“Thought leader” has become one of those buzz phrases you hear all the time. Naturally, ambitious folks in my world constantly profess their eagerness to become one.
But being a thought leader isn’t just about tooting your own horn with a crafty hashtag on social media. Alas, you actually have to have something to say.
SHRM outlines the 7 C’s of becoming an HR thought leader in an article from a few years ago. They read:
💫 Carve a niche
💫 Cultivate content
💫 Connect with your tribe
💫 Call on your network
💫 Conference yourself in
💫 Classify yourself as an expert
💫 Convey authenticity
That last one is oh-so-important. As a Founder and Owner and Manager and Marketer and Sales Person and Accountant and Janitor and Recruiter, I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn. Like most of you, I can see right through an inauthentic, self-promoting post. So if “become a thought leader in HR” is a goal for you, flip that list and start with the first.
