Not seeing enough progress with your message? (3 questions to move you forward)
/“It’s complicated!”
You may have used this phrase to describe family dynamics or intimate relationships, but the same can be said for the business of thought leadership. As a thought leader, the relationships you have with your audience, message and market are constantly changing. As a result, there are a lot of moving parts to manage and a seemingly endless number of decisions to make along the path to creating a lasting impact.
Some days, you can feel confident in handling what’s in front of you. On other days, you can feel overwhelmed, frustrated and, yes, even ready to pull your hair out.
It’s All About the Approach
While frustrations and setbacks are part of the journey, you can often make matters worse by how you approach these situations. When you’re facing uncomfortable challenges, it can be tempting to react in one of these two ways:
#1: Deciding To Do It All Yourself
With this approach, it’s easy to get stuck. In some situations, you just need an outside perspective to “see” the solution. In other situations, you may lack the skills and experiences you need to solve the problem.
#2: Hoping Others Will Do It All For You
With this approach, the end product is never what you want. Why? There is a big difference between delegating intentionally and abdicating ownership of a situation or project. To succeed in the thought leadership world, your work has to come from you. No one can just “give” you a ready-made platform, book concept, or network of relationships.
In either case, you lose sight of this important truth: you are the CEO of your book and business.
It’s All About the People
As with successful CEOs, experienced thought leaders know the importance of building a great team around them. They use their network to find experts to augment their skills and experiences. More importantly, they know the value of finding people who will tell them the truth - instead of what they want to hear.
Pick one of the current challenges that’s standing in your way. Ask yourself:
Do I need a fresh perspective to solve this problem?
Do I have the expertise and skills to create the caliber of results I want?
Who do I know that can recommend the expert help I need?
Whether it’s joining a mastermind group, finding an intern or hiring the right expert, the sooner you surround yourself with the right people, the faster you’ll move forward.
Get Insights for thought leaders delivered every Thursday
Don't forget to connect with me on Social Media too!