“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
Welcome to Episode 99: Becoming A Thought Leader ...
Leadership is the ability to inspire people to reach a common destination.
It is the wisdom to see the challenges and obstacles that are placed in the way and know that you can get around them. You may not know how or when, but you honestly believe deep down in your heart of hearts that you know you can get there.
I think being a leader means that you are going to have to do things that MOST people do not want to do. You are going to have to stand up and say things that most people are afraid to say. And you are going to have to believe things that most people do not want to believe. And for the long term you are going to have to find the courage to stick to what you believe in -- and follow it through to completion.
You are going to have to put yourself in front of your friends and your foes and competitors and tell them "I believe this is what we should be doing, and this is where we should be going". They might ridicule you and put you down. They might tell you that what you want to do cannot be done. But they’re wrong.
Here's what we will be untangling in this episode ...
Are you ready?
Pop in your awesome earbuds and let's dive in!
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
Welcome to Episode 99: Becoming A Thought Leader ...
Leadership is the ability to inspire people to reach a common destination.
It is the wisdom to see the challenges and obstacles that are placed in the way and know that you can get around them. You may not know how or when, but you honestly believe deep down in your heart of hearts that you know you can get there.
I think being a leader means that you are going to have to do things that MOST people do not want to do. You are going to have to stand up and say things that most people are afraid to say. And you are going to have to believe things that most people do not want to believe. And for the long term you are going to have to find the courage to stick to what you believe in -- and follow it through to completion.
You are going to have to put yourself in front of your friends and your foes and competitors and tell them "I believe this is what we should be doing, and this is where we should be going". They might ridicule you and put you down. They might tell you that what you want to do cannot be done. But they’re wrong.
Here's what we will be untangling in this episode ...
Are you ready?
Pop in your awesome earbuds and let's dive in!
Leadership is the ability to inspire people to reach a common destination.
It is the wisdom to see the challenges and obstacles that are placed in the way and know that you can get around them. You may not know how or when, but you honestly believe deep down in your heart of hearts that you know you can get there.
I feel a great leader will pull you up and help you accomplish things that you didn’t know you could do. A boss for instance, will sometimes push you to some place that you didn’t want to go in the first place, but in such a way that it was somewhere you actually needed to be in order to grow.
It is also someone who by word AND by deed always does the right thing.
What does that mean - by word and by deed? Always -- even when nobody is looking.
So, why is this person a leader? Because sometimes it is hard to find a person who always says and does the right thing. When we find that type of person, they can in a sort of way become our spiritual and moral leader. These are the kind of people that my team and I aspire to be like.
They are rare because most people just want to do the same thing because it is safe.
However, I feel we need more people like you out in this big bad world … ones that are not happy with being comfortable and safe. We need young people, middle aged people, senior citizens to all stand up and say "Hey... I think we should go to the mountain top. And I know a great way to get there. It may be hard. It may take longer than the other way. We may stub our toes every now and then -- or trip and fall and scrape our knees. And it’s surely not going to be the same way that all the other people are going. But we will be much better people by the time that we get there."
I think being a leader means that you are going to have to do things that MOST people do not want to do. You are going to have to stand up and say things that most people are afraid to say. And you are going to have to believe things that most people do not want to believe. And for the long term you are going to have to find the courage to stick to what you believe in -- and follow it through to completion.
You are going to have to put yourself in front of your friends and your foes and competitors and tell them "I believe this is what we should be doing, and this is where we should be going". They might ridicule you and put you down. They might tell you that what you want to do cannot be done. But they’re wrong.
They might even tell you that other people have tried it before and have failed. But you must have faith in yourself -- and your ideas. And know that you’re the right person to see it through. Sometimes you may be the only one that does.
Leadership is scary that way sometimes.
That being said, we’ve been noticing a lot lately that many entrepreneurs are pushing through their days without celebrating their wins. Like, none of them! (We’ve been doing and feeling it too!) This is a carnal rule in the land of entrepreneurship -- and a huge no-no! You need to make sure to carve out time for giving yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. This little bit of you time is just as important as #AllTheThings you do to run your business. Otherwise, why are you doing it?!
Team VU has been experiencing this a lot over the past 6 weeks …. We’ve been pushing insanely hard through year-end and then the start of a new year (which brings everyone out of the woodwork to get their business “on track”). However, we finally took a moment mid-January to be like “Hey, wait a second! Look what we got done!” And sometimes, those wins can even be “I’m having SUCH a productive week getting ahead on some work / projects, without only putting out little fires everywhere!”
Celebrating your wins is more than just an acknowledgement of your greatness: it’s about showing your team (and yourself!) that you SEE what’s being done and the growth that’s happening because of it all.
And that’s also leadership.
If you’re on your own, we certainly hope you have a biz-bestie somewhere that you can be sharing these wins. And if not, you know where to find us!
Leadership is so much more than being able to communicate well. It’s about being approachable and sharing knowledge and not letting your ego get in the way when someone else discovers a more efficient way of doing something.
As we here at Team VU transition into some new ways of doing things this year, the near-term end of this podcast for example, we’re continuously reminding ourselves that as individuals we can accomplish great things, but as a collective, we can take on this big bad virtual world!
We’re each thought leaders in our own areas and leverage each other to take on #AllTheThings. We couldn’t recommend more to diversify your team so that you can expand your offerings!
What you may not realize is that our audiences' brains CRAVE certain chemical reactions to confirm what we are reading, hearing, and seeing for expert brands, voices, and stories.
To keep them coming back for more, you need to strengthen your message which will lead to more conversations, elevated interest, growth of your influence and ultimately an increase in sales.
So, if you're ready to deliver "the goods" ... then keep listening …
Great leaders genuinely want to change the world. They do things that set themselves apart from the crowd -- in addition to being an expert in their field or niche. And all the while changing the world, they are huge lovers of sharing. Through blogs, podcasts, articles, posts, speaking opportunities, and well, basically any platform that will allow them to spread their message.
Does this sound like you?
GREAT!
Keep the momentum going and keep spreading “the word” while changing the world!
Not you but want it to be? Here’s a few pointers to help you focus on while beginning the thought leader journey …
TIP #1: Never stop making connections. Especially right now in a near all virtual world … Virtual coffee is key.
TIP #2: Create a win-win network … Connect your people with other people. Pay it forward.
TIP #3: Don’t be shy. Occupy the authority space that surrounds you. Don’t just explain your thoughts and ideas … Implant them.
TIP #4: Just keep swimming (think of Dori in Finding Nemo) – one can only become an expert in their field/niche if they are a life long learner. And remember, what you learn doesn’t always have to be what you do!
TIP #5: Keep your ego on the backburner … Not only share the limelight but let other shine! As cliché as it sounds … Teamwork really does make the dream work!
Okay, so now that you have some ideas rolling around on your hamster wheel, here’s some TOP 10 thought leadership brain inducing words -- per category -- to ethically provide a neuroscience-based approach for gaining “the right” audience with messaging you can back with proven results. Starting with …
Dopamine Inducing:
And next …
Serotonin Inducing:
And lastly …
Endorphin Inducing:
If you’re a thought leader … Your message and the way you present it, truly can change the WORLD!
To put an additional twist on this topic, here are some of the behaviours I believe have caused someone to call me a "thought leader":
We tend to believe anybody that stands on stage and speaks. However, I truly believe that is a dangerous trend in the world of speakers and experts. They tend to repeat each other. Let’s use social media as an example … All you have to do is go to a couple virtual conferences and you would likely hear everything you'd hear at a future conference – or even once you’ve previously attended.
Experts (of which I like to think I am one) tend to parrot each other. They / we will go to a conference, hear someone say something that appears insightful, and then repeat it to our tribe. It’s like a game of childhood telephone. And in my opinion, this can be dangerous if the original source of the information didn't have their facts straight.
To spin the proverbial wheel the other way … “Thought leadership” is a big buzzword in the business world right now, and it’s easy to see why it’s become such an important focus for leaders. When others look to you for your expertise and insight, you can become a leading, recognized voice in your industry. But it’s more than just a popular buzzword …
But what does it take to become a thought leader, and what actionable steps can you take toward that goal?
Here’s a few examples:
And most importantly … don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
If you look at any one person in any niche, the thought leaders aren’t necessarily smarter than your average expert. The differentiator is that they know the right people and have access to the right platforms in order to share their message and knowledge.
To end off today’s special “untangling” episode – and our second last one before we take a mini break to accomplish some other goals, I want to leave you with some important long-lasting tips that no aspiring thought leader should ever forget.
1. Remember that gaining notoriety as a thought leader takes focused effort over time. So, by the time you are utterly sick and tired of your message, your posts, and your content -- people are just waking up to it.
2. You must continue to innovate and learn and grow in order to remain a thought leader. In reality, you will never stop being a student.
And lastly …
3. Share the spotlight with the others who have helped you become a thought leader -- then in return a lot of that light will reflect back on yourself, so be generous with your praise and recognition with others.
Thought leadership isn’t just some buzzword. It’s most certainly not just superficial influence. And it’s not for everyone. But odds are if you have the temperament, it will help build your business’ reputation.
So, if you can follow through with all the information I laid out for you today, you can increase your brand awareness, your reputation and trust factors, and your growth.