Does the Term "Thought Leader" Make You Cringe?

Does the term “thought leader” make you cringe?

Yeah, it used to make me cringe, too. Because what does it actually mean?

I remember the first time I heard this term being thrown around in the digital marketing space 10 years ago. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me. If you’re a thought leader, aren’t you just a leader? Is there something special, unique, or somehow inaccessible about the way you think? What are you leading with except for ideas and innovations?

There’s also a bit of pressure in the idea of thought leadership. I mean, we all have thoughts about the state of our industry, what’s working vs. what’s not, or how things should be done. Many of us approach our work through a unique lens. But the idea of thought leadership feels weighty, like we somehow have to be something above and beyond in order to show up as a leader in our own right.

Besides, we probably don’t know enough to stand out from the crowd, anyway. The online world is noisy, and all that. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard and thought that phrase.

(Spoiler alert: It’s only noisy if you think of the internet as one big, crowded theatre with everyone clamoring for the same stage.)

So we keep our heads down and quietly serve our clients, create our products, and do our work. We’re dang good at what we do, and that’s what works for us right now, so why not keep on plugging away?

Except that sometimes, what used to work for us suddenly just… stops working. Or we outgrow the work we’ve been doing for years on end. Or the market shifts and suddenly our pipeline runs dry.

Eventually, we realize that maybe we should have started working on becoming more visible a long time ago. At least, that’s my story.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been at this game for years, blending into other brands and working doggedly to establish yourself as an expert in your space. You’ve built a high level of trust within your network or niche, and you’re proud of the body of work you’ve created. But now you’re ready for the next level… and you have no real (visible) online presence to speak of.

So what are you supposed to do now?

We’ve already established that the term “thought leader” just might give you the ick. Maybe that’s because you have associated it with negative connotations - i.e., unsavory personalities, “salesy” jargon, or high-pressure tactics.

But let’s reframe what a thought leader actually is.

Thought leaders are professionals with the insight, knowledge, and perspective to inspire, challenge, and drive positive change.

Sounds a lot better, doesn’t it?

With that reframe in mind, how can you start to move forward with establishing yourself as a visible force in your market? How can you best connect with the people who need you most? And most importantly of all, how can you actually start to see yourself as the true leader you are?

It all starts with believing you’re knowledgeable and worthy enough to be seen.

We’ll talk about that next. Until then, let’s integrate that reframe.

Insight, Knowledge, & Perspective + Inspiration, Challenge, & Positive Change

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Thought Leadership

Take a little time to let that simmer, and drop me a comment with your thoughts if you’d like. In the next post, I’ll be talking a bit about self-worth and why a healthy sense of worthiness must underpin your development as a thought leader.