Thought leadership content finds itself at the bottom of our to-do pile for a number of reasons:
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Business leaders’ prioritization game is like a rat race — there are dozens of items vying for the top time slots. What feels most immediate is the decisions that affect today. But thought leadership is about leaving a legacy, and we don’t always get as much time in this world as we hope for. Your job is replaceable. Your ideas and experience are not.
I’m not a viral social media sensation. I am, however, a writer and a leader. And I believe that the things I learn about human beings and the world around me are worth sharing.
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Doing this well involves knowing yourself a little. I am a disaster if I forfeit sleep. The caffeine in one cup of coffee is enough to make my brain move faster than my eyes. But the l-theanine and minor caffeine in green tea is the perfect concoction for my bodily system to be alive and thinking. I didn’t pay someone to tell me this, but I did have to commit to enough trial and error to figure it out. I’m so glad I did.
Having an optimistic perspective that says, “Ok, what should we try next?” is one of the most sustainable ways to get your body figured out. We usually think of sheer force and willpower as the most prudent strategy. I’m not on that bus.
2. Curate your thoughts. What are your current avenues for learning? Scrolling is one way to expose yourself to new ideas, but only if you’ve been intentional about who and what is in your feed. Podcasts, audiobooks, or time with mentors can feel selfish — sometimes we get so much enjoyment out of these things that it feels like we could have done something more productive with our time. If it’s on purpose, you probably couldn’t. What we consume and how much of it has a direct relationship to our output as thought leaders, business leaders, parents, and friends. People are listening to you. You’re worth investing in.
3. Download your thoughts. If you’ve never put ideation on your calendar, give it a whirl. Here’s how I schedule it: I choose whichever nonfiction audiobook is capturing my attention, put in earbuds, and take a walk. I don’t do this as a way to mine ideas from others to sell in my own thought leadership store. I do it because I find that ideas beget ideas. Ram Dass penned the famous quote, “We’re all just walking each other home,” and I feel a sense of inspiration and camaraderie with my thought leadership colleagues when I listen to their musings.
This process undoubtedly conjures up many of my own thoughts, which are difficult to write down while on a walk. Thankfully tools as simple as, “Hey Siri, send a text to Amanda Reill (that’s me)” can give me a quick log of whatever I want to revisit later.
When I get home, I might shower and get ready for the day if I feel like I need more time to marinate in these ideas, or I may sit right down with a notebook and start writing things down.
Creating a daily, or even weekly practice of idea generation is not something you’re likely to regret prioritizing. You’ll probably feel enriched. You’ll probably produce better content. And you might even enjoy the process.
No one else has your unique set of experiences. We often feel like we’re saying what’s been said a thousand times, but we forget that not everyone’s read the books we read. No one’s social media feed is identical. And if you’re doing thought leadership for the greater good, you probably won’t come across like you’re trying to be novel. People can smell authenticity the same way they can smell a fake.
Even if no one else reads or watches what you have to say, your kids or mentees may thank you for packaging up your experiences and leaving behind the knowledge you’ve earned.
WRITTEN BY
Amanda Reill