Many marketing professionals believe thought leadership simply materializes by placing executives in presentations or contributed articles. But it’s so much more. Executives don’t become thought leaders overnight. It takes time, dedication and focus to establish a reputation as a forward-thinker—a champion of your industry, brand and customers.
We asked our CEO and thought leader, Kathleen Lucente, what she thinks makes a thought leader. Kathleen has worked with countless companies at all stages to identify, cultivate and promote thought leaders across a variety of industries.
Q: What role does personal storytelling play in thought leadership for tech executives?
A: When looking at this question, some people will focus on the actual act of telling a thought leadership story – “what” is the story and “how” it’s told. But an important part often overlooked is “who” is telling the story.
Not all leaders are defined by their titles. And not all CEOs are thought leaders. Sometimes, the real leaders are elsewhere in the company who don’t have prestigious titles. Tech executives are often pigeonholed. Some of the best leaders, regardless of their title, can speak from experience and share lessons learned by making mistakes without fear of exposing their vulnerabilities.
People – employees, customers, shareholders and the media – can associate with and follow leaders who can talk from a point of view where they’ve been there and done that. Their stories are credible and often come in little stories or vignettes that are easily digested and repeated.
Q: What role does a PR professional play in determining a thought leader and their stories?
A: It’s often thought that it’s PR’s job to craft and communicate thought leadership stories. And that is what many PR professionals do. However, real talent comes in identifying the best leaders and helping them become better communicators through their stories and experiences.
I think a truly great PR person working with executives can start to understand their tone of voice, uncover what makes them tick and identify what makes them attractive as a speaker. Then, they can help that leader develop his or her style and transform them into someone who people listen to.
Part of that work also involves convincing senior leadership who that person is among their ranks. I’ve been in situations before where it seems that the CEO or CFO should be the primary spokesperson or thought leader. But instead, it was the CTO who understood how to connect with audiences and translate technology into problem-solving solutions. That’s not always a politically easy recommendation to make. However, a seasoned PR professional who isn’t afraid to offer hard advice to the C-Suite can pull it off.
I have had the benefit of working at IBM Research, where the halls were filled with subject matter experts. Not all SMEs are thought leaders and not all want to invest that time. However, the ones who do and have the authority and expertise to showcase can be rockstars in their industries.
The other point is that each person who became a valued expert was unique and had their own style when working with the press. We didn’t try to change them. One company told me that their CTO couldn’t be our thought leader because he’s overweight. It’s not about how someone looks. It’s what’s coming out of their mouth, their desire to be informative and how they connect with the audience.
It’s also important to not lean too heavily or invest in one thought leader or subject matter expert. You’ll need to develop multiple experts who can speak to different topics and support your company in different scenarios.
Q: How does Red Fan do this with their clients?
A: At Red Fan, we traditionally start with a brand narrative with clients, interviewing people internally and externally to understand the corporate story. Then, we look at who is best suited to tell that story. We look at the experts under the hood who can be developed into thought leaders. Sometimes, we’ll pair that person with other company executives, like the CEO or marketing VP, for interviews and presentations.
We want to ensure the primary spokesperson understands the customer’s pain points and knows how to respond. With that, we can create an authentic narrative, which is enormously important for a PR strategy and integrated communications campaign.
Q: How do you find opportunities for your thought leaders and keep them engaged?
A: The PR team and the CMO should constantly look at the hot topics and ask their thought leaders for their opinions. For example, what’s their point of view on AI and its effect on content? Take your time to figure out what that point of view is and analyze what the competition says about it.
You can also ask your sales team what they’re hearing from your customers. Then, look at how that topic is covered and who’s writing or talking about it. Look for opportunities to share that opinion, whether it’s a byline contributed article, social media post or speaking engagement.
Q: What are executives’ most common mistakes when first establishing themselves as thought leaders?
A: Well, speaking of social media, that’s one of the areas that many executives trip over. Either they don’t have a social media presence or they go overboard on a topic or issue.
I once had a client who wanted to be accepted as a contributing editor in a high-level B2B publication. She had all the expertise. But when we began digging into her thoughts and existing content, we discovered she didn’t have a social media presence. Unfortunately, the publication she wanted to be in would likely want to search her social media to gauge her ability to be an author. Before jumping into the contributed article work, we had to help build her social media presence first.
The other issue is that some executives have no buffer or ability to know what’s right or wrong to say over social media, especially concerning politics and social issues.
For example, one young CEO client, whose company was heading toward an IPO was being egged on by investors to copy a competitor CEO who was extremely loud on Twitter and frequently overstated things. We helped our client avoid this trap and positioned him as balanced and authentic.
When others pressure CEOs to do or say the wrong thing, having a trusted advisor in your corner is important to help maintain an authentic voice. By the way, that competitor CEO is now in jail for actions related to his behavior and comments in public and online.
Q: All of this sounds enormously time-intensive. How do you convince executives and their bosses to take the time for thought leadership?
A: Like anything else in this world, you’re going to get out of it what you put into it. Without a doubt, thought leadership can take up a lot of time. Even a contributed article can take several hours of research, a phone interview with the writer and reviews. Then look at the travel and time away from the office for speaking engagements.
So, they must invest their time into the process and ultimately be rewarded for their efforts. That’s why it’s important to help them gain support by including thought leadership in their job description and review.
Once most companies see the benefits of thought leadership in increased leads, customer loyalty and industry leadership, they will allow time for their executives to pursue these efforts. The results can pay out for years and ultimately be measured against company goals.
Q: How do you know you have what it takes to be a thought leader?
A: Not long ago, I wrote an article for Fast Company about the four essential traits of inspiring thought leaders. In it, I encourage companies to start their thought leadership programs by investing in SMEs to help them become better communicators. Some will become thought leaders, and others will remain steady and valued SMEs. There is room for both, and both should be developed and nurtured.
