Summary

The article debunks common misconceptions about thought leadership, emphasizing that success, expertise, and universal approval are not prerequisites for becoming a thought leader.

Abstract

The article "They Lied to You About Thought Leadership" challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding thought leadership by dispelling three prevalent myths. It suggests that one does not need to be exceptionally successful, an all-knowing expert, or universally liked to become a thought leader. Instead, the key is to be slightly more successful than your audience, possess more knowledge than them, and attract a dedicated group of believers by confidently asserting your ideas and principles. The piece encourages readers to redefine success, embrace their expertise, and focus on influencing a core group rather than seeking approval from everyone. It also offers practical advice, such as consistently engaging with an active audience and sharing one's journey to inspire others to follow a similar path.

Opinions

Thought leadership is more about perceived success and knowledge than actual wealth or expertise.
Confirmation bias plays a significant role in elevating thought leaders, as followers often assume their lifestyle and knowledge are more substantial than they actually are.
People are drawn to thought leaders who seem to confirm their own principles and success with minor adjustments.
Success is subjective, and being more successful than your audience is sufficient to be seen as a leader.
Expertise is relative; you only need to know more than your audience to lead them.
It's futile to try to be liked by everyone; true thought leadership involves attracting radical believers with zero tolerance for deviations from core principles.
Engaging consistently with a smaller, active audience can lead to more meaningful interactions and a more dedicated following than having a large, passive audience.
The journey to thought leadership is about giving hope and showing that accomplishments are within reach with minor changes.
Embracing and sharing an adventurous journey can position you as a thought leader by demonstrating the achievability of your path.

AI Topic Challenge #3

They Lied to You About Thought Leadership

The myths you were fed will make it impossible

Imagine commanding an army of 500 believers.

You buy it, and instantly, 500 copies sell.
You say “Marco,” “Polo” becomes a viral meme.
If you jumped off a cliff… you get the point.

Believers that would follow you to the ends of the Earth.

How do I get that?

Is it money? Is it fame? Is it success?

Sure, but those take a long time.

Don’t you want it sooner?

If so, what you need, my friend, is to build influence.

And the fastest way to build influence is to become a thought leader.

It only seems hard because of the myths that constantly gatekeep it.

“I’m not an expert, and I’m not successful.”

The truth is, people who follow thought leaders don’t really see what happens behind the curtain. They make assumptions about their lifestyle, their knowledge, and their income.

In turn, the thought leader is placed on a pedestal, and you’d think it’s because they are perfect. But contrary to popular belief, it’s really just confirmation bias.

People want to think they are already good enough.

People want to know that their core principles can lead to success with a few minor tweaks.

It’s why Elon Musk is so popular with Americans — he’s rich, he’s imperfect, and he speaks his mind. If only Americans could add the money part, we’d all be Elon. That’s the fallacy most thought leadership operates on.

This article is about destigmatizing thought leadership and making it more accessible to the “common man.”

The first and main requirement is having something people want.

Doesn’t have to be money or fame. It can be authority.

This is the key to busting the first of the 3 myths about thought leadership.

Photo by Yaroslav Muzychenko on Unsplash

Myth #1: “I need to become successful first.”

That is not completely true.

The problem with this myth is its vagueness — what is success?

Most people, when they say this, mean six figures, fast cars, nice boats, but that’s not always the success you need to be a thought leader.

You only need to be more successful than your audience.

Be closer to achieving your “success” than the people you want to follow you.

But you really don’t even need that.

Hack: Exude confidence and eliminate the fear of being wrong.

Instead of “I think,” say “It is.” I’m doing it in this article you are reading, and it is working.

Myth #2: “I need to be an expert first.”

Again, not completely true.

Again, the problem is the vagueness — what is an expert?

An all-knowing guru who can answer any question, no matter how complex?

Do you think a divorce lawyer knows every law on divorce?

No, yet you’d still go to them to get legal advice. Okay, that’s an unfair example (they have a certification).

What about this? Do you know everything there is to know about life?

No, yet you’d still feel confident giving life advice to a kid.

Why? Because you know substantially more than them about the topic.

As a thought leader, you only need to know more than your audience.

But again, you really don’t even need that.

Hack: Do more than what most people do.

I started a personal branding agency. Created a website. Started a newsletter. Wrote for 45 days straight. All things I can talk about that most people have not done.

Myth #3: “I need everyone to like me.”

This one is completely false.

There will always be people who don’t like you.

And there’s nothing you can do about it — ignore them.

Trying to change your content to please the masses won’t attract believers. The goal is to attract hardcore radical believers of your philosophy. How can you do that if your philosophies are tailored to the general public?

Thought leaders attract radicals by being radical about their core principles—zero tolerance.

I have an experiment for you.

Go and find a big Medium author (100k+ followers).
How many claps do they normally get?
Then, pick a post you like.
How many people actually clapped for the post?
Most times, I find it’s only around 150 people or so.
That’s less than 0.16% of their following.

Hack: Consistently engage with a list of 25–300 active users of a platform (ideal audience only).

Do it every day, and you’ll build your following way faster. My photography Instagram only has 1,600 or so followers, but every photo gets at least 300 likes and 100+ comments—all organic. I see 10,000-follower pages that don’t even get a quarter of that.

Reflection

In truth, thought leadership has never been about being smart or successful.

It’s always been about getting people to see you as smart or successful.

It’s about giving people hope that they, too, can accomplish things with minor changes.

People want to see themselves in you.

“If they can do it, then I can too.”

Give the people what they want. Be yourself without worrying about who cares.

The easiest way to become a thought leader is to embrace an adventure others wouldn’t dare try.

Then, show them how shallow the water is or how short the trek can be.

If this sounds like something you want for yourself, I have a DIY guide to building an impactful personal brand that can help you along the way.

Just visit mybluepath.com and follow the instructions (link takes you to my site).

Thanks for reading!