Wie können Sie Ihren einzigartigen Hintergrund nutzen, um ein Thought Leader zu werden?

What’s a niche? It’s not just a fleeting fancy and using shallow words like “I am so passionate about…”. Self sacrifice, serving mankind and a relentless pursuit of knowledge are but some of the indicators of “niche”.

It is when you are at the top of your game, you are sure to emerge as a thought leader. While your subject draws all the cues towards gearing a command on it piercing across disciplines, domains, sectors, any kind of seminal work or a geography even that is when you emerge as a thought leader. Isn’t this diversity so unique in itself?

Your passion areas aren't enough. You can be passionately bad at it. It's also not about being the best expert. Often the best selling books aren't the best written ones! Just be outstanding 😁! Most people tend to notice things that stand out from the crowd. Being lost in the sea of sameness trying to outdo another on incremental differences is pointless. Being unique (or outstanding) helps your readers remember and recall your ideas and perspectives. Thought leadership that cannot be remembered is useless and will not propagate nor build following. A great idea that doesn't become a movement. So it is better to give a unique advice (that works) than to give the best advice.

Your story is important because it helps others see how it has shaped who you have become, why you are doing what you do, why you are so passionate, and it gives them something to connect to. With business building relationships is key and finding comment ground (even outside of business) can grow the connection.

Most of us do not give enough credit to our thoughts, ideas and perspectives. You might be surprised to realise what you consider useless is utterly valuable to others. Here's an example. Some time ago, I thought everyone knows that a productive way to replying emails is to batch them. Replying to all the grouped emails in a single seating. However when I told my colleagues about it, they said it was one of the best productive hack they learnt from me 🤣 Value is in the eyes of the beholder, 😉👍🏼

Creating content that is useful and relevant is one way to establish thought leadership. It's only when one understands their field deeply enough that they are able to form credible insights. When such insights are shared, they pave the way for thought leadership. If one has no expertise, they're unlikely to be able to form any thoughts on any given topic. That being the case, it's highly unlikely that they can become thought leaders. Well, that's it entirely true. Nowadays, many "thought leaders" are outsourcing the creation of useful content so that someone else can position them as such.

If Content is KING then community is the KINGDOM. Content without a kingdom that processes that content is not thought leadership. Many people are sharing their "wisdom" but don't understand that wisdom comes from the WORKING OUT of the ideas and wisdom in community. We need wisdom that is "bloodied" and purified by people trying it out in unexpected ways to find its true worth and place in the world.

Leadership at any level requires engagement with one's community. Without followers, one isn't a leader. Followership is inspired through the quality of the leader's interaction with their people. Participating in relevant events, sharing thoughts and opinions on relevant media platforms and engaging with other people on those platforms are the way to communicate one's thoughts. It's only when people know one's points of view on topics of relevance that they are inspired to try and connect with them and follow them.

It is important to demonstrate clearly your understanding of the audience and its needs. This is done by providing information that is salient to them. Focus is on their issues, empathizing to create an environment oriented towards problem solving. Ongoing research into the issues that matter to the community is a basis for success. Listening skills can be demonstrated by addressing your audience's concerns. Based on research, offer something new - an innovative idea- that is aimed at generating growth. Including differing points of view helps to reduce any biases.

One thing I've found useful in continuously learning and growing our thought leadership is to set an audacious target to be at the top of our field. Some people enrol in advance academic programs or write books in their area of interest to enable them to continuously dedicate time and effort to be the best in their field

Reflect on what your background has taught you that others might not see. For instance, coming from both an academic and practioner background, I often use research and data to inform and support my insights, which adds depth and credibility to my contributions. Use your unique background to bridge gaps between different fields or perspectives. My practice in organizational psychology, for example, has allowed me to translate complex theories into practical advice for business leaders. Establishing thought leadership takes time. It's a journey of building credibility and trust. It also requires continuous learning and adaptation. Drawing from diverse sources and staying curious has helped me expand my thinking and stay relevant.

Another thing to take into account is that leaders are inspirational when they are credible and their insights are useful. Sharing random thoughts or commenting without any substance does not inspire people. On the contrary, people will treat such individuals either with indifference or consider them to be "whom not to follow".

The term “thought leader” can also be deceiving and cliche. Much like the term “best selling author,” which is used freely, few of us know what “good” looks like. True thought leaders build social proof by focusing on client outcomes, not output. They are also adept at celebrating client wins and sharing them broadly. I’ve been sharing client success stories on my website for over two decades. With their permission, I broadcast the tangible business and personal impact that my value provided. Senior decision-makers should be on the lookout for fraudulent behavior, especially on social media. If someone calls themselves “number one” or “best in the world,” guard your wallet.