Companies seeking to establish themselves as a Thought Leader will benefit from employing many of the strategies outlined for individuals engaged in the same venture. There are, however, some distinct differences.

First, while individuals can afford to approach content from a broad perspective, offering insight on a wide variety of solutions and aspects, businesses who take the same approach will appear disjointed and unfocused. A vertical approach to a core idea is more beneficial.

Second, businesses may be tempted to use a Though Leadership presentation as an opportunity to launch into a traditional sales conversation. This a deal breaker; audiences are expecting to engage on a much higher level. You garnered their attention with the promise of new ideas and a fresh approach or perspective on an existing issue, exploiting the forum degrades both the message and your business.

Third, for both individuals and businesses, engagement in a Thought Leadership discussion is an opportunity to establish a relationship. With that in mind, you must provide something to your audience, and that something is knowledge. Your audience should come away feeling smarter and better prepared to open up a dialogue with other industry experts.

Finally, demonstrate humility. Admitting that your company does not fully understand what the future of technology will bring opens the door to a discussion on the many solutions being developed to answer a host of scenarios. Whereas, a company that professes to know precisely what is coming pigeon-holes themselves into a single solution that is only applicable if their prediction is correct.

The title of “Thought Leader” cannot be commanded, it is earned through careful and directed actions that confer genuine understanding. The title is imparted upon a business or an individual by those that have benefited from the knowledge and insight they have received.