The term “thought leader” gets tossed around a lot in certain circles. People use it in business, education, and content creation. But what is a thought leader, and how do you become one?
I am just starting my journey into thought leadership, and I have been writing for over two years. Yes, it takes a while to form your own thoughts and for them to take hold in the world.
What is a thought leader? A thought leader is someone who has their own vision and can articulate (or convey) it to others clearly. Let’s unpack this definition.
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What is vision? Vision is a result you project out into the future. Through vision, you can create plans, goals, and tasks.
How do you articulate clearly? There is truly one way to get your message across clearly, and that is through writing. Once you learn how to write effectively, you can communicate through speaking and listening.
Writing is the most critical skill of the 3 R’s (writing, reading, and arithmetic). However, you need to understand and adapt all of these to become a thought leader.
Why is reading important? Reading gives you the information to piece your thoughts together. While reading, we drift into another consciousness where we combine thoughts and ideas.
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The book “How to Take Smart Notes” was my introduction to combining disparate (vastly different) ideas. In the book, a German Socialist named Niklas Luhmann read and took notes.
He then placed these different notes into a cylinder and removed a few of them randomly. He would then write based on the random notes he pulled. It is incredible to combine ideas like this and allow you to create a never-ending stream of content.
I use this technique to create content no one is producing. For example, I combined sustainable farming and income investing in my “From Dirt to Dividends” series.
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Why is arithmetic necessary? Why do we need to do math? Math is a constant and doesn’t vary. We need something on this Earth that is not up for debate. Most everything uses math.
We may not see how using math is vital as we pump our gas, but scientists use formulas to ensure the quality and validity of the gas, etc.
Why is writing important? Writing is the most challenging of the 3 Rs. For every paragraph, you make 100s of decisions—keeping your audience, grammar, and vocabulary in constant focus.
Writing helps you refine your message because you must condense your thoughts into a small word limit. It’s not a five-hour two-way conversation. You probably have ten minutes to gain and keep someone’s attention.
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I love writing because it challenges you to read to understand and enact your own principles. For example, I always write about living on a budget and saving money.
When I arrived in San Diego recently, my first act was to put a new budget in place. I now have new material to write about and keep my thought process moving forward.
How to become a thought leader. The first step to becoming a thought leader is reading many books. I recommend a mix of the classics and newer books as well.
I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited to save a few bucks throughout the year. I try to finish a book every two weeks. However, I completed a book every week when I started my journey.
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Now, I have to produce content that takes effort and reduces my reading time. However, I spend at least 30 minutes a day reading.
I recommend reading a least 30 books before you consider forming your thoughts on paper. I like to write a short book report to keep these ideas in my knowledge bank.
Start writing. Now comes the hard part—forming your thoughts via writing. Most people are not confident about releasing their paper into the world. However, most will never become thought leaders.
What are you writing? Your message or platform is a merger of your reading, content consumption (news), and experiences—it is wholly unique to you.
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As you read books, pull things that merge into your life. For example, if a book says you need to spend ten hours a day building your business.
The author may be a single person, and you are married. Your thought may be to spend two hours a day from Monday to Friday to achieve the same results. You may write some articles like:
- How can you build a business with a family?
- How to manage work-business-life balance?
- What businesses are best for a family person?
- How to keep your full-time job and run a business?
Going deeper. There are many articles about these topics, but they aren’t from thought leaders. A thought leader will go deeper into each of these topics. Most pieces are from bloggers and journalists trying to draw attention to their websites.
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A thought leader adds their own experiences, books, emotions, and disparate information to build a unique platform.
Let’s take “How to Build a Business with a Family?” for example. A true thought leader will describe why starting a business is essential and how the family may benefit from a business over their lifetime.
They will also present challenges of building a business and maintaining family and work responsibilities. The reader will have to consider the pros and cons of starting a business, not just fantasize about the money.
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Why become a thought leader? Being able to consume content, add your experiences, and create a new story is a rare talent. It is your responsibility to the world to share your vision.
You will not be whole if you do not share your thoughts with an audience. If you have a strong opinion about something, don’t just go to social media and “sound off.”
Conclusion. I believe that income investing is better than a 401K; however, I have researched and have experience with both.
I can’t just go and praise income investing because most people cannot comprehend how to invest for dividends. A 401K is the best investment solution for 95% of Americans.
So I create content on 401Ks and income investing. If a person sticks with my content, they may eventually move towards income investing.
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Being a thought leader isn’t just about giving your opinion. It’s about understanding how your opinion fits into the world around you.
Why did the government create 401Ks? How do you first get someone to invest via their 401K? How do you get someone to use a 401K and become an income investor?
This path is how you become a thought leader. It is a slow, methodical, and linear approach to “thinking out loud.”
Think about it; I was a firm believer in 401Ks at some point. How did I become an income investor? How can I help someone recreate my journey? That is thought leadership. Good Luck!
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. I am an Amazon Affiliate. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. All Right Reserved Military Family Investing
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