I have a shocking admission to make: I have mixed feelings about the term 'thought leadership' - the expression of ideas that demonstrate you have expertise in a particular field, area or topic.
Why is this shocking? Well, as the name of this business suggests, I LOVE written content. I used to read the back of cereal packets at breakfast as a child, because I really loved the act of reading. I read Ulysses by James Joyce in the months-long break between high school and university, for no other reason than it seemed like a challenge. (Note: I didn't really enjoy or understand it, but I did it.)
I also feel like I'm one of the few people in the world under the age of 50 who prefers reading something in long-form rather than discovering it via a 30-second video on social media.
Now I make a living from writing my own content, and I love doing that. I also love reading other people's content. The more creative, strategic and interesting - the better. In other words, as a concept, thought leadership should be my raison d'etre.
And it is - kind of. When a client approaches me and expresses the wish to create some thought leadership together, I get all kinds of excited. I love the challenge, the strategic thinking, the opportunity to support leaders in their field. It's my dream project.
However, there is also a tiny part of me that loathes the term thought leadership. I came across this article recently, and it summed up my feelings on the topic:
Some consultants, accountants, and other B2B communicators knowingly post recycled ideas and content devoid of insight to their “insights” and thought leadership web pages. Others genuinely think what they’re doing is thought leadership, even though their efforts don’t clear the bar.
This, this, so much this. As a term, thought leadership is overused and completely misunderstood. Just because your content isn't a sales brochure, it doesn't then become thought leadership by default. Far from it, in fact.
True thought leadership is selfless and generous. It is about giving your audience something for nothing - insights, a glimpse of the future, survey results, expert insight - something that helps people understand their industry and/or address their pain points. Perhaps it helps them become a better operator or a better human being. It's always ethical, and always enlightening. It always builds trust. And more than anything - it's interesting.
I examined my feelings on the topic and realised my resistance could be distilled to one central truth: you, as the leader or content creator, don't get to decide if what you're producing is thought leadership. The market decides.
Three other thought leadership truths (which we hold to be self-evident)
Writers and content producers don't sell 'thought leadership'. They sell you the experience and support to turn your own domain knowledge into rich, engaging, thought-provoking and creative content. To reiterate: your market will make the decision on whether or not it counts as thought leadership.
True thought leadership is not going to be created, as if by magic, via a one-off engagement with a writer or marketing consultant - no matter how good they might be. Your creative partner must understand you, your business, your industry and your tone of voice to produce content that really matters. If they haven't attempted to pick your brains at least once, and showed genuine enthusiasm while doing so, you're probably not going to end up with thought leadership content at the end of the process.
It's worth considering other terms when you're working with a creative partner to produce content, so you can keep everyone's expectations well-managed. Industry-focused content, executive-level content and leadership content all work for me.
All that being said, the quest to produce thought leadership content should never stop. Every industry needs it - it's what keeps information flowing in the ideas economy! However, I believe it is the role of creative partners such as myself to have an open and honest conversation with clients from the outset, that is - the first time the term 'thought leadership' is raised.
Perhaps it is as simple as one sentence:
"I can't promise you thought leadership, but I can help turn your ideas into the best possible content."
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