Episode 179. Becoming Known for Your Story, Perspectives, and Expertise (+ Thought Leadership Examples)

The first step to becoming known for your thought leadership is to make a decision on what you want to become known for, then start to build a strong and compelling body of work around that exact topic.

Specifically, we will have a conversation around becoming known for your story, your perspectives, and your expertise.

Before we dive in, I want to share with you a brand new free resource that I’m creating. In this super comprehensive resource, you will learn the 9 parts of your thought leadership strategy, you will have a set of rubrics to help you audit your thought leadership strategy, and you will be able to identify the specific gaps to fill and what your next action steps are, as you continue to move forward.

To grab this resource when it officially drops in September 2024, you can sign up for the waitlist at cheryltheory.com/audit. The link will also be in the show notes below.

Now, let’s dive into the conversation for today.

In This Episode:

Your story, perspectives, and expertise + skills contribute to your “source credibility”
A thought leadership case study: Steven Bartlett
What you think you’re supposed to be known for VS what you want to be known for
The story of one of my longest term clients, Jennifer, who decided to pursue the impact she really wanted to create in this world
You already know you’re meant for something bigger

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Becoming known for your unique thought leadership

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Your story, perspectives, and expertise + skills contribute to your “source credibility”

First, why am I specifically delineating between becoming known for 1) your story, 2) your perspectives and 3) your expertise or skills?

I think it goes without saying that source credibility is essential to persuasion.

If anything, ample research and theories support the notion. What this essentially means is that who’s speaking matters. Because the person behind the message will influence whether the audience trusts the message or what the audience thinks of the message.

When it comes to this idea of “source credibility”, researchers tend to describe this in terms of two categories: 1) authoritativeness i.e. expertise, and 2) character i.e. likability.

For each of these two categories, I’m sure that there are many variables that can contribute to someone’s perceived expertise/authority, and their likability or perceived character.

That said, in the context of those of us building a personal brand, content, or a solopreneur business, I’d argue for the following:

Your story contributes to the category or character/likability.
Your perspectives contribute to both the category of authoritativeness/expertise and character/likability.
Your expertise/skills contribute to the category of authoritativeness/expertise.

Do note that this interpretation is simply based on my own lived experiences and opinions, and I’m sure that there are other factors that can be considered.

That said, I personally like to focus on your story, your perspectives, and your expertise/skills because these are the factors I’ve found to be most relevant to myself and for other creators, entrepreneurs, and personal brands like myself.

To help paint the picture further, I want to look at one of the most well known thought leaders in the world right now: Steven Bartlett.

A thought leadership case study: Steven Bartlett

On Steven’s website, he is described as an entrepreneur, speaker, investor, author, Dragon on Dragon’s Den and the host of Europe’s leading podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO’.

Let’s break down what Steven is known for and how he is seen as a thought leader:

Story:

On the homepage of his website stevenbartlett.com, if you scroll a few times down, you’ll quickly see a segment for his story, and it immediately starts off with the heading of “From humble beginnings”. The timeline starts off with how Steven was born in Botswana and his family moved to England. And later on, Steven dropped out of university to pursue his business ideas, and the timeline continues to highlight some of Steven’s major career and business accomplishments.
But his story doesn’t just stop on his website. When I listen to interviews that Steven does on podcasts, for example, he always references multiple aspects of his story. Although there are a few core parts of his story that he tends to reiterate because they’re usually very relevant to the podcast conversation at hand, he also always makes a conscientious effort to bring out a smaller, lesser known story or personal experience.

Perspectives:

Steven’s perspectives are best captured through his work on his podcast, ‘The Diary of a CEO’, as well as through his books and the interviews he has done where we got to take a glimpse into how Steven thinks.
For instance, I recently listened to Steven’s interview on Chris Williamson’s podcast called Modern Wisdom, and there was one part of the conversation where they dived into Steven’s philosophy of “Yes, actually, you SHOULD sweat the small stuff”. Which is a philosophy that runs counter to a common belief that you SHOULD NOT sweat the small stuff. Steven explains in the interview, and he also shares this in other content pieces that I’ve consumed from him, that when you overlook the small things and let it slide, you’re compounding those decisions AGAINST you. But on the other hand, if you obsess over the small details and nuances, Steven argues that you’re actually compounding those small little decisions POSITIVELY for you and that is what will give you a competitive advantage.
Needless to say, Steven definitely has a highly prolific body of work that captures his perspectives, insights, and lets us really understand how he thinks and why he thinks the way that he does.

Expertise:

On Steven’s website, it lists out the notable investments that Steven has made, as well as the wildly successful companies that Steven started and co-founded. It’s also clear from his website that Steven is a Multiple bestselling author for his recent book ‘The Diary Of A CEO: The 33 Laws for Business & Life’. This book is a Sunday Times Number 1 bestseller and has been translated into 35 languages, becoming the fastest selling book of all time in its market and within its category.
Overall, Stevedn’s online presence makes it very clear what he is very skilled at and what his accomplishments are. If you do a quick Google search on Steven, it won’t take long for you to find this information related to his expertise and skill sets.

Taken together, I think there is plenty of evidence that shows that Steven is known for 1) his story, 2) his perspectives and 3) his expertise and skills.

Personally, I think all three of these areas play an integral role in not just the brand or business he has built for himself, but also for the impact that he has created thus far in his lifespan.

Meaning, it’s not only his story that has helped people, but rather, it was a combination of his story, his perspectives, and his expertise/skills that compound together and have impacted so many people across the globe.

That is why I believe that as you and I continue to move forward with building thought leadership, we should take into consideration how we can be known for all three of these areas.

Because ultimately, your story, your perspectives and your skills + expertise have a role to play in the impact you’re creating in this world. Sure, they can each stand alone and help people on their own. But if you can craft a body of work that combines all three, THAT in my humble opinion, is going to be a game changer in your thought leadership journey.

With that, let’s now transition over to talking about what you want to be known for.

What you think you’re supposed to be known for VS what you want to be known for

Here’s a question for you: Based on your education, credentials, work history, personal achievements, family expectations, and so on, what do you think you’re “supposed” to be known for? What makes the most logical sense?

For example, maybe you’re thinking, “Hmm… I should build my brand around how to maintain work-life balance on top of a successful corporate 9-6 career because that’s what people already come to me for advice on.”

Or maybe you’re thinking that you HAVE to talk about helping people make more money because it seems like only business coaches or marketing-related businesses are raking in all the clients and business success.

But I want to offer a second question: “If you were to put away all of these “shoulds” and these “I should be doing XYZ because it makes the most sense…”, what do YOU want to become known for?

For instance:

If you could start from scratch again, what do you want to become known for?
If none of your past accomplishments or professional experiences were in the picture anymore, what do you want to become known for?
If no one’s opinion mattered in your decision, what do you want to become known for?
If you didn’t need to be “realistic” and consider what would make the most money, what would you want to become known for?

These questions matter because after all, you are building your thought leadership for YOU.

You’re not doing this to move up the corporate ladder of your past/current career.
You’re not doing this to make someone else happy.
You’re not doing this as a quick path to making 6+ figures.

Instead, you’re building thought leadership because there’s something intrinsic within you that matters so deeply to you.

For example, maybe there’s a personal story that you are yearning to share because of all the lessons and perspectives embedded within that story.

Or maybe you care passionately about something, and building thought leadership will let you contribute to this subject matter, field, group of individuals, cause, etc.

Whatever the case is, this is for you. So don’t let the surrounding voices, boxes, shoulds, or norms pressure you to build thought leadership for something other than yourself and what you care about.

This is precisely what “becoming known for something” will require of you. It will require you to make a decision on what matters to you and what you want to become known for, without the infiltration of surrounding voices, boxes, or norms.

But what’s often happening for aspiring thought leaders is that although you know you’re meant to do something bigger than what you’re currently doing, it just feels unclear.

Your goals feel impossible. And it feels unrealistic to think that you are capable of becoming known for a certain subject matter or be seen as the go-to in your niche.

You question if you have anything legit enough that you can be known for. But still, despite all these doubts, this is still what you really, really want.

The story of one of my longest term clients, Jennifer, who decided to pursue the impact she really wanted to create in this world

To illustrate this, I want to share a story of one of my longest term clients, Jennifer, who today, is shining as THE life coach for introverts.

Today, Jennifer coaches introverts on introverted leadership, visibility as an introvert, and friendship as an adult introvert.

Jennifer has coached clients from all over the world, started a podcast where she documents her brilliant ideas and perspectives, and is known for her signature programs such as Making Friends, a coaching program where she coaches adult introverts on making and maintaining friendships.

And she’s been building all of this while building a career outside of her business and traveling around the globe to see her friends from all over the world.

SO MUCH FUN.

But this wasn’t always the case for Jennifer.

When we first started working together, Jennifer struggled to become known for what she really, truly wanted to do. She was hesitant to pursue the impact she really wanted to create in the world.

When I asked Jennifer what life was like before, she said the following:

“Before we worked together, I didn’t have the courage to pursue the business I really wanted to start: an online coaching business. I was dancing around it and considering options that seemed safer to me: cute plant stickers, digital products, branding and graphic design services, but all of those were vague interests and more money-motivated. They could make an impact, but none of them felt like my own way of helping others.

In life, I knew I had some time, skills, and heart for it, but I didn’t think I had enough time, skills, and heart to start and run a business from scratch. Looking around, the entrepreneurs I met seemed so stressed. They were working towards a future in which they could take time off and travel or have time for what matters to them, but I already have that. I want those options in the now, not later. If I was going to start a business, I wanted it to add to my life, not take away from it.

Based on what I saw around me, I sincerely thought that I would have to burn myself out to build a successful business, that I would have to sacrifice my health and joy in the short-term to earn freedom in the long-term, and that I would be saying that I wasn’t taking anything seriously if I was trying to do multiple things at once: a full life, a powerhouse career, and an impactful business. Cheryl showed me another way.”

And when I asked Jennifer “What is business and life like now?” She said:

“I am a life coach for introverts now! I help introverts lead stable and joyful lives by accepting and leveraging their natural strengths. By showing up as their truest selves, they can take root in an extroverted world… by showing up as my truest self, I am helping and serving my fellow introverts. That is amazing. Wow. Mind-blowing.

Working with Cheryl, I really built up my self-trust. I took my self-acceptance to another level. She also helped me redefine success and consistency in business so that they work for me.

I think the thing that ties everything together – business and life – is that I am a thought leader! I know what I stand for, and I took a lot of action like showing up on stories, making friends, working on my mindset, and developing my coach brain to bring that out. People around me have seen and felt the change. I share my thoughts – ideas, opinions, and stories – with so much conviction now. I went from not knowing what to say to always having something to say.

In my career, I was more empowered to make bigger asks for things that I initially didn’t think I had put in enough years or paid enough dues yet to deserve. Although I made an active decision to slow down in my career to make space for my business, I was actually promoted and given a generous raise at work while building my business.

Things get to be simple. As I grew that belief, it also helped other areas of my life. I used to feel like any decision I made in my business would say something about me and keep me fixed, but that’s not true. Because I have a direction I’m heading towards instead of an end-goal or single project, this business is going to grow with me.”

And the coolest part about what Jennifer shared is that this was actually from 3 years ago.

Today, Jennifer’s life and business looks drastically different because she had made that decision 3 years ago to build something that represents the impact and vision she wants to create in this world.

Here’s the thing. Becoming known for something isn’t just about identifying your niche or content pillars. It’s making an informed decision about what you want to be known for, then taking committed action to build a body of work centered around exactly that.

Your body of work will also take into account your story, your relevant skills, experiences, or other “street cred”, as well as your genuine and honest perspectives and opinions on the subject matter.

Several years have passed since Jennifer started her journey as THE coach for introverts.

Today, Jennifer’s story and the perspectives stemming from her lived experiences are not only helpful to her peeps, but they also make up Jennifer’s unique thought leadership that no one else has.

And it all started because Jennifer decided to build thought leadership and a body of work around what she truly wanted to become known for.

You already know you’re meant for something bigger

At this point, you already know you’re meant to do something bigger than what you’re currently doing. But it feels unclear. It feels impossible and unrealistic.

On the one hand, you feel like there are multiple things you might want to be known for. But on the other hand, you also question if you have anything legit enough that you can be known for.

To top it off, maybe you also feel like you should build a body of work around popular topics that will yield a monetary ROI (return on investment) (ex: “I should talk about hot trending topics like how to build an online business” or “I should teach on social media and marketing because people are more willing to pay for products/services in that niche”).

But doing so would feel forced for you. So you struggle with inaction and therefore don’t show up or post anything at all.

However, NOW is the time to make a decision on what matters to you and what you want to become known for, without the infiltration of surrounding voices, boxes, or norms.

This isn’t just about identifying your niche or content pillars. Instead, it’s about 1) making an informed decision about the body of work you want to build in the next 1-3 years, and 2) recognizing that your story and the perspectives stemming from your lived experiences will become the foundation of your thought leadership.

Now is the time to give yourself the time and space to dream big and get clear on the vision you have for your thought leader career.

Not what others want or expect of you. Not what you should be. Not because it seems to be the most profitable.

Remember: You’re building thought leadership and a body of work for YOU and the positive impact YOU want to create in this world. Don’t lose sight of this.

One final note before we close off: I’m currently working on a brand new free resource that will be dropping in just a few weeks.

In this super comprehensive resource, you will learn the nine parts of your thought leadership strategy, you will have a set of rubrics to help you audit your thought leadership strategy, and you will be able to identify the specific gaps to fill and what your next action steps are, as you continue moving forward.

To grab this resource when it officially drops in September 2024, you can sign up for the waitlist at cheryltheory.com/audit. The link will also be in the show notes below.

Sounds good? Awesome. Let’s get to work.