The Only Question to Ask

There is only one important question to ask when creating thought leadership: What do people need to know?

What do people need to know now?

 

What do they need to know to prepare for what’s happening six months or a year from now?

 

What do they need to know to mitigate risks?

 

What do they need to know to take advantage of opportunities?

 

What do they need to know about the strategic implications? Operational impacts?

 

As for how to become the thought leader in any given area, the surefire way is to create substantive, original, helpful thought leadership over a sustained period of time.

 

Quality is much more important than quantity.

 

Many organizations write one or two articles on a topic and then shift their attention to other things.  What’s needed is to cover a handful of topics that are important to your customers – exploring nuances of the topics in depth – over a sustained period of time.

 

To clarify what people need to know, it’s important to consider:

 

What’s already been said?

 

Does the topic merit your time and attention?

 

If there is nothing new to say on a particular topic, what else do clients need to know?

 

Once you’ve honed in on a topic, what do you feel deeply inspired to share?

 

As an expert in your field, with a unique perspective, experiences, and vantage point, what can you contribute that no one else can?

Call Alice at 347-647-4221