Building a thought leadership position. But how?

Thought leadership is a big buzzword in the business and corporate communication world where every other leader wants to reach that in quick time. As part of their PR brief many clients have this habit of saying that our spokesperson should get the thought leadership position in the earliest possible time once we start engaging with the media. While that is easier said and done but there is a lot of process and method to reach the thought leadership status in any category or vertical that you are in.

To begin with, you need a lot of experience in the chosen field matters a lot. He or she should add value and should be looked upon as a role model. One must move from the conventional wisdom of old ideas and think boldly with new and disruptive ideas. Should be in the limelight and must constantly engage with media so that valuable insights flowing from his or her mind will attract lot of followers. Writing regular pieces on his or her specialized subject will further boost the credibility and the image of being recognized as a thought leader.  

Remember thought leaders are not borne overnight but they become leaders over a period of time with vast knowledge and experience which they pass on to society at large on various platforms. You need to build transparency and credibility with your audience as a resource and as an expert on your chosen topic or industry. A thought leader is an individual or an organization that is excelling in the business that it exists and has the expertise to talk about the community at large.

As a thought leader one need to set some examples as a leader which should inspire your followers and they should keep following you through various social media platform looking for new ideas from you from time to time which can change their life. Long time ago we had Mr. N.R Narayana Murthy of Infosys as a thought leader in the technology space. Similarly in Advertising and Communication we have Mr. Ambi Parmeswaran a well-respected professional who has spent many years in the advertising and marketing field as a thought leader sharing his views and ideas. He even today shares his point of view on various branding and advertising topics across various media channels.

In today’s fast changing world, thought leadership is expected to become increasingly important with the rise of digital and the internet and with the increase in the number of customers who are well-informed. A well-planned thought leadership campaign can help in heightening brand awareness, boost traffic and generate sales. It also helps in building the brand and strengthening its equity in the market. What are some of the areas one must look to build the stature of your leadership team as thought leaders.

1. Need to keep writing on a regular basis. A good authored article in a leading media from time to time will build your credibility.
2. Participate in industry stories in your field of expertise with your point of view at regular intervals.
3. Create and build a personal blog of yours which should have fresh and interesting content that will excite the audience. Mr. Santosh Desai a leading marketing guru writes in Times of India on regular basis which draws a lot of attention and traffic. He has created a niche for himself and today he is one of the most well-respected thought leaders in marketing and advertising.
4. You also need to give importance to your personal branding while you are in the thought leader position. That will heighten your awareness.
5. I will also suggest one on one leadership coaching for the thought leaders to gain that extra confidence and speaking skills.
6. Need to learn the art of storytelling which will help in engaging better with your audiences.
7. Always give a different point of view and ensure that you are factually correct in what you are saying.
8. Your messaging has to be consistent, simple and clear. The net take out from your quote or message should be sticky and be easily remembered by the audience.

As we are a growing nation, we need more experienced and matured leaders who are knowledgeable and are able to drive growth both for their company and the industry that they are in. A thought leader with good thinking and innovative ideas will always bring in fresh perspective which the government and various public bodies will be looking forward to and will also take the assistance of these leaders to frame regulatory policies.