Episode 157. Thought Leadership is NOT Just for the Top 1%: The Mindset & Identity You Need to Build Your Personal Brand & Business

The most successful content creators and strategic thought leaders usually aren’t the “best of the best” in their niche or industry. That said, they have built highly influential brands and businesses because they believe deeply in the importance of their work and are committed to honing the skills needed to amplify their message with their audience.

In This Episode:

Thought leaders share their thoughts, ideas and stories to help others and make the world a better place
The mindset and identity of being a thought leader
If being in the top 1% isn’t required, then what is?
Adding value to your audience and showcasing depth and caliber in your content
You are more than capable to start leading with your thoughts to create change and impact for others

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The Mindsets of Successful Content Creators and Strategy Thought Leaders

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When I have conversations with clients or industry colleagues about what they think of thought leadership, a common theme that pops up is that many people feel that in order to be a thought leader, you need to be an expert on the subject you’re talking about, years of experience on that subject, have proven results related to that subject matter, and more often than not, you need to be the best of the best.

The general sentiment I get is this: Be so good that people can’t help but regard you as a thought leader. Because if you have to call yourself a thought leader, then are you really a thought leader? Honestly, to a certain extent, I do resonate with some of these sentiments.

But here’s another thing to consider. For many of us, even if we do have the relevant skill set, credentials, or experience, we still find it really hard to call ourselves an expert, let alone a thought leader in the space.

For some many people who do have the “street cred”, they still feel like it’s not enough because they are comparing themselves to the top 1% of their industry peers.

As a result, they think that thought leadership is something they’ll need to earn later on, years later. Something that they can only be deemed qualified for if they’re the top 1%.

But, is it a requirement to be in the top 1% in order to be considered someone who has thought leadership? Is being at the top of the top a prerequisite to developing thought leadership?

Or is thought leadership more so a journey of becoming known for your story, your work, and/or how good you are at what you do, even without identifying as an expert?

What if it’s possible that thought leadership is actually a journey where you work on your identity as a thought leader and thus become a thought leader, even without feeling like you’re an expert or at the top 1% of the industry?

How could this be true?

In this episode, I want to unpack my thoughts on these exact questions.

Thought leaders share their thoughts, ideas and stories to help others and make the world a better place

To start, let’s first define thought leadership.

I was recently reading through some research papers to see how the academic literature defines thought leadership.

I want to share a couple of my personal favorite highlights from one particular paper, which is one of the OG papers talking about thought leadership.

McCrimmon, M. (2005). Thought leadership: A radical departure from traditional, positional leadership. Management Decision, 43(7/8), 1064-1070.

Thought leaders challenge the status quo, press for change, and transform the way we think
Thought leadership doesn’t depend on your personality, influencing skills, or your authority/position
Thought leadership can be demonstrated by example, logical argument factual presentation, or an emotional appeal
Thought leadership may change how people think, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to action. Implementation of the idea is different from thought leadership, which is the “selling” of the idea

Nowhere in this paper, or any of the papers I’ve read so far, said that thought leadership requires you to be the best of the best.

That said, in multiple papers, having the relevant experience is important for others to perceive you as a thought leader.

But the point I want to highlight here is that being in the top 1% isn’t a requirement to have thought leadership or to be considered a thought leader.

The way I see it is this, thought leadership isn’t predicated on the quantity or prestige of your credentials.

It’s about whether you build a compelling body of work with the brilliant thoughts, ideas, stories, knowledge, opinions, perspectives, and so on that are inside with your head and actually turning everything inside your head into some sort of output that can benefit others.

I don’t think thought leadership necessarily involves being in the top 1% or even saying something that is purely original or coming up with novel ideas.

Because I don’t think something has to be the best of the best or totally innovative or be something completely groundbreaking in order to make an impact or instill change in this world.

Instead, I see thought leadership as sharing what’s on your mind to make things better. Thought leaders, in my eyes, are people who take the initiative to share their thoughts in order to turn their vision into a reality. Whether it be to turn a business idea into reality, to improve specific circumstances, or instigate a positive change they wish to see in this world.

Thought leaders share what’s already in their heads because they know it can be helpful to someone else.

This is precisely how I define leadership: It is using the thoughts already inside your head, and using it to do something good in this world.

It is leading with your thoughts to create change and impact for others. It is being willing to go first and share what you believe in, what you know, sharing your lessons and insights. Not because you want to gain popularity or garner respect, but because it matters to you to share it.

I’ve said this before in several previous podcast episodes, but I do see thought leadership as a journey.

In my opinion, you can’t become a thought leader overnight. You don’t immediately earn this title just because you got XYZ achievement. You don’t become a thought leader just because you make X amount of money, or was featured in a really prestigious publication, or even after getting a doctorate.

You have to first decide to build thought leadership and decide what you want to be known for, then actually do the work aka put in the reps to build a body of work, which is an ongoing journey.

Building a body of work to become known for what you want to be known for until, eventually, you fully see yourself as a thought leader. Again, this has nothing to do with being in the top 1% .

Because truthfully, the reality of whether or not you’re in the top 1%, or whether or not you’re an expert isn’t as important as having the belief and feeling of having thought leadership and believing in your thought leadership.

This is also why part of my job as the coach is to help my people see that particular part of themselves. To help them really believe and lean into the fact that they do have thought leadership and thus value to add to the world, and that yes, even when compared to others, they are still a thought leader in a certain area or subject matter.

My job is also to help you see that you do hold thought leadership and that you’re continuously building upon it. My job is to empower you with the skills and tools to do something good with that thought leadership.

The mindset and identity of being a thought leader

This is precisely why I do the work that I do inside my signature program, The Thought Leader Club. Inside my program, we help you not only practically and tangibly build your body of work so that you become known for your unique thought leadership. We also coach on helping you shift into the mindset and identity of someone who believes in their own capability as a thought leader.

Here’s the thing. Thought leaders don’t conform to the dominant ways of thinking or ways of doing things especially if they see an alternative or better solution or way of looking at something.

Instead, a thought leader will lead with their own thoughts where necessary because they believe that this is the contribution they’re meant to make.

Even if the traditional path is supposedly going to guarantee some sort of safety or stability or success, thought leaders still choose to follow the unconventional path aka share their thoughts.

This isn’t just for self expression reasons, but it’s also because of advocacy reasons. Thought leaders are advocating for new ways of doing things or thinking about things.

That’s precisely what our clients inside TLC are doing. They are each individually building a body of work that lets them become known for their unique thought leadership. Because they have dreams for the next 1-3 years.

But here’s where I want to be adamantly clear: our people inside TLC aren’t chasing dreams for the sake of external validation or simply because they want to make more money. Their specific 1-3 year dreams and goals are all centered around the impact they want to make in this world.

For example, one of our awesome clients inside our current cohort is starting a new business based on his expertise in storytelling. He has earned a PhD in English and has so much experience with words and text.

His mission right now is to start his storytelling business, not only because this is a passion of his and because he wants to pursue this as his primary career moving forward, but also because he believes so much in the power of stories.

I’m sure we’ve all heard marketers or business coaches talk about sharing your story or how important it is to share your story.

But damn, I’m going to put all my bets on my client for being the most passionate storyteller of them all. He is literally a doctor of words. He cares so much about stories and words, so much so, that he’s dedicated his business and life’s work to it.

I share this client example because I know we all have dreams and goals for the next 1-3 years. I know that on one hand, these dreams matter because making more money or gaining recognition is important. It is important to me too.

On the other hand, I know that if you’re like myself or the people inside TLC, then I know that you also care so, so deeply about creating positive change in this world through your 1-3 year dreams.

This is the type of person that would be such an incredible culture fit and culture for our room, the Thought Leader Club.

TLC is THE room to:

Start putting in the reps to create your thought leader career and become highly prolific and consistent at building thought leadership
Build a body of work that lets you become known for your unique thought leadership, your story, and how amazing you are at what you do
And ultimately set yourself up for making your 1-3 year dreams a reality

Your next step is to book a discovery call with me for us to have a conversation about

1) What are your dreams in the next 1-3 years

2) The coaching, skills, and actions you need to make these dreams happen, and

3) How coaching together will support and guide you with all the above

You can schedule a discovery call by first filling out a short application form on the sales page for The Thought Leader Club. After you submit the form, you’ll get a link to book a discovery call

For real though. TLC is THE room to be in this year if you see the immense importance, relevance, and value of building your body of work and strengthening your identity as a thought leader.

When I say identity, what I mean is that you want to become someone who thinks about the long-term, lifelong, global impact you’re making as a thought leader.

You don’t just focus on your next few clients for this month. You don’t obsess over your social media analytics to gauge what’s resonating with your audience.

Instead, you’re spending energy on the decisions that matter for the long-term. This includes proudly sharing your work everywhere and amplifying your visibility (rather than hiding what you do because you don’t want your college classmates to know what you’re doing).

Instead of comparing yourself to others on LinkedIn or Instagram, others are comparing themselves to YOU because you are proudly sharing what you believe.

Others are in awe of you, not because of your growing visibility or popularity, but because they want to feel as proud of their career as you do.

Likewise, you are no longer chasing validation from family, friends, LinkedIn updates, likes, or the competition. You are in your own lane, and people can tell. They see you as a thought leader

Finally, you proudly lead by example. As a result, your content and marketing is uniquely differentiated from others in your space. This then leads to more opportunities coming to you or clients wanting to work with you and specifically YOU.

Because you show up with confidence and leverage your own ideas, story, and unique thought leadership (rather than creeping around at other coaches to figure out what you should talk about next), you also make major progress towards your 1-3 year dreams.

This is what I mean by the identity of being a thought leader and this is the culture we have inside TLC.

That said, I also do want to acknowledge that although these ways of thinking might make thought leaders seem so bold and self assured, I’m 100% confident that all thought leaders struggle with their own lived experiences of self doubt, fear of what people will think, worrying about not being able to handle dissenting opinions or arguments, and so on.

What sets thought leaders apart is that they feel the same extent of fear, uncertainty, anxiety, but they share their thoughts anyway. Because speaking about what matters to them matters to them so much.

Now, if being in the top 1% is NOT required to be someone who has thought leadership or is known for they thought leadership, then what do you need?

If being in the top 1% isn’t required, then what is?

Thought leadership, to me, is not necessarily something people are born with. It’s a choice. A decision. I would even argue, a skill that can be honed.

The more I’ve thought about thought leadership, the more I’m starting to see it as a verb rather than a noun. Rather than focusing on what is thought leadership, I am now more and more focused on how someone can build skills that demonstrate thought leadership.

Again, I see thought leadership as the action of using the thoughts already inside your head, and using it to do something good in this world. I don’t fixate so much on whether a certain idea or thought or story in your head is “qualified” to be thought leadership, but rather, I focus more on how it’s being delivered.

Specifically, as of right now, I’ve decided that I see this from two angles:

1) Are you presenting your thoughts in a way that adds value to others?

2) Are you going above and beyond in terms of depth and showcasing your caliber of thinking?

Adding value to your audience and showcasing depth and caliber in your content

First, let’s talk about what “value” means.

Instead of giving you a definition of it, here’s something that might be more helpful. I want to invite you to do the following exercise and come up with your own definition of value, or more specifically, come up with multiple examples of what value looks like.

Here’s the question I want you to answer: When you think about your own body of work, what are all the ways you can “create value”? What are all the different ways “value” can look like?

Make a list.

For example, here are some of what I came up with. Value could look like:

Tips that someone can follow / use
Offering a framework that someone can follow / use
Offering a series of steps or instructions that someone can follow / use
Sharing a story where the audience can extract the nuggets relevant to them
Sharing a story that instills hope and possibility in the audience
Sharing factual information (ex: statistics, research studies, etc)
Sharing a perspective that the audience has never considered → Now can see the situation from a different light
Inspiring the audience to do something they’ve been putting off
Inspiring the audience to do something despite the fear
Reminding the audience of something they forgot about
Explaining something from a different angle or offering different example → The audience now better understands
Explaining something from a different context → The audience can now relate more
Entertaining the audience; Making them laugh
Uplifting the audience; Making them feel encouraged, less alone, and supported
Organizing complex information in a way that the audience can now digest better
Helping the audience see that it is doable / possible for them, too
Making the audience feel FIRED UP and empowered to do something
Sharing your thought process, which the audience can then apply in their own decision making
Sharing a piece of information or resource that the audience has never heard of
Offering information that the audience was missing in order to help them make a decision

There’s probably like 100 more examples but these are the first 20 I thought of.

Similarly, what does depth and caliber mean? What does it mean to go above and beyond in terms of depth and to showcase your caliber of thinking?

Again, rather than making a blanket statement and saying, “Here is what depth and caliber means…”, I’d love to invite you to answer the following question: When you think about your own body of work, what are all the ways you can show “depth” and “caliber”? What are all the different ways “depth” and “caliber” can look like?

Make a list.

Here are some of my responses for what depth and caliber could look like:

Offering a simple framework that someone can use/apply
Providing examples that are outside of my niche/industry
Citing research studies, stats, or reports
Suggesting external resources (ex: local resources, books, etc)
Offering a metaphor or analogy
Offering a very specific, concrete example that’s very relatable to my audience
Offering an alternative definition or perspective
Creating a diagram (ex: chart, graph, table) to explain the written information
Creating an illustration to explain the written information
Answering audience’s questions (ex: Creating FAQ content)
Client case studies
Comparisons (ex: Pros and cons of A vs B)
Reviews
Public opinion surveys / audience surveys
Doing a demo / showing how to use something or how to do something
Showing a behind the scenes of how you do something (ex: A screenshot of your calendar, your meal prep recipes, etc)

If you do choose to do these two exercises, I’d love to hear what you come up with. If you’re open to it, please do send me an email at he***@ch**********.com , or feel free to drop me a message on Instagram or LinkedIn. I genuinely would love to hear your lists.

You are more than capable to start leading with your thoughts to create change and impact for others

I hope you’ll walk away with the understanding that you don’t need to be in the top 1% or hold certain credentials, accolades, or other forms of recognition in order to see that you do hold your own unique thought leadership.

Instead, what you need to do in order to become a thought leader is to start sharing what’s on your mind because you want to make things better.

Thought leaders are those who take the initiative to share their thoughts and turn certain ideas into a reality. That could look like turning a business idea into reality, or maybe to improve specific circumstances for themselves or for others. Or it could also look like creating a positive change they wish to see in this world.

Thought leaders share what’s already in their heads because they know it can be helpful to someone else. I know that you, too, are fully capable of becoming seen as a thought leader because I know damn well that you are fully capable of using the thoughts already inside your head, and using it to do something good in this world.

You are more than capable to start leading with your thoughts to create change and impact for others.

My question now to you is, if you know that you do hold unique thought leadership, what will you do next with that thought leadership? I’ll let you think more on this question.

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