You're starting from scratch in a competitive industry. How do you build a thought leadership network?

As a friend once said, the challenge for most thought leaders is that they lack thought followers. True thought leadership requires a touch of controversy and distinctive edge. Simply repeating industry norms or promoting expected features like “great customer service” falls flat in today's hyper-competitive market. Prospects won’t get excited about working with you if you're just like everyone else. To grow your network, you must offer unique ideas, strategies, and tactics that make people THINK. The status quo won’t cut it. Thought leadership is always about attraction. You attract followers by presenting distinctive concepts that provoke consideration.

Listen in , Listen in , Listen in. Engage in, Engage in, Engage in. Give constructive feedback to someone in the same industry, co-create with them for few months. Then again listen in. Then again engage in. Repeat the cycles for some more months. When your confident, sketch down your concept and thoughts

Not sure how to select your niche? There’s an area that you have expertise - perhaps you know best practices, tips, tricks…or even have pet peeves around how the rest of the industry shows up in that area. That’s your niche!

You must conduct relevant analysis to understand the needs and gaps in the market. Additionally, identifying your unique strengths and capabilities can help you differentiate yourself and carve out a space for your business to thrive. Never believe your own lies; stick to your guns on how you hold that leverage.

Antes de dirigir los pensamientos, es esencial saber dónde enfocarse. Identificar un nicho dentro de tu industria donde puedas aportar información única es clave. No es necesario reinventar la rueda, sino encontrar un ángulo o perspectiva infrarrepresentada. Al especializarte, te conviertes en la referencia para ese tema específico, lo cual es crucial para establecer tu liderazgo de pensamiento. Cultivar una comprensión profunda y ofrecer insights valiosos atraerá a tu audiencia y consolidará tu autoridad en el campo.

Another way to engage online is to leverage LinkedIn itself and join groups for your new industry of focus. In these groups, begin engaging in other conversations to demonstrate your knowledge and follow active members. You can do this without having to invest in developing a lot of content to start, and this will give you more insight into what topics are trending right now to develop a point of view on.

Engaging online is key when starting from scratch in a competitive industry. Creating content like blogs, videos, and podcasts shows your expertise. Joining social media discussions and sharing valuable insights can get you noticed. It's a great way to build relationships with thought leaders and gain followers.

If you're in a competitive space, do what others are not doing. Identify gaps in the topics discussed, the format of the content produced, and the approaches presented. Engage with your peers, ask questions, stay humble, and don't be afraid to question your assumptions. That's how you can build a strong thought leadership network.

Being a thought leader requires you to be visible and that means physically (attending conferences/panel discussions/keynote speaker) and virtually (webinars, hybrid events, writing articles/blogs/research papers). Create a YouTube channel and social media channels to upload videos and bite size explainer videos of complex issues. In some ways your digital footprint is more important than your physical footprint. Your digital footprint will help build your brand through search engine optimisation (SEO). Have your own website and also an organisation website with content, such as videos, blogs, articles and research to cement yourself as an industry expert. Share thoughts, interview peers, join podcasts and expand your digital reach.

Building a thought leadership network definitely require you to get out. Try participating in conferences, webinars, and networking events to connect with other thought leaders and industry professionals. You can also become a member of relevant industry associations and actively participate in their activities. It requires getting in the trenches and connecting with the right people. In my experience, partnering with other thought leaders for co-authored articles, joint webinars, masterclasses or panel discussions will significantly expand your reach and credibility as well.

Building a thought leadership network in a competitive industry is all about strategic networking. Go to industry events, webinars, and conferences to meet influencers and peers. Think about how you can help others instead of what you can get from them. This way, you’ll form strong, helpful connections that support your growth as a thought leader.

To build a thought leadership network from scratch, start by offering value. Share insightful thoughts on industry trends, provide useful resources, or mentor others. By generously sharing your knowledge and time, you'll build a positive reputation, encouraging others to engage with and recommend you.

Start by identifying your niche and understanding the needs and interests of your target audience. Create high-quality content, such as articles, blogs, or videos, that provide insightful perspectives, actionable advice, or innovative solutions to industry challenges. Engage actively on relevant social media platforms and industry forums to share your expertise and connect with like-minded professionals. Collaborate with influencers or thought leaders by contributing to their content or participating in joint projects. Finally, prioritize building authentic relationships through networking events, conferences, and online communities, where you can establish credibility and expand your thought leadership presence over time.

When offering what you perceive as “thought leadership added value,” you must not break this important rule: Don’t hijack the conversation. Too many times, I’ve seen well-meaning professionals attempting to demonstrate their insight and thought leadership who instead come off as pontificating blowhards. If you want to contribute to an existing conversation and help illuminate the issue with an insight, be respectful of the original post and its author. If you want to make a point that establishes the originality of your thinking, create a compelling post on your own that attracts readers who will share your insights with their followers, as well.

Don’t be afraid to sing the praises of others. Remember there is more than enough work to go around and you certainly can’t be a thought leader in every aspect of the niche or industry your operate in. Build a strong grow of peers and collaborate to strengthen each other or to showcase the skills or thought leadership of other too. By building this community you can effectively collaborate with competitors and peers to establish yourself as a trusted and trustworthy partner to collaborate with. Recognition for the work others do and singing their praises will help establish you as a fair and trustworthy partner to do business with or collaborate with. Don’t take credit of others, rather promote and showcase the work of others.

Reflect & Adapt is the most important point, in thought leadership journey. If you have 6 hours to do a work( to learn a skill), spend 4 hours in learning the skills & 2 hours in reflecting back. If you are reading book on a niche topic, highlight the important points. And before end of day, make sure, you go back on those points & try to recall, what it meant in that book & how it relates to your own life/nearby life. By this connection & reflection, you will get deeper meaning of that subject & will be able to recall those points. It will also help in connecting the dots. Remember, in any new subject, you will make mistake. There always will be experts, who will know better than you. Respect that & try to assimilate good points.

Being a thought leader today doesn’t mean we will remain a thought leader. We need to continue to learn and develop our understanding and application of knowledge. Our industry will evolve and with industry 4.0 and now industry 5.0 we must embrace artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning and generative AI large language models. Working smarter and harder to stay head and shoulders above our closest competitors/peers through AI and technology and our own work to improve our understanding and application of knowledge and experience. If we want to remain at the forefront as thought leader we must work long and hard to achieve a deeper understanding of our niche, the industry we operate in and peripheral industries.

Don’t limit or condition your Self competition Focus on your uniqueness Invite the new network to explore and be the magic they are looking for. Post from the heart. Connect. Have conversation. Be real and relatable. All starts from 0. The number that has all potential. Collaborate.

There are Four Cornerstones of Distinction (from my book, “ICONIC”) that will help you stand out in your thought leadership efforts (or in any endeavor for your business or career) — • CLARITY — precision about the point you’re making or what makes you unique. • CREATIVITY — bringing an original perspective to the conversation or your customers. • COMMUNICATION — conveying the message with originality, which almost always means that you create a compelling narrative that inspires and informs through your story. • CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FOCUS — the focus of your efforts should be to assist your current or potential audience to achieve their goals or solve their problems. True thought leadership is to help others, not aggrandize yourself.