughly defined a thought leader is more than simply an expert on a topic. He or she is someone who is not only an expert on a topic but rises above that and becomes an expert's expert. Someone who clearly and sufficiently defines the issue and then offers a range of possible solution to any problems being addressed. In addition to offering a solution, a thought leader is someone who can argue for a swath of solutions but then offer a single best possible outcome for people to follow.

There is more than simple knowledge to being a thought leader. One needs to be bold and decisive and offer ideas and solutions that people may find controversial and will certainly find worthy of debate and discussion. Furthermore, they need to be people who for lack of a better term, make good copy. A thought leader needs to impress an audience with not only their intellect, but their ability to in a non-abrasive fashion engage their audiences in lively debate.

Thought leadership is also not about lining up a large trophy case of publications and awards. In the case of a thought leader, speaking at an industry group or appearing in an industry publication is often far more important than being on the cover of the Wall Street Journal. The other key difference for a thought leader is that they need to always be out and proving they are relevant in today's market and with today's media. Thought leaders grow old and atrophy unless they continue to offer insight into the changes in the world. Tiring yes, but essential if they are to succeed.

But if they do succeed, the thought leaders offer an organization a tremendous resource. A successful thought leader is someone who the news media will turn to time and time again once they are comfortable with the bona-fides of your thought leader they will come to the well again and again as long as it is reasonable to do so. This is like having a virtual press conference and you will see your organization appearing in a wide range of media outlets and the perception among your customers will be that you are an organization who is a leader within your field.

The one down side to thought leadership is that it can not be done with only one person in the role of thought leader. A first class organization with hopes of achieving long term success needs to have a team of thought leaders ready to address the diverse challenges a world class organization needs. A deep and well trained bench of media ready thought leaders will solidify your organization as a thought leader.