How business people can build the confidence to be visible and create a strong platform for thought leadership
Many people who have something worth saying never say it – not necessarily because they think their idea is weak, but because they just don’t have the confidence to say it. Important conversations that can change industries, alter perspectives, challenge assumptions or overturn the status quo are sometimes never held, because that one person lacked the confidence to stand up and speak. Building thought leadership can only come from creating yourself a strong voice that reaches the right people.
Hesitation may be natural, both for individuals and for companies who are a bit hesitant to stick their head above the parapet. Yet, even if you have a sense that you’ve not quite earned the right to speak up yet, it’s possible to find your voice if you take the right steps.
Building visibility and authority does not come from clever content hooks and a stuffed calendar of blogs and posts. It only comes with confidence, which never arrives in a blinding flash – only in stages.
It all starts with the first step…
Value what only you can say – build your thought leadership around it
There is a strong chance that you have knowledge and experience that others in your field simply do not. After all, nobody has taken your particular path, or experienced exactly the same as you. So it’s well worth reflecting on this question as you build your platform: what is it that you know about that others don’t get in quite the same way or the same depth? Building visibility and thought leadership is not about proving you are the cleverest person in the room. It is about showing the experience, knowledge and opinions that are uniquely yours. Of course, you need to back it up – showing where these insights came from, verifying them with as much real evidence as possible.
Another place to start is with what you believe, and why? Only you can decide where you stand on the issues that matter in your world or that of your audience. Focus on this, think through what you feel strongest about, and question the assumptions you have before you shape up what you want to say – and, again, make sure you can back it up.
When you frame what you know and where you stand clearly, people can see it, and will recognise it as a credible position.
Originate ideas you can own – you build thought leadership on fresh ideas
Ideas need a shape if you’re to communicate them clearly. The best individual and organisational though leaders spend a lot of time on this, building a body of work that they can make accessible in various ways – perhaps as a framework, a pathway, or just an illustration to help illuminate a topic for their audience.
Shape can’t come from scattered thoughts – so you need to capture them, and tame them. Take time to gather them up, recording random ideas as they occur to you, until you have enough to give your perspective a shape.
Sometimes, it even helps to think in visual shape terms – squares, pyramids, steps and circles have been used by thousands of people and companies to give their ideas some substance.
The more thought you put in, the more uniquely yours the idea will become. Even if you draw ideas in from others, the end product will be absolutely your own.
Don’t know where to start?
- You can’t beat a thorough brain-dump followed by a creative brainstorm. Arm yourself with pens and sticky note pads or a big whiteboard, and dump all your thoughts on the topic down. Grab your tablet (or even a small pad and pen) then lie on the couch for a while, or sit in a café and watch the world go by, as you noodle on your topic and not down whatever floats into your mind.
- Once you have a big stack you need to rationalise it. Use whatever technique feels comfortable to do that – make lists, or play with some mindmaps to help you organise those thoughts and – importantly – spot the areas and gaps where you need to do more thinking or research.
The target out-take from this is a firm perspective and clear line of thinking – so firm and clear that you start to be truly confident it’s not just interesting but useful to your audience. You are able to name the problem, challenge an accepted norm, or answer a burning question that’s on people’s minds.
Throw out what is weak, keep what is strong, and be as ruthless with yourself as you can as you critique and tune your own ideas. Because thought leadership success doesn’t come from repeating other people’s ideas – only from finding your own.
Influence and inspire others – that’s the whole point…
Finding the voice you always knew you should have isn’t only about you. Everything you say has to be heard, and understood, and have meaning to somebody else.
When you’ve done your homework and built your ideas in a way that you really believe in, you can start to inspire – and it can be the thing that boosts your confidence so much that it will inspire you to keep doing more too.
The responses and questions you get from others when you start speaking up will tell you a lot about whether and how your ideas are landing. It will also help you spot what still needs to be strengthened or further explored.
Developing your storytelling skill will stand you in good stead. Stories are what make any idea memorable. Telling anecdotes about real customers and their experience will give your stories a hero for audiences to support. Explain alternatives to the status quo or different pathways to the future, so that your recipients see the options they have. Lastly, giving people a clear next step is a great way to wind up any thought-provoking presentation or speech. It’s almost like teasing the next chapter of the story.
Truly influential people who engage and inspire their audience know very well that it’s not about themselves, but about the audience – and everything they do is built with this in mind.
Communicate to compound your momentum
Unless you plan to publish a monster book right at the start, building your voice about a topic needs to happen over time.
Visibility in any field doesn’t come from being a one hit wonder. It comes from showing up on platforms repeatedly, and dependably, over time.
Decide on a rhythm that suits you, and will support your audience in the right way. How you will create strong pieces of content that build up, or enrich your theme. Where you need to be often, and where you can best show up just occasionally. Think about your site, your socials, and your email database if you have one. Check out where your audience goes for insight and information. Work smart – don’t forget about repurposing content for different platforms. Plan on how you’re going to use each platform and piece of content to get your voice across and build your value bit by bit.
Each piece someone reads, each post they see, each podcast or talk you participate in builds up the perception of your expertise and value. All the while building unmissable visibility.
It won’t happen overnight. In fact, it’s better if it doesn’t. At some point, both your audience and you will realise: you simply ARE the voice on this topic.
Evolve and enrich from there – all great thought leadership keeps moving
Keeping your voice and messages fresh means embracing evolution. You know who you want to reach with your message – but if it stays static, they will definitely stop listening at some point. Authority needs to evolve and deepen over time.
Earlier we mentioned the power of audience questions and queries. These are gold: you’ll enrich your presentation simply by listening and tuning your messages. Watch which content piece gets reaction, positive or negative – and which post got engagement, and which did not.
The world around you will not stop turning. Whatever your sector, it will face new issues. Others in your space may field ideas of their own which require response. Audiences themselves will come up with new concerns. If you’re in the tech space you don’t need me to tell you that AI is changing the game left right and centre.
Use what is changing around you and your audience to refresh what you know, how you think and what you advise. Then fold in new evidence, stories and angles as they arise.
You’ll know when you’re there!
Confidence creeps up on you. If you put in all the work above, it will grow as you learn and become experienced. If all goes to plan, you’ll start to earn opportunities that you only dreamed of – either as an independent businessperson, or within your company. Today’s brands value those who can stand up, use their voice to influence audiences, and become thought leaders in their industry.
You may not wake up one morning and think you’ve made it. But one day you’ll wake up and realise you have built something nobody can ever take from you: a voice that is not just valuable, but unmistakably yours.
Looking to build your business voice as a leader or as a brand? Get in touch and ask about our thought leadership services, which include one-off thought leadership foundations workshops to help you whole team build a basis on which to build a thriving programme.
