One of the primary reasons for producing executive thought leadership content is to establish authority. Authority begets credibility and trustworthiness. That, in turn, makes the executive more likely to be seen as an expert in their field, therefore increasing the likelihood that their ideas – and those of their organizations – will be valued and respected.
Authoritative executive thought leadership content effectively positions the organization to benefit in many ways, financially and otherwise. I could go on and on about the benefits of authoritative executive thought leadership but suffice it to say, the opportunities it affords are valuable. That leads to an important question: What important points must be included when writing executive thought leadership content?
Lead With Credibility
Few executives ever built authority without being credible. So, how do you weave credibility into your executive thought leadership content to achieve the bigger goal of building authority? That means deep knowledge of the the topic at hand through strong arguments and examples that showcase industry knowledge born of deep experience.
Things like titles and alma mater matter less than real world experience at this level. Don’t get me wrong, those things do establish credibility but experience trumps all. What you’ve done, what you know, and how well you can communicate those two factors builds more credibility than anything else.
The point here is that credibility builds authority so include it in your executive thought leadership content if you want to be seen as an authority figure in your respective industry.
Authenticity Is Paramount
As an executive it is incumbent upon you to lead with authenticity, but what does that mean? It means avoiding generic platitudes and instead presenting genuine opinions and perspectives in your realm of expertise and industry. Executives do not build authority by blending in with the crowd. Speak or communicate in a way that is platitudinous or too generic and you are effectively assigning yourself to mediocrity.
Instead give genuine opinions and perspective on the issue at hand. Nobody leaves a conference or reads a newsletter filled with generic, already known information, and says ‘Wow, that executive really knows what’s going on!’ No, it’s the executive that dares to speak genuinely and elucidate novel opinions among the other executives that don’t, who stands out.
That also means finding opinions and perspectives to share that are strategically aligned with organizational goals. That’s something of a tangential topic but all I’m saying here is that it is counterproductive to be ‘authentic’ in the way I’ve described if that misaligns with the larger organization.
Avoid generic platitudes about your industry. Instead, share honest opinions and perspectives aligned with your organization’s trajectory. It is one of the best ways to build credibility that aims to further authority within executive thought leadership content.
Communicate What’s Relevant Today And What Will Be Tomorrow
Executive thought leadership content must effectively address topics that are pertinent at the moment. It’s fairly obvious to address timely topics and industry challenges that are relevant to your audience. Those are the opportunities to have maximum impact because what’s pertinent is what’s top of mind and what’s top of mind is usually closest to the money in business. So, address the issues of your audience today in your communication. It’s an easy way to build authority.
It’s obvious that authoritative executive thought leadership content is germane to its audience. Speak to today’s problems and solutions thereto to build authority.
Going beyond today’s issues and into those of the future is what can really set an executive apart, building massive authority. That brings me to my next point: propose visionary, future-oriented ideas that go beyond current industry issues and problems. The executive who can communicate what’s coming down the pike with accuracy becomes instantly authoritative once those predictions occur.
That doesn’t mean executives have to be visionary thought leaders on par with Nostradamus. No, it can be as simple as staying abreast of current predictions about the future of their industry and communicating those ideas. Start there and then build in more credibility and authenticity in predicting the future shape of the industry. Refer to the two paragraphs above to do so.
Speak to your audience about what matters today and inform them of what you genuinely believe is headed their way tomorrow.
Executive thought leadership that is credible, authentic, speaks to today’s industry landscape, while intelligently speaking to tomorrow’s is authoritative. If you’d like to discuss more about how to build more authority into your executive thought leadership content contact me below.