Leaders in Innovation: An Interview with Denise Brosseau
Beginning this month, we will be periodically highlighting innovation in its various forms — be it a new technology, a thought leader, or an exciting change at Tech CU. Our inaugural column features an interview with
Denise Brosseau, author of
Ready To Be A Thought Leader? and founder and CEO of
Thought Leadership Lab.
Inspiring us to think in new ways
Thought leaders are change agents. They are the people who make change happen in companies and organizations and bring their ideas to the attention of others. Over time, many build friends, fans and followers who can help them scale those ideas to create sustainable change. Some are idea carriers — they have the ability to identify and showcase connections between ideas and transplant them into new industries. Others share their best practices so we all benefit. I see thought leaders as people who both inform and inspire us to think in new ways.
Transparency and building trust are key to a company’s success
What has shifted in the world — causing the growing discussion about the need for individuals and companies to be thought leaders — is a change in how we view and intake information. We no longer look to designated experts in the media for our information — like a Walter Cronkite — instead we receive and seek out information from all kinds of people. In the past, in order to share your expertise, you had to write a book or take the stage as a speaker. Now, you can tweet or write a blog or create your own podcast. With these changes come enormous opportunities for thought leaders. We can serve as opinion leaders, as a credible resource for highly sought after information. Within an organization, thought leaders can be the CEO or anyone else who is capable of building trust with customers. We need more leaders who are willing to share their ideas, bringing transparency and best practice sharing to the forefront of a company, inspiring and engaging customers to do business through the trusted relationships they build.
It’s about attitude — not age
When I first started doing research for my book, I did tend to think that you had to have extensive work and life experience before you could be a thought leader. But, I got a wake-up call as I started getting out and exploring. Thought leadership is not an age conversation, it’s more of an attitude. People can build expertise and knowledge at all ages. Thought leaders start as change agents and I have met entrepreneurs and social innovators creating change in their industries and communities in their teens and 20s. To go from change agent to thought leader, it’s all about crafting your ideas and then sharing them on a small stage — be it through a gathering of your peers, a talk for an industry conference or writing a guest blog. See what resonates and then begin to hone in on what’s meaningful to people. Then build a broader and broader following.
Transform or become obsolete
My clients often ask me about how to use social media to spread their message. What I advise them is to figure out where your customers are “playing” within the social media world. Despite the fact that some find social media platforms to be trivial, if your customers are active there, you need to be there as well. It’s all about engagement and building trust by fostering online connections and sharing information where people are. If the online conversation in your industry is happening on Pinterest, for example, you’d better learn Pinterest. Senior executives often have all kinds of excuses for not using social media platforms — I don’t have time, I don’t know how, I don’t know what to say. I advise people that things have changed and you must transform according to today’s demands. Find a young person — a digital native — and have them mentor you. You’ll learn a lot and so will they.
Always add value
I don’t want to infer that thought leaders must be online at all times, or be creating content every minute. I don’t believe this is the way to get the best content or to develop the best platform. There’s someone I interviewed for my recent book,
Ready to Be a Thought Leader?, who said it best. Avinash Kaushik is the Digital Marketing Evangelist at Google and he has a very popular
blog, Occam’s Razor. He told me that before he writes anything, he thinks: “How can I add value?” I think that’s the framework we should all use. Whatever you bring to the conversation — whether you write daily, weekly or monthly — make sure that you are adding value.
Advice for the ages
There was a motto I learned early in my career from one of my first mentors, Eunice Azzani, who was one of first female partners at Korn Ferry International. She used to say, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.” I have truly taken this to heart in my own career. Be a risk taker. Don’t hold back from trying new things. Risks have paid off in my life — from learning a tremendous amount, to building an extensive network of amazing people.
Build your network
I believe that thought leadership is the very best career insurance around. If you can build a visible platform and a wide community of followers, then no matter where you want to live or work, it is a whole lot easier. Companies want employees that are visible, those who can sell their ideas and especially those who can galvanize others to make sustainable change. They also look for people who are engaged, inspiring and informed. Pay attention to and learn from the opinion leaders and thought leaders around you. I believe that gaining the respect of others and getting ahead in life is about being connected to other people and building your network. If you can be of service to someone — by connecting them with information or access to someone else — you are far more likely to be hired, be valued, and be included in the Silicon Valley ecosystem.
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