Estás en desacuerdo con los influencers de la industria en la dirección del liderazgo de pensamiento. ¿Cómo encontrar puntos en común?

Influencer clash, a battle of minds! Let's find common ground and unite the thought leadership world. Common Ground Tactics: The empathy acrobat: Step into their shoes and understand their perspective. The active listening ninja: Pay close attention to their arguments and find areas of agreement. The bridge-building superhero: Identify common goals and find ways to collaborate. The value-delivering wizard: Focus on providing value to your audience, regardless of differences. The open-minded ninja: Be willing to compromise and find mutually beneficial solutions. Remember, even in the face of disagreement, it's possible to find common ground and work together to advance thought leadership. Let's unite and inspire!

Finding common ground with industry influencers on thought leadership direction begins with active listening. Start by genuinely listening to their perspectives and understanding their viewpoints. Demonstrate empathy and acknowledge the validity of their insights. Afterward, share your own ideas and explain your reasoning clearly, highlighting common objectives and goals. Look for overlapping interests and mutual benefits that align with both parties visions. Encourage open dialogue and be willing to adapt or compromise where possible. Building a respectful, collaborative relationship through listening can bridge gaps and foster a unified thought leadership strategy.

Ante una divergencia en el liderazgo de pensamiento, es esencial acercarte con curiosidad y apertura. Investiga a fondo las opiniones contrapuestas, no solo para entenderlas, sino para descubrir los matices que podrían enriquecer tu propia perspectiva. En lugar de verlo como un conflicto, considera la divergencia como una oportunidad para expandir tu conocimiento y fortalecer tus argumentos. Esta disposición no solo fomenta el respeto mutuo, sino que también te permite identificar puntos de convergencia que pueden ser clave para colaboraciones futuras o para redefinir tu enfoque de manera más estratégica.

Finding common ground with industry influencers starts with active listening to understand their perspectives and concerns. Engage in open, respectful dialogue, focusing on shared goals and values rather than differences. Highlight the areas where your visions align, using those as a foundation for collaboration. Be willing to compromise and adapt your approach if it strengthens the overall strategy. Present data and case studies to support your viewpoint, showing its value in a practical context. Emphasize the benefits of a united front, demonstrating how aligning on thought leadership can lead to greater impact and influence within the industry.

When you find yourself at odds with industry influencers on the direction of thought leadership, it’s essential to approach the situation with a mindset of collaboration and mutual respect. Start by actively listening to understand their perspectives and the reasons behind their stance. Engage in open dialogue where you can present your views clearly and confidently, backed by your experience and data. Seek common ground by identifying shared goals or values that can bridge the gap. As an Australian leader, I’ve learned that fostering relationships built on trust and mutual respect often leads to innovative solutions that benefit all parties. Remember, true thought leadership is not about winning arguments but about advancing the industry

**Once you've listened and understood the influencers' perspectives, initiate a respectful debate.** Present your views clearly and provide reasoning for your direction in thought leadership. Avoid getting defensive and remain open to different perspectives. This exchange of ideas isn't about winning but about understanding each other better. Through this process, both sides can uncover assumptions, learn from each other's insights, and potentially discover a new, shared direction that neither had previously considered.

After hearing them out, share your thoughts in a calm way. Keep it friendly and focus on understanding each other instead of trying to be right. The goal isn’t to win an argument, but to learn from each other and maybe find some common ground.

One of my favorite teachers of my entire academic path taught a model, focusing on a person in a box The concept of the model was to focus on the box and not on the stick person What this means is that any comment that you make or any judgment should be focused on the box with specific attention to not attack the person This could be translated as task orientated, but at the same time is a very mindful approach to respecting the other person

Pinpoint the core goals that you and the influencers both prioritize, such as driving innovation, enhancing customer experiences, or promoting industry growth. Example: In the tech industry, companies like Apple and Samsung might have differing approaches, but both prioritize advancing mobile technology. By focusing on this shared goal, they can find avenues for collaboration, such as setting industry standards or improving device interoperability.

**Identifying shared goals is crucial for bridging ideological divides and fostering collaboration.** Despite differences in approach or opinion, there are often common objectives at the core of your work. Whether it's innovation, customer satisfaction, or industry growth, focusing on these mutual interests can help bridge the ideological divide. By aligning on these broader goals, you can work collaboratively towards outcomes that benefit everyone involved, including the industry at large.

Find what you both care about. Even if you don’t agree on everything, there’s usually a common goal—like making progress, keeping customers happy, or helping the industry grow. When you focus on what you both want, it’s easier to work together and achieve something that benefits everyone.

I do think that shared goals is the common denominator so that whatever the difference in perspective if you can actually and precisely name the goal where you both agree on as being a common ground for a result, then you can argue the fact that even though your method and your approach is different That at the end, what you’re trying to achieve is the same goal While that may still leave a certain level of friction, it should instill a level of respect that different approaches achieve the same goal

**Compromise can be a powerful tool for finding common ground and driving progress.** While it's important to maintain your principles and vision, consider how you can adapt your approach to incorporate valuable insights from influencers. This doesn't mean abandoning your core beliefs but rather finding ways to integrate different ideas to create a stronger, more comprehensive strategy. View compromise as an opportunity for co-creation, where diverse perspectives can lead to innovative and effective solutions.

I don't see co-creation as compromise - I see it as an opportunity to land somewhere better than either individual argument / idea would have delivered you.

Compromise is always a very tricky thing But at the same time without compromise, there is really success This eludes to the proceeding section when we focused on the difference similar goals with different paths To often compromise focuses on emotion and loss instead of being reframed in the end goal and cost to achieve success When you clearly explain to the other party, why certain things cannot be compromised beyond a certain degree and that you can compensate with things that can be compromised it changes the entire dynamic and tests the respect, respect, and integrity of the negotiations

In Girl Scouts, there's a beautiful song about making new friends and keeping the old. Thought Leadership is not a solo experience. Thought leaders are usually the bold ones who use their voice to speak on trends or issues in their industry. Being at the top is not a lonely experience when you open yourself to an alliance with others. If you're reading this and would like to expand your alliance, please send me a message as I would be open to joining and learning from other leaders in the field.

**Building alliances with other thought leaders and industry participants who share your views can be a powerful tool in your journey to find common ground.** These alliances can provide support, add credibility to your approach, and create a collective voice that may be more persuasive to influencers who are initially resistant to your ideas. Remember, there's strength in numbers, and a well-articulated collective vision can often bridge the gap between divergent views.

It can be a long and winding road if you try and create without alliances Finding that share similar opinions can gain a lot of strength because the human being is hardwired to believe and respect references coming from authorities and groups While you do not want to dilute your thought, leadership into a group it is quite useful to lean on the support of an organization that can lend their credibility to your strife To inspire others The more you try to make an impact with something that is out of the box or uncommon the more important it is to have references and other sources to reinforce a part or all of what you are trying to convey

As I have previously mentioned, there is an unwritten contract between thought leadership and followers If you aspire to thought leadership, it comes with the responsibility of consistency This means that the ownership of ensuring that you are regularly expressing, updating and evolving your thoughts to your audience is mission critical to your thought leadership itself

**Maintaining ongoing engagement with industry influencers is essential for fostering lasting relationships and staying at the forefront of thought leadership.** Find opportunities to share updates on your initiatives, seek feedback, and remain receptive to new ideas. By continuing the conversation and demonstrating your commitment to collaboration, you can build strong relationships and ensure that you remain an active participant in shaping the direction of your industry.