Thought Leadership for Women:
Take your seat at the table
Think of a world where your ideas are so well known that they shape how people think or behave. This is the province of thought leaders.
Thought leaders are deeply knowledgeable people who change the way we think about our lives. They influence us because we believe in their ideas, and because their ideas are readily available.
Being a thought leader is more than just about making money, or doing well in your profession. It’s about making a difference, by adding your voice and ideas to the important conversations that affect our lives.
Who becomes a Thought Leader
There are no boundaries or factors limiting where thought leaders emerge from. We recognize them in such areas as economics, science, business, public sector, education, healthcare, technology, finance, engineering, and math.
Advantages for you as a Thought-Leading Woman
© 2012 Roberta Guise. All Rights Reserved.
Top 3 Common Threads of a Thought Leader
© 2012 Roberta Guise. All Rights Reserved.
The top three common threads are experience, expertise and passion, enveloped by an insatiable drive to make a positive impact on the world — even just a small piece of the world.
Thought Leadership Continuum
This graphic is based on a visual by Alan Weiss, Ph.D.
Traits and Characteristics of a Thought Leader
- Shows the way
- Has followers
- Has depth of knowledge in area of expertise
- Owns a breakthrough idea (in area of expertise)
- Writes prolifically about the idea, successfully communicates it,
the idea is widely published, and it resonates - Influences people to change the way they think and behave
- Inspires many people
- Is well-known by many people in a niche or industry
- Is quoted extensively in the media and by other influential people
- Is invited to keynote at important meetings
- Knows other thought leaders
- Is deeply inspired to leave a legacy of ideas
- Has a thick skin!
Why Thought Leadership for Women
We’re long overdue for an environment in which talented, deeply knowledgeable women break through the noise and rise to be known as the leading voices in their fields, as thought leaders.
Society at large will be the big winner when more women contribute their ideas and influence the important conversations going on all around us. Because when you factor that women make 85% of buying decisions, and are still our primary caregivers, children and families in particular will be much better off.
And the research shows, again and again, that when numbers of women in leadership and positions of influence increase, measured outcomes are consistently better.
So what does a world with greater numbers of influential women look like? The markers will be more women:
- Writing non-fiction best selling books
- Submitting opinion pieces (op-eds) to mainstream publications
- Featured as commentators and analysts on major TV news programs
- Keynoting important meetings
- As delegates to global forums
I’ve created Thought Leadership for Women, because I’m passionate about giving women the opportunity to see themselves attaining this breakthrough goal as readily as their male counterparts. Register for the Thought Leadership for Women Symposium, February 24-26 2012.
Guise Thought Leader
Development System for Women
© 2012. Roberta Guise. All Rights Reserved.
Now and then people become thought leaders without intending to — they’re prolific writers in their field, word gets around, the media can’t quote them enough, their calendar overflows with speaking engagements at important events, and their income skyrockets along with their celebrity.
The rest of us need a structure to follow, or even additional guidance or “handholding,” to attain a goal this all-encompassing. You get the structure when you follow my 6-step process, the Guise Thought Leader Development System for Women™.
How the System Works
Step I: DEFINE YOUR IDEA and WRITE IT UP
- Go beyond “out of the box” thinking and get rid of the box. Your idea can be breakthrough,
meaning you’re the first person ever to have the idea. - Or you can put a contrarian twist on an existing idea.
- Your idea can affect millions of people, or you can be a world-class thought leader
in a narrow niche or field. - Spell it out. Write down your thoughts. Describe your idea in detail.
Write down how it makes the world a better place.
Step 2: DEVELOP THE BRAND
This is how your idea — and you — show up. You’ll develop a distinctive “look and feel” and words to present your idea that are repeatable and memorable. This is now your intellectual property (IP).
Step 3: BUILD YOUR CONTENT, also known as BODY OF KNOWLEDGE
Write, write, write. Examples: book, op-eds, white papers, special reports, blog posts, and video, audio podcasts, high fee keynotes and presentations, pre-release book chapters, pre-book publication publicity, get increasing media attention.
Step 4: DISTRIBUTE YOUR WORK
Launch your book, note that media and influential people start referring to you as a “thought leader,” “leading authority,” “influential thinker”.
Step 5: EXPAND REACH OF YOUR IDEAS
To stay at the top, you must stay at the top. This means that you consistently write and publish your ideas, and you’re acknowledged as the go-to speaker in your field.
Step 6: REPEAT THE PROCESS
You’ll have a new idea, or want to expand on an existing one. Each time you repeat the process, you etch your name deeper in people’s minds.
What's in it for you
There are 4 compelling reasons for you to become a thought- leading woman:
- To make an important contribution and make a piece of the world a better place
- To leave a legacy of ideas
- To be acknowledged as one of the leading “go-to” authorities in your field
- To lead a more fulfilling life
Are you ready to explore your thought leadership potential? If you want to accelerate your power to influence, to be a frequently quoted and in-demand thinker whose ideas are broadly accepted, contact Roberta Guise
