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The Musée Rodin in Paris is my favorite museum in the world. Peaceful. Serene. A perfect
place to, well, think.
If you go on LinkedIn or do a google search for “thought leadership” you will find dozens, no
hundreds, no thousands of articles. “How to become a thought leader.” “Ten steps to become a
thought leader.” Blah, blah, blah.
Let me simplify it for you. To be a thought leader you must, first, have thoughts, and, second,
act like a leader.
What do I mean by this?
You must have something to say that is unique, original, compelling, insightful…maybe even
controversial. But definitely thought provoking. This is the “thought” piece.
Becoming a “leader” requires you put yourself out there, whether it is on social media, in
conference presentations, blog posts, media interviews; whatever communications channels
you have available. You must be willing to demonstrate you want to lead a conversation on a
topic of importance for your industry.
So those are the two elements of thought leadership. Have thoughts. Be willing to lead. Let’s not
make it more complicated than that.
If you are ready, I can help.