A crucial way to stand out from the masses is to get people in your organization established as the thought leaders in your sector. Article by Mindy Gibbins-Klein.

Thought leadership is a strategy that can be planned and executed throughout an entire organisation.  People still speak and write about thought leadership without any specific criteria, which makes it hard to declare with confidence who is one and who is not.  It is even harder to aspire to be one because how would you know if you reached the standard or not? REAL thought leadership contains four elements:

REACH
Reach simply involves the recognition amongst the community of would-be clients or customers.  The premise of this strategy is one of becoming a household name. Get yourself some speaking engagements at places where your potential customers might be. Being at these sorts of events increases the likelihood that you will be remembered – and people tend to buy from people they know.  There are also now some new and exciting ways to extend your Reach faster and better than other people in your industry – video and blogging are essential, and my personal preference is writing and publishing books.

ENGAGEMENT
However, just being known is not enough.  You need to be liked enough to trust, and we call this Engagement.  The best way to achieve it (once you have got your potential customer’s attention), is are by creating one-to-one, personalised communications with them.  Social media lends itself to this, and some companies are using this method very successfully, with key individuals interacting with contacts and followers on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other tools.  People are deepening relationships and trust through these tools, and these activities need to be encouraged to fully benefit from a thought leadership culture.

AUTHORITY
The third element of the REAL standard implies that you must become recognised as a true Authority in your industry.  This is probably the most important part, – Authority is what secures you as the most trusted brand and will allow you to stand out in your field. Be bold and speak out with confidence about what your business has to offer. Start by creating a healthy debate to stimulate a few thoughts among your listeners. Not only must the business be seen as an Authority, but key individuals must also stand out.  Every client or customer of yours would like to feel they know what the CEO or managing director stands for.  Hearing from the CEO can create a certain confidence that the company is being led by someone with ideas.

LONGEVITY
Finally, the way you get these ideas into the market is critical.  Longevity depends on your ideas being remembered long after you have left a meeting or long after someone has read some of your material.  Longevity means you and your organization stay in people’s minds for the right reasons.  Web publishing and interactions are far more prevalent now, but it is still more transient than hard copy.  The full-length book in print is still the best builder of credibility available to us, yet so few people write and publish books. 

CREATING THE RIGHT CULTURE
Creating a culture of thought leadership definitely starts at the top. Top management needs to be implementing a thought leadership strategy before it is cascaded through the rest of the organization. The more you allow and encourage key managers to have their own writing, publishing and speaking strategy, the more loyalty and job satisfaction you will create.  Obviously, there need to be clear guidelines, and the messages given out need to mirror and support what is being shared from the top.  Done well, you can gain an edge over other companies who are still immersed in old-school marketing strategies. 

For HR managers, creating this culture will be rewarding for employees at every level.  As people share and are recognised as individuals with valuable ideas, the organization experiences improved retention, especially of the most talented employees.  Everyone knows what the company stands for, its vision and values, since they are clearly articulated at every level, starting with top management.  Organizations that take thought leadership seriously even include writing, publishing and speaking objectives in people’s role descriptions, and measure against these items at appraisal and review time. The greatest benefit of all is the increased respect and business that can come from showing your customers and clients the real value of your ideas and opinions.  The act of standing out from the crowd is a gift to the customer, who is often swamped with proposals from firms who all look and sound the same.  Customers want you to share real wisdom and knowledge with them, and build relationships before they buy.