If you want to stand out from the crowd as an executive, here's what you need to do!
The world of business is more competitive than ever. Yes, we've heard that all before. But, what can you actually do to give yourself an edge?
Some people use executive thought leadership to sell more products. Others use it to elevate their careers. Whatever your objective, establishing yourself as a source of trusted insight is an incredibly powerful tool to stand out from the crowd.
In fact, right now, two-thirds of executives consider thought leadership to be a "top priority" for their organisation.
This article outlines seven ways to demonstrate your thought leadership as an executive.
One of the best ways to demonstrate your status as an expert is to share your expertise through blog posts, articles, and columns. Think: what knowledge do I have that will help other people?
This might mean identifying a particular area of your industry where you are especially experienced. You can, then, write up a comprehensive guide or introduction to this element of your sector.
Insightful content is powerful because more than half of C-suite executives spend at least an hour every week reading thought leadership content.
Alternatively, it might mean giving your take on an industry trend, pointing out how you think differently to the rest of the industry, or highlighting best practice in your sector. This is powerful because more than half of C-suite executives spend at least an hour every week reading thought leadership content.
Example: "Sam is the founder of a 3D printing company. This is a new, emerging industry, and not many people know what is involved in 3D printing objects. Sam decides to publish a comprehensive guide to how to 3D print an object, from design through to mass production. This showcases his expertise, and establishes him as a trusted source of knowledge in the sector."
Conferences still play an influential role in guiding and steering industry discussions. In fact, they often 'set the agenda' for a sector, putting a particular focus on different challenges across the industry.
There are usually two or three big conferences in each industry, and they are prime opportunities for you to raise your profile as an executive and establish executive thought leadership.
Remember though: speaking at a conference is not enough, you must say something that is original and, if possible, challenges the industry.
Example: "Rachel is CEO of a publicly-listed construction company. She has scored an opportunity to speak at the biggest house building conference in the country.
"She has decided to give a speech about the problem of carbon emissions in the industry, whilst also highlighting what her own company is doing to try to overcome this challenge. She ensures that the speech is recorded, so that it can be hosted online for perpetuity."
Social media is not about your follower count. And, in fact, focusing only on your follower number can be self-defeating. It incentivises the wrong behaviour.
Instead, ask: "What advice and insights can I share that will be actually useful to my target audience?" If you tease out those insights and start sharing them generously with your audience, you should start to grow your follower count organically.
But, what type of insights should you share? It could be hands-on tips for getting ahead in your industry. Or, it might be sharing insider industry knowledge on how your sector really works. Or, it might be demystifying conventional wisdom in your sector.
Share openly, and keep your posts snappy, practical, and hands-on. Also, many social media networks give more prominence to people who post, comment, and reshare content daily. So, set up a proper schedule and stick to it.
Example: "David runs a large FMCG company. He knows what it takes to launch a new consumer brand. He breaks down all the different stages of launching a product, and writes down his top tips and advice at different stages. He turns each of these lists of tips into punchy social media posts, and schedules this series of posts over a two week period."
Establishing thought leadership is not a one-way discussion. You cannot just act like a loudhailer, preaching to the rest of the industry.
Instead, you need to participate in industry discussions, responding to other people's views, giving your take, and constructively moving forward the debate.
In practice, this means taking the time to respond and comment on other people's posts on social media, sitting on industry panels or joining industry roundtable discussions, or even asking questions at events from the audience.
You will be rewarded not only with increased levels of respect, but you will also be invited into more discussions and groups as well.
Example: "Martina is the CEO of a large investment manager. She already belongs to the trade association for her industry, but has never really engaged with its work. She researches a list of their events, and sees that there is an upcoming roundtable discussion on women representation in the industry. She participates in the discussion, and discusses its outputs on social media."
Data speaks louder than words. While giving your opinion on an industry trend is valuable, if you have new data that shines a fresh light on that trend, you will be rewarded with a new level of respect and credibility. It can supercharge your profile.
You will likely have to commission a research company or polling agency to uncover new data, and you will have to pick over the data to tease out the trends or themes.
But this is not easy. In fact, that's why original research is such a powerful way to establish executive thought leadership. It requires a significant investment of both time and money.
You will likely have to commission a research company or polling agency to uncover new data, and you will have to pick over the data to tease out the trends or themes.
Example: "Scott is the CTO of an auto manufacturer. He commissioned a research company to survey the industry on how long it takes different suppliers to produce the different components of a car over the last 10 years.
"The results showed that while 90 percent of components were now much quicker to produce, there were 10 percent of components that still took the same amount of time. Scott spoke to the media about this research, highlighting how manufacturers needed to focus their energy on speeding up the production processes for these final 10 percent of components."
Establishing executive thought leadership is also about putting your head above the parapet. Recognising the way that your industry or sector can, or should, change for the better. This could include representation, sustainability, or something else beside.
If you feel strongly about changing something in your industry, consider setting up an industry campaign to make the case. This will provide you with a good opportunity to connect with colleagues about the issue, make the case, and participate in discussions.
It will also provide a topic to speak to the media about, or a theme to discuss at a conference. In fact, more than half of consumers say that thought leadership is an important means of raising awareness of issues that are not talked about enough.
Example: "Clara is CEO of a well-known food brand. She believes that labelling in the industry around the amount of sugar in products is unclear. She decides to launch a new campaign, titled Stop Sugar Coating, and reaches out to other executives in the industry to appoint an advisory board. She launches the campaign with a big media announcement and social media campaign."
It is not possible to establish executive thought leadership if you just churn out platitudes. It is important to say something truly different and original.
Ask yourself the following questions: What do I think that other people in the industry don't? If I was head of the industry body for my sector, what's the first change I would make? What's the biggest threat or challenge to my sector?
Ask yourself the following questions: What do I think that other people in the industry don't? If I was head of the industry body for my sector, what's the first change I would make?
After you have pinned down your answer, consider turning it into a punchy intervention to be shared with the media. Don't dilute or sugarcoat the message. The media are only interested in hearing views and perspectives that are truly interesting and challenging.
Example: "David is CMO of a fashion brand. He believes that fashion has become much too expensive and, in fact, that it has started to have a destructive effect on society. He releases a quote saying that the fashion industry needs to focus on reducing its inflated costs and make itself more accessible to all people."
The best way to demonstrate thought leadership is to share your unique experience and insights or, alternatively, take a contrarian and courageous position in your industry. It is important to turn these insights or positions into engaging and easy-to-understand content, which can be shared with peers, or social media, or through the sector media.
This will put you in a strong position to establish your executive thought leadership.
For more guidance on thought leadership, check out our thought leadership best practice guide.
If you're looking to boost your executive profile with thought leadership, consider booking a call with one of our experts. We're the leading PR and communications agency for CEOs and senior figures.