“We need you to say something smart!”
Yup, thought leadership starts with a tiny nudge. 🤔
Maybe that’s a journalist asking for a quote. 📰
Perhaps comms ask you to speak at a big event. 🎪
Or the sales team needs you to help close a prospect. 📈
Maybe you don’t know what to say.
You might overprepare the night before.
Or break into a cold sweat when the moment comes.
But you nail it!
…And that’s when it starts.
You get asked more often to speak up more often.
The invitations start rolling in.
And then–
💥 Boom! 💥
You’re practicing thought leadership
on behalf of your organization.
And it all began with: “Hey! Say something smart!”
That’s not a fairy tale. 🦄
It’s the way many people get asked
to practice thought leadership.
Sure, we all look at the experts in our field.
The ones who walk like titans into the meeting.
They’re filled with “been there, done that” confidence.
They radiate gravitas.
We whisper their names with reverence.
We hang on their every word.
These experts weren’t always like that.
They got their start when someone said –
“We need you to say something smart.”
So, when the time comes,
What will *you* say?
—
I write about
#ThoughtLeadership #OrgTL and #b2bmarketing