What is thought leadership?

“Thought leadership” is one of those awkward business terms that are easy to hate. “Thought leadership content” is even more problematic.

A better term would be, simply, “leadership.” When you are a leader, your ideas command respect and attention, which is what people are after when they talk about thought leadership and thought leadership content.

Leadership doesn’t come from a pen or a keyboard, no matter how eloquent your words are. True leadership comes from trust, demonstrated authority, and the ability to create a connection.

To be a thought leader, you need ideas worth listening to — in the form of a story that moves people’s hearts.

There are a few crucial steps to developing a compelling thought leadership story.

1. You need to know who your audience is. Successfully defining your audience means researching, understanding their needs and dreams, and listening.
2. With a well-defined audience, you’re ready to develop a compelling narrative. You establish a relatable and trustworthy lead character that your audience can relate to. You define a significant challenge they care about and show how they can overcome it. You create messages that resonate and that people will remember and respond to.
3. Once you know who you’re talking to and what they want to hear, you can create thought leadership content. Done well, this will forge connections: between yourself and others, among your growing audience, and ideas.
4. When you can spark connections in readers’ hearts and minds, that’s when the magic happens. That’s when people start to seek you out because you make them feel good, inspire them, or get them excited about their potential — not just yours. You have demonstrated leadership.