Leadership in the digital age has transcended traditional boundaries. Further, it has added additional flavors to the gamut of attributes we associate with leaders. In the dynamic context of the digitally driven industry ecosystem, people need to step up and be in the spotlight to accelerate their personal and organizational brands toward success. Thought leadership has since been the go-to strategy for many leaders and brands to establish a strong presence in the marketplace.
What is thought leadership?
In its most basic form, Thought Leadership is a three-dimensional attempt to enhance digital persona
- Think and speak more profoundly. (Deep Story)
- Anticipate and address more comprehensively. (Wide Story)
- Connect and converse warmly. (Warm Story)
How is thought leadership established?
Deep Stories
Think and speak more profoundly. People in leadership positions have the unique opportunity to share their experience and expertise in their specific field to :
- Present a unique point of view regarding the latest updates in their industry.
- Initiate conversations regarding the future of the industry.
- Anticipate challenges that need discussion amongst your peers.
- Talk about customer pain points and how to resolve them best.
- Break down complex concepts and simplify them into digestible pieces of information for the larger audience.
The former CEO of multiple companies, serial entrepreneur, and acclaimed author Mr. Ankur Warikoo is known to provide meaningful insights into the dynamics of the startup ecosystem.
Wide Stories
Anticipate and address more comprehensively. Leadership is not only about carrying out current responsibilities but also about being future-ready, towards which one should:
- Discuss the broader scope of the business ecosystem and how it is shaping up.
- Share success stories from across the industrial spectrum with key takeaways.
- Leverage the power of networking and connections in shared platforms for increased visibility.
- Provide informed insights into transformative changes that would affect the conduct of business for all.
Nuseir Yassin whom we know by the preferred name of Nas Daily is a remarkable exponent of leveraging the power of network connections across a wide array of industries.
Warm Stories
Connect and converse more warmly. Leadership for brands and top management is both an outward-bound effort and an inward-focused exercise. There needs to be a concerted effort to :
- Represent the brand, individual culture, and ethos.
- Share team success stories and acknowledge/credit the star performers.
- Engage in conversations about welfare and motivation.
- Connect with people on softer aspects of team dynamics and organizational behavior.
Amongst the leading Indian industrialists, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman and Team Member of Mahindra Group has elevated his status as a thought leader by sharing some of the most inspirational stories from everyday life.
Where to establish thought leadership?
In a world so interconnected through various digital platforms, there are multiple opportunities and avenues for leaders to engage their audience. However, before you choose your platform for sharing your expertise, do ask yourself the following questions:
- What is the intent of my/brand's engagement with the audience?
- Who are the stakeholders I want to engage?
- Which platform will have the most impact on those stakeholders?
- How consistently do I need to be with my digital engagement?
Having answered the above questions, create an available platform matrix and conduct an impact analysis on the various stakeholders. Some of the leading and relevant avenues for the same are:
- Social Media Platforms( Shared Media): LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.
- Owned Media: Company Website, Blogs, Whitepapers.
- Knowledge Domains: Quora, ResearchGate, Medium, etc.
- Webinars, Podcasts, Op-eds, and E-books.
There can never be a one-size-fits-all solution to the thought leadership engagement strategy. It will be a healthy mix of the available avenues based on the answers to the questions asked above. Furthermore, the interaction must be simultaneous because each platform can reach a newer audience and a different stakeholder.
At what point do I become a thought leader?
Patience, perseverance, and professional astuteness are the necessary attributes. Thought leadership is not a static state of existence. Every effort undertaken in this journey places the person one step above where they were. Lack of time and lack of understanding of how to put across one's thoughts has been the undoing of many leaders. Leaders are ready to spend a fortune on their marketing efforts but fail to leverage the most potent instrument of the marketing arsenal that lies within them. Humanizing the brand, scripting compelling stories, and sharing relevant, actionable insights on contemporary and futuristic issues are the tenets of thought leadership that can create an impact amongst peers, clients, and the team. And once you engage these tenets, the realization dawns that there is always something more to do, something more to tell, and something more to take action on. So let's get talking!
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