Want to create credibility, visibility and brand loyalty? Thought leadership can help you do that. Journalists, analysts and conference producers will seek you out to put you in the spotlight. In her book Ready to Be a Thought Leader? How to IncreaseYour Influence, Impact, and Success, Denise Brosseau provides seven steps to thought leadership.
1. Find your driving passion: Align your interests, expertise, credibility and commitment to be most effective.
2. Build your ripples of influence: Test and refine your concept with colleagues, mentors and friends.
3. Activate your advocates: Source influential people who will help champion your cause.
4. Put your "I" on the line: To stand out, take the risk of saying something new and different.
5. Codify your lessons learned: Distill your message so others can help spread the word.
6. Follow the S.H.O.U.T protocol: Select your audience andventure; Hone your message; Overcome resistance; Understand potential pitfalls; and Transform individuals into a community.
7. Incite (R)Evolution: Now it's time to focus on building momentum for your cause. But you need to know which activities work best for maximum effect. Measuring the impact of your effort is key.