January 1, 2014
Let's leave thought leadership to others... (a quick note about blogging)
The real struggle I've heard from people about blogging is not finding time, not knowing what to write about, and how to deal with getting stuck. Try this.
Have you noticed that the people who are constantly telling you how to become a thought leader aren't much of a thought leader at all? I mean, seriously, how much thought leadership goes into selling a lot of affiliate programs? How much thought leadership goes into developing the long sales pages that constantly pitch products?
Let me ask it another way. Have you ever noticed that the very people who are thought leaders never talk about thought leadership? They don't. Because they're busy doing stuff. Real stuff. Not talking to others about how to talk to others.
I know. I forgot to start with my tag. But seriously, most of the people who write about thought leadership are like the folks selling tapes at the Amway conventions. They're not even the double diamond (I think that's what the top performers are called) folks. They're just making money off everyone else, selling them the top ten tips on selling.
You don't need to be a thought leader to blog more
I have a friend who wrote this tweet recently.
https://twitter.com/strebel/status/417881768146907136
And of course my response was to kill the idea of needing to be a thought leader at all. It's not a pre-req for blogging.
https://twitter.com/chrislema/status/417885095043678208
And my follow up wasn't directed at him, but at all the folks I know who want to blog more.
https://twitter.com/chrislema/status/417887038570913792
Let's face it - none of us are any good at things we don't do often. So if you want to get better at writing, guess what you have to do? Yup. Write more.
We have a new blogger in our family (Emily) - my 8 year old daughter. And she's blogging every few days. Because she's a writer. Not a thought leader.
The real struggle & What I've done about it
As I've spoken with folks about blogging more, the real struggle I've heard is not finding time, not knowing what to write about, and how to deal with getting stuck. Or how to make it not take so long - staring at a blank page is intimidating for everyone.
So I've created a free four week course to help you blog more regularly. It comes weekly in your email. And you can sign up here.
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About the Author
Chris Lema has spent twenty-five years in tech leadership, product development, and coaching. He builds AI-powered tools that help experts package what they know, build authority, and create programs people pay for. He writes about AI, leadership, and motivation.
