There’s quite a lot of discussion of what thought leadership is; however, there seems to be little about what it takes to be a thought leader and what that means for organisations.

Marketing blogger and alumni of Apple and Symantec, Elise Bauer, describes the key attributes of a thought leader as “a spirit of generosity, the ability to cultivate communication with the press, write prolifically, speak often, and build an online presence around key ideas.”

Why must a thought leader be so prolific? Simple, the news agenda and the court of public (read stakeholder) opinion is fluid, and reputation is much harder to build than it is to lose. Also, more practically, you can’t sell a secret.

For many brands, especially global, there is added complexity of working with multiple thought leaders to regularly engage with target audiences and complement each other, without contradiction or overlap. Repetition should be purposeful and shared as ‘corporate’ thought leadership, so that there is no possible interpretation of ‘noise’ or ‘imitation' by individuals.

In short, thought leadership must be deeply ingrained in an organisation’s communication culture to be successful. Sporadic opinion pieces, regular speaking engagements, and the occasional media interview do not make a thought leader.

Communication professionals are integral to the success of thought leadership in an organisation. They must craft a clear strategy, foster strong spokesperson engagement, and establish processes to ensure their organisation’s thought leadership is single-minded and consistent, while also being relevant to its, often varied, audiences.

Thought leadership supports the organisation’s purpose

Like most cultures, the tone is set at the top. For thought leadership, this should be defined by the organisation’s purpose – the platform to which all communication ladders up and gives the organisation’s thought leaders consistency and purpose in their activity. Supporting this are thought leadership pillars: distinct yet integrated topic areas that link to company objectives and expertise.

For instance, Schneider Electric is a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. Schneider has three global, strongly related, thought leadership pillars: sustainability, Electricity 4.0, and next generation automation.

Each pillar has corresponding positions, key messages, topics, and markets. And these matrices help individuals develop their corporate narratives, resulting in a consistent message and tone as they evolve their activity to become thought leaders.

In the Schneider Electric example, experts contributing to the future of the nation’s electrical grid and the evolution of electric vehicle chargers can each talk about energy management in the context of our ‘Electricity 4.0’ thought leadership pillar. On their own, they will share their unique point of view, or they’ll collaborate to provide a broader perspective on behalf of the company – globally, regionally, in country, or for their industry.

Most importantly, this structure becomes the language that runs through the business and is woven into its communication culture.

Three levels of influence

Thought leadership audiences can be classified into three categories: Micro, Meso, and Macro.

The Micro audience includes regular contacts, such as clients and consumers, employees, and media specific to the industry vertical. The content targeted towards this audience should focus on tangible topics that are concrete and specific to the business.

The Meso audience includes senior clients, potential clients in the pipeline, suppliers, key industry influencers, and general business media. The content targeted towards this audience should strike a balance between concrete and abstract industry and market topics.

The Macro audience includes key opinion leaders, industry bodies, governments, investors, and top tier business and news media. The content targeted towards this audience should be more abstract and cover wide-ranging, integrated topics.

It is therefore important to ask, is the organisation’s aim to influence business growth, an industry, a market, policy or economics, or some or all of the above? Identifying the targets of thought leadership influence is crucial for a communication strategy that resonates with the target audiences and achieves the desired impact.

Build a bench

Knowing your levels of audience and matching stakeholders accordingly, and having identified the content layers you need, it’s important to match the right spokespeople to the right topic and audience. A CEO is unlikely to get into the fine details of micro issues, while business unit subject matter experts (SMEs) may not have the standing or experience to take on the big industry topics.

When it’s time to find the people to be your thought leaders, most will appear naturally. They tend to be the leading SMEs and (mostly, though not always) the senior team members.

The key thing to look for outside of position, knowledge, and experience is ability – and willingness – to say something new. Saying something already said, albeit differently, is ‘thought following’ not leading.

Also consider what’s realistic, your CEO and other senior executives have limited availability that should be reserved for priority opportunities. Meanwhile, SMEs who’ve never spoken to the media need training and opportunities to give them the capability to publicly represent the organisation while sharing their expertise.

Building and supporting a successful bench will see members evolve as thought leaders – at different levels and over different timeframes. Furthermore, those who are committed also become advocates for the thought leadership program and its purpose internally. This should create a culture where team members can – and are encouraged to – help develop insights that shape and evolve thought leadership for the organisation.

Engage thought leaders

Thought leaders need opportunities to showcase their expertise and position themselves as a voice of authority with a unique perspective. Clear expectations must be set at the outset, for everything from being available for last minute media interviews to regular social media posting.

Activity revolves around a mix of self-led and supported activities. ‘Heavier’ activities, such as white papers and high-level speaking engagements, provide stand out moments for thought leaders to get on their respective platforms and build their own reputation but are time intensive and therefore less frequent. As with most things, ‘the more you put in the more you get out’.

If we think of thought leadership as a journey from being knowledgeable to possessing a unique and evolving point of view, the big activities, events, and platforms are catalysts for evolution or even introduction of new or counter-intuitive thinking. This is then supported by the day-to-day nudges, course corrections, and support for public activity and commitments to develop the thought leader’s personal brand.

By guiding thought leaders strategically, we build thought leadership culture and augment corporate reputation by ensuring consistent, evolving, and unique positioning the brand as a voice of authority in its field across all audiences.

Leading thought leadership

Thoughtful thought leadership development maximises audience reach – and impact –

meaningfully. Thus, working systematically at the intersection of thought leadership and company purpose can have a powerful influence on your organisation’s brand and reputation.