The phrase ‘thought leadership’ has become so overused that leaders need to go one step further to make a real difference.

‘We are doing thought leadership.’ This is exactly what my contact said to me. Really, I thought? How do you do thought leadership? He pictured it as a kind of tick-box exercise, something that you could have your marketing department and digital agency own. Instead, true thought leadership is still what it was intended to be: new, exciting and potentially disruptive thinking from the leaders of the organisation.

For those leaders who understand this is an important part of their role, prioritising true thought leaderhship is definitely paying off. Over the past five years, I have seen hundreds of clients catapult to the top of their industries with clever and impactful messages that have impressed the media and, more importantly, their market. Here are four tips to get your fair share of attention:

1. I advise creating a little time and space to reflect and come up with those new ideas. Some prompts and specific techniques can help you to come up with new ideas quickly – ideas that you are excited about sharing and that your stakeholders can really get behind. You can go to seminars, retreats and workshops. Or, you can get private coaching on thought leadership strategy. Some people feel private work is best, as they don’t want to share their best ideas until they have thought them through.

2. Choose different influences. Surprisingly, I do not advocate reading lots of books, articles and blogs from your peers, in your industry. Studies have shown that when you read the same kind of things, you get into ‘group think’ mode, and it actually reduces your ability to think outside the box. If you want to think outside the box, you need to stimulate your thinking and get influences from outside the box – different industries, or different kinds of books (not about your subject or industry). I suggest reading fiction and especially science fiction. Something that originated in someone’s imagination can get your imagination going.

3. Go visit new places, or use different modes of transport. If you normally go by train, take a taxi. If you usually use a bus, walk more. Keep your eyes and ears open, and see what you notice.

4. Switch off! When you are in a taxi, don’t just look at your texts and emails. Talk to the taxi driver and you won’t believe how many interesting subjects you can discuss. Switch the phone and tablet off occasionally, so you are not disturbed when you are trying to think. If this idea makes you panic, try it for an hour at a time.

You really do need to come up with a unique viewpoint and added value. This is what your staff, clients and prospects need and expect from you. An innovative executive is one who inspires and engenders confidence.

As a key leader in your organisation, you need to consider cranking up the boldness in your message and getting it out more widely, letting people see that you are visible, vocal and a great thinker.

 

By Mindy Gibbins-Klein MBA FPSA FRSA, International speaker, author and thought leadership strategist.

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