Here's how you can shift from a late career professional to a thought leadership role.

From pro to thought leader? Level up with this: Expertise is power: Solidify my knowledge, stay on top of trends, and become the go-to problem-solver in my field. Content is king: Share insights through blogs, articles, or social media. Make my wisdom accessible. Engage the audience: Spark conversations online and offline. Become a thought leader people want to hear from. Impact over income: Showcase how my experience solves problems and drives results. Show the value I bring. By leveraging my experience, consistently sharing valuable content, actively engaging with my audience, and demonstrating the impact of my knowledge, I'll bridge the gap from late-career professional to a respected thought leader in my field.

a Essencia de um Lider é primordial para o desenvolver da equipe, trabalhar em prol do resultado e de uma liderança pautada em gestão

Identifying a niche area to develop deep expertise is a lot easier today than in the past. With the advent of AI and lately, Generative AI one can study and observe all the latest trends and innovations taking place on their perspective niche topic of interest. Also book selection on the specific area of interest is crucial as books compared to articles allow a scholar of a niche area of interest to reflect more and help enable original thinking.

If you're a late career professional, years of navigating industry challenges, observing trends, and witnessing successes and failures make you a valuable source of wisdom. When you approach content creation through the lens of service, it can clear any blocks you may have to putting yourself out there. Don't overcomplicate it, start with a simple LinkedIn post or article and be open to feedback. The "sharing as service" approach allows you to not only elevate your own profile but also contribute valuable insights that can guide and inspire the next generation of industry leaders.

Producing original content could be easy for some or a strenuous endeavor for others. I recommend the Myers Briggs Type Indicator to help you better understand yourself on how to create an environment to succeed in generating content. Focused journaling is another piece of advice. First block one hour in your calendar. Second, find a quiet place. Third bring with you paper and a pen (or any other electronic device that you can write). Fourth allow yourself to generate thoughts and write them down without worrying about grammar or how they appear. The more the better. Then, try to identify patterns in what you wrote. Finally, place some effort into rewriting or summarizing those patterns.

Once I became an entrepreneur, I started networking outside my industry. This helped me take my niche skills to a different audience. I also engage my core industry through content on LinkedIn. You don't have to create the content yourself either. You can curate articles to become a news source and take part in your colleague's posts. All of it makes you more visible and more influential.

We have found audio events powerful for both growing your community and in reading your influence as a thought leader. They are a great way to engage your following in an interactive event.

There are a couple of stages prior to public speaking. First is to master your craft or area of expertise. Second, practice managing your stage fear (stress that some people have in the idea of speaking in front of an audience). Find a specialized coach on the matter and identify relevant readings. I found it very helpful reading a lot of books relevant and in irrelevant fields. Why? Because the quality of your vocabulary increases exponentially when you can consistently read/listen 40 to 50 books a year. That grows your confidence to speak to others as you more easily can pick your words where you are unscripted in front of and audience.

Create your own projects and initiatives It takes courage to be out in front! Here are more characters for LinkedIn who’s already getting free advice 🥴👌