2024 Thought Leadership: 3 Essential Strategies for Entrepreneurs
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Picture this: You’re on your thought-leadership journey, armed with a map of your insights, ready to find a path to recognition. You just poured your heart and soul into a blog post, sharing hard-won insights based on your years of experience. You did your research and included recent statistics. You edited your prose mercilessly, and now it’s sharper than a tailored P. Johnson suit.
Then you clicked publish, expecting to find the path to applause, only to realize you hit a dead end…filled with crickets. Even after a few months, the sound of silence echoes loudly.
Sound familiar? Don't worry; what I just described is a common experience because the world of thought-leadership blogging is truly a complex maze filled with hidden turns and unseen pitfalls, usually alongside posts with the familiar refrain of "10 Steps to Blasting Your Expertise."
Today, I’ll give you three key strategies to help guide you through this maze so you can find your audience.
Strategy #1: Be a guide, not just another traveler
According to recent estimates, the world generates 328.77 million terabytes of data each day. To put it into perspective, that amount of data is equivalent to 328.77 billion gigabytes or 328.77 quintillion bytes. That’s enough information to fill more than 15,000 Libraries of Congress!
A large, detailed image of the Library of Congress, intricately composed of 15,000 smaller images of the Library of Congress, showcasing its iconic reading room. Image created by DALL-E. RENAE GREGOIRE
Among all of that data, your post is like a single, hopeful step into a complex maze. It’s there but nearly impossible to find because countless other voices are vying for attention. All the confusing echoes make it hard for you to find your way.
But here's the twist: people crave a guide — not just another traveler. And most of what’s out there is fellow wanderers lost in the maze. These travelers seek authentic voices, leaders who cut through the clutter to show the way ahead.
So, forget the generic "5 Tips" drivel. Dive deep into sharing about your passions and expertise. Share unexpected and counterintuitive insights. Feel free to challenge the status quo and assumptions, even your own.
For example, suppose you're the founder of an AI startup. To raise the profile of your new company, you’ve been sharing posts on LinkedIn about the industry, your product's features, and the usual success stories. But because the response has been lukewarm at best, you sense it’s time for a pivot.
For your next post, you decide to take a risk. Instead of writing another post about your product or how AI will change the world, you choose to address the elephant in the room: the growing unease over AI ethics. You share a personal story about when your team faced a moral dilemma during product development. You lay out the gritty details, the sleepless nights, the heated debates. And then, you do something unexpected — ask your audience what they would have done in your shoes.
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This move does a few critical things.
It shows you're not just another faceless company but a seasoned guide grappling with real-world problems — just like your readers.
It turns what might have been a monologue into a dialogue.
It cuts through the noise by tackling a topic few people discuss openly.
A post like that sparks conversation. People begin to see you as a guide, not just another self-proclaimed AI expert. Over time, your posts become maps others look to for direction.
Focusing on signal over noise will attract suitable travelers — people genuinely interested in your insights and expertise. And as you make your way and become a guide, you’ll illuminate the pathway for others.
Strategy #2: Use vulnerability as a compass
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Most thought-leadership blogs are like shiny maps that leave out the messy realities of the journey. But because people want to hear from others who’ve navigated the same treacherous paths, sharing your vulnerabilities opens secret passages that make the map more navigable for you.
Your openness acts like a map showing others that they’re not the first to face challenges. It guides people who feel alone in their journey. Being vulnerable turns your journey from a solitary expedition to a communal trek. Each shared struggle and success helps everyone — including you — to chart a more straightforward way forward.
Check out this collective LinkedIn article on vulnerability and thought leadership. In it, it’s easy to see proof of how disclosing personal struggles increases perceived competence and trustworthiness.
So, share your failures. Post about your doubts. Tell others when you got turned around and forgot what you were doing. Your vulnerability and authenticity become a torch that lights the way for your audience. They’ll see themselves in your journey and be able to learn from your struggles.
For example, I recently took Ray Dalio's PrinciplesYou assessment (highly recommend — and there’s no charge for the detailed results), which gave me new insights about myself.
My strongest facets, with a 90% or better score:
✅ 98% non-conforming
✅ 99% detailed and reliable
✅ 90% organized
✅ 99% detail-oriented
✅ 97% dependable
✅ 95% conceptual
✅ 98% leadership
✅ 97% taking charge
✅ 98% demanding
✅ 97% autonomous
✅ 90% independent
✅ 95% internally motivated
✅ 98% determined
✅ 99% driven
✅ 97% proactive
✅ 98% status-seeking
Yes, it's a thorough assessment! And I agree with those points. All good reasons to work with me!
But I don't share only the good stuff. There are also some things I need to improve:
❎ 25% impartial
❎ 28% person-oriented
❎ 7% composed
❎ 9% calm
❎ 13% confident
❎ 8% poised
❎ 26% growth-seeking
❎ 30% humble (doesn't seem to mesh with low confidence)
❎ 16% modest (ditto)
I need to work on my emotional self. 🙁 And this year is the year to do it. I plan to hire a coach to help me raise my scores in those areas.
My sharing that with my network and you is me being vulnerable. You don’t have to like it. And you don’t have to share what makes you uncomfortable.
But you can still be vulnerable by letting people see what you’re willing to share about your messy sides.
Strategy #3: Consider community as your guide, not your destination
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Building a community around your blog — or, these days, your LinkedIn page — is about more than reaching the end of the maze. It's about creating a space for your travelers.
Encourage discussions. Ask questions. Answer questions, too. The most effective leaders don’t go it alone. They collaborate with others to find the way, with every interaction adding yet another detail to the collective map of the maze. You’ll soon find that you’re not just guiding others; you’re cultivating wise community where everyone — including yourself — comes to grow.
For instance, check out this LinkedIn post by Jeremy Connell-Waite, a storytelling communicator at IBM who regularly shares his insights on how to tell better stories. In that post, not only will you find his complimentary 72-part storytelling masterclass, but you’ll also find 3,000+ engagements and more than 300 comments — on a single post. Based on those numbers, it’s easy to see how Jeremy turned his LinkedIn page into a successful channel for thought leadership.
Your turn: Light your torch and let it guide others
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Now it’s your turn. Create a plan to transform your thought leadership from a solo trek into an engaged communal journey. Yes, it takes work and time. But by being authentic and vulnerable, you’ll light the way for others while also illuminating your own path ahead.
Stand out by embracing your unique voice. Move beyond the generic, and don't shy away from the messy realities. The world needs more insightful leadership and guidance. As you generously guide others with your hard-won wisdom, you'll find your own way forward coming into view, just over the horizon.
Originally published on Forbes.com.