by Tony Vidler       

Creating a position as a thought leader is superb marketing for professionals, and all too often they confuse “being a thought leader” with simply “being first”.

The rush to be “first” to express an opinion or provide insight often produces disappointing results for the audience and the would-be-thought-leader.  The urgency undermines the position of expertise for 2 reasons;

1. You are potentially just more noise at a time when a lot of noise is being made about the same subject, and your message gets lost; and/or;
2. Insufficient thought has actually gone into expressing your opinion intially

Genuine thought leadership, and establishment of a position of expertise, requires that you provide insight or solutions or invaluable analysis.  It doesn’t generally result from rushing to add more content of a similar ilk to what is being pumped out into the world by everyone else.

So when it comes to establishing a position as a thought leader I would suggest that “second is best place”….more reflection….more insight….more meaningful content or discussion….these things add up to establishing a position as a thinker and an expert, as we discuss in this weeks quick video…

Watch the video to learn more…

You might also be interested in this related article:

A Great Adviser is, or should be, a Thought Leader