Thought leadership isn’t personal branding–
Especially at the org level.
Yet many people confuse the two.
Personal branding: “You” are the rock star. 👩🎤
Thought leadership: “You” are the roadie for the idea. 🎸
Personal branding puts an individual into the spotlight.
Like an aspiring rock star, you’re on stage.
You build a name for yourself.
You may even become celebrated and recognized.
You become known for your personal skills, abilities, and even your personality.
If you change organizations, the association with those ideas and insights moves with you.
Some orgs hesitate to invest in an employee’s personal brand.
Leaders worry: “What if the employee leaves?”
Organizational thought leadership works differently.
The org puts an idea 💡 into the spotlight.
The idea becomes the star.
Organizational thought leadership:
👀 Increases *the idea’s* visibility.
💡 Elevates *the organization’s* reputation.
Much of the work in Org TL is unglamorous.
It’s a lot like a professional roadie traveling with a band.
Roadies dress in black (less attention to themselves).
They make the band look and sound its best.
In thought leadership, some individuals will be connected to the idea.
They’ll speak and write about it.
They might even build their personal brand.
It’s a halo effect.
And it’s one of the reasons that people will help
an org put thought leadership out into the world.
—-
I write about:
#ThoughtLeadership, OrgTL, and #Brand