How can you assert your vision while engaging thought leaders?

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." What makes one a successful change-maker isn't always the facts, charts, and information presented, but rather the passion, care, and selflessness shown. How do you persuade a team member to take action? Don't just present facts. Instead, convey your emotions, express your concerns, and advocate for the customer experience. How do you sway leaders? Don't just provide information. Instead, connect with your shared mission and purpose, highlight frontline experiences and challenges, and demonstrate your passion. Reflect on the last time a successful change-maker had an impact on you. It was their passion that most likely captured you.

Thought Leaders deal in the realm of ideas. Their goal is to create value based around expanding the readers thinking. The best way to accomplish this is to take your audience through the 3 part IDEA JOURNEY. First comes "I get it". You have to make sure there is comprehension around the idea. Without this, ideas die. Next they have to create value around the idea. This is a tough one as it has to get through an individuals value filters. Finally there is "I can apply this idea in the context of what I do." This makes the idea "sticky". Follow these three steps and you open the door to collaboration, input and creative thinking. It's how idea communities are developed. Thought Leaders build communities.

I agree, you have to tailor your communication to your core audience and that goes back to before you even try to communicate. Researching and understanding what your end goal is should help lead you to communicate better

Sharing your lived experiences allows others to step into your shoes and empathize with a new concept you're trying to communicate. Your story can transform an abstract idea into a concrete example. For instance, if I'm trying to convince leaders of a ride-sharing app to introduce an "LGBTQ+ Friendly" filter, allowing users to request drivers who have selected this option, the app leaders might not see the need. However, by sharing my story of being discriminated against by a driver due to my LGBTQ+ identity, they might better understand its importance. Sharing your story builds empathy.

Sharing your story draws people into your humanity, and it enables connection beyond 0 and 1's. I would also tie your story to the main vision to add one relevance.

Feedback is a gift. Asking for feedback allows you to show vulnerability and creates a safe space to explore and cultivate your vision.

In my career I have found that feedback is the only way we can improve. We all have blind spots and we need people to be that special mirror that provides a clear path and of course to avoid any potential crashes, that is how we should view feedback. At times some feedback could be hard to hear but with great feedback always has actionable steps that you can take to improve.

It's all about iterating and co-creating TOGETHER. The power of applying this regularly will amplify and refine your processes through collective intelligence. So, team up, blend wisdom, and achieve the extraordinary!

Be a life long learner. Thought leaders are like waterfalls, a constant rush of fresh water that is always new and never stale. Focus on learning and broadening your knowledge base on a daily basis. Invest in the power of daily learning as the compounding effects will set you up for your future growth and career