I read a great article last week called, Sceptical About Thought Leadership?. It offered some valid reasons about why people can be sceptical of the concept of Thought Leadership. What’s more, it addressed why you should consider it if you are a leader. It’s well worth a read.

Common Reasons for Scepticism

Certain people react with an eye roll when they consider the concept of Thought Leadership. While some hate the idea of calling themselves a Thought Leader, other individuals define themselves as one when they are doing nothing more than content marketing.

The good news is that you don’t ever have to mention the words Thought Leadership. Basically, it is for others to decide if you fit the definition rather than simply calling yourself a Thought Leader. Also, when it comes to being an expert, guru or industry influencer (whichever word you prefer), you don’t need to be the next Simon Sinek or Brené Brown.

Why Consider Thought Leadership

There are several reasons why I believe you should consider Thought Leadership.

• You are currently a leader and want to develop your ideas and thinking so you can better communicate them.
• You want to raise your profile within your own organisation or industry because you think that perhaps with your knowledge and experience, it could be of value to others.
• You have a long-term idea that you might want to go out on your own and do your own thing.
• You want to raise your company profile, increase sales and/or attract talent (the above article outlines these benefits in more detail).

Are you a Thought Leader?

So, let me ask you a question. Before you dismiss it, take a couple of minutes to think over your answer. If you were going to write a business book in the next five years, what would it be? Try to work out the title and subtitle.

If after five minutes you are saying, “I would never write a book because I don’t want to put my ideas and thoughts out into the world” then Thought Leadership is not for you. That’s OK, because it’s not for everyone.

If you landed on a working title for your ‘hypothetical’ book, then maybe it’s worth considering what you do next.

What Next?

After 22 months, and a COVID induced sabbatical, I am delighted to announce that my two-day Thought Leadership Intensive program is back. This will be in person and in Melbourne on 12^th and 13^th August.

To see if this is right for you, I am running a virtual information session on Monday 7^th June at 6pm (AEST). It will explain the program including who it is for, what is involved and you will also have the opportunity to ask me questions. Registrations for the information session can be secured here. If you can’t make it and still want to find out more, register anyway and we will send you the recording.

I would also encourage you to download the brochure that outlines the program, objectives and cost.

Thought Leadership Intensive

I limit my Thought Leadership program to 12 participants to allow as much one-on-one time as possible. I also have a maximum of three participants from any organisation. If you have a team of 10 or more, it’s a good idea to set up a time to discuss an internal program.

I love running this program for many reasons but mainly because of the impact it can have on the participants and the ripple effect they create.

Don’t take my word for it, here is what a few other past participants have said…

Testimonials

I had the privilege of attending Gabrielle Dolan’s May Thought Leadership Intensive Workshop – what an inspiring and thought provoking two days! Not only did it allow me the ‘thinking space’, I left with an invigorated and curious mind, insightful scaffolds and frameworks, and a solid foundation to build out my area of passion.

Michelle Hardie, Head of Strategy and Operations, Amazon Web Services

I spent a great couple of days with Gabrielle on her Thought Leadership Intensive course. The course was really helpful in providing a method for marshalling concepts and understanding what’s of value to the audience. Gabrielle herself is an insightful and challenging course facilitator.

Martin Brennan, Tech Area Lead, ANZ

I found Gabrielle’s Thought Leadership Intensive program extremely valuable. The course was very insightful and allowed me to really delve into my areas of Thought Leadership and take these to the next level.

Carly Rulton, Client Marketing Lead, Visa