Becoming a Thought Leader

Becoming a Thought Leader

I think the best leaders today are running large businesses. I do not see real leaders in politics or government, religion, not for profits, labor unions or even on the college campuses.
We have some cult leaders – Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and some others. When they speak, we listen, but they do not really lead us into the future beyond their companies, or to better living conditions or make us more secure, and they don’t lead us to action.
We do not have anyone leading the conversation. Bernie Sanders was a leader that moved likeminded people or perhaps he and Donald Trump were the “none of the above” choices. I do not see any major thought leaders today; and if there are some, then they haven’t reached me.
I would like some to emerge. They do not have to be universally accepted, but they should be by the group they are trying to reach and lead. To help this along I offer the following blueprint for future thought leaders.

• Decide on a topic or issue
• Choose your goal
• Be clear about why you chose that goal, and then be able to clearly articulate it to others
• What’s in it for you, i.e. why do you care and why are you doing it
• Who are you trying to reach
• Who are the centers of influence in that space
• You need to be able to write and like to write
• Ditto with speeches
• Choose five topics within that arena that you could write an article about or give a speech on and then write a 400 to 500 word article on each topic. This is an exercise for you to see if you have ideas that can be sufficiently developed and explained
• Review all of the above and ask yourself if you think you can do it, want to do it, and if you chose an important enough goal, or have you set your sights too low? If too low or you did not pick an important enough topic, start over. If you are satisfied, then here is the next path
• Choose a prestigious journal you could write your opening salvo in. Determine the average size of its articles and start with an outline to make sure you have your thoughts organized and are able to articulate your message in writing
• Make sure you have a call to action in it and that it is clear you are the leader
• Look at all recent books and journal articles on this topic to see whether others have your argument, and whether they are effectively communicating it. Try to understand why you will be different from them, and can demonstrate it
• Once you believe you can complete the article and can gain adherents, call the editor and discuss whether they would consider such an article for publication. You would have to establish your pedigree and expertise in the area you are developing
• Simultaneously, work on an op-ed column for a major newspaper, i.e. Wall Street
• Journal, NY Times or Washington Post. Follow the same procedure as for an article including the call to the editor
• Find out if there is a forthcoming book on that topic and call some book review editors to inquire if you could review the book for them, and then contact the publisher or the book’s editor to get an advance copy
• Keep in mind that this is a long range process – possibly five or more years. During this period you will be establishing a body of work and your presence in that field
• After you published a few “scholarly” articles, contact conference promoters to advise them you are available as a keynote speaker, and quote a fee about half of what might be the expected rate, and let them know of your immediate availability if they end up with an unexpected cancellation.
• Unless conference attendees are of a sufficiently high level, I do not believe speaking at a breakout session would help that much other than possibly providing a credential. Also, the conference promoter will not think of you the way they would if they considered you a keynote speaker
• Ask friends that are college professors if you could be a guest lecturer at one of their classes. This will give you some speaking experience and also provide excellent credentials
• I do not suggest getting involved in social media as I do not believe this would establish your reputation as a thought leader early on. Also, “working” social media is work, and needs commitment that many people either don’t understand or aren’t able to meet
• You should attend conferences on the topic and get to know the players and have them see you and get to know you. One thing I do is seek out people after a session that asked probing questions, and draw them into a conversation about their interests. This helps you develop ideas and establish a network of people you could interact with later on and also bounce ideas off of
• If possible get involved with a related organization and serve on a committee or on the board. It is suggested that you primarily listen and speak very little except to ask a questions that will result in the person responding speaking at length to you.
• One of my rules is that the more you get the other person to speak, the smarter they will think you are
• Once you have a year or two under your belt, I suggest you write a short book with your message – maximum of 25,000 words. Do not self-publish it, but if necessary provide subsidization to a publisher. A good source is a university press. Then buy enough copies to send to people you are trying to reach, and also to send reviewers.
• Include a fact sheet or short article with the book
• Get an altruistic likeminded financial backer to fund some of the above, and more. Also, depending upon your motive, perhaps you could set up a charitable organization so contributions would be tax deductible

The above presents a blueprint or game plan with a method of proceeding. Consider it, and add your insights and if you want to become a thought leader, go for it!