Rethinking Thought Leadership & Who Gets to Lead
Why Inclusion is Necessary for Impactful Leadership That Benefits Everyone
Traditionally, thought leaders have been limited to those with 30+ years of experience, multiple degrees, and a line of letters after their name. But what if we stopped gatekeeping yet another generation of potential leaders and instead fostered a culture around thought leadership that embraces different types of knowledge and experience, and puts forth forward-thinking ideas that benefit everyone?
In my experience in corporate communications developing thought leaders, the focus was exclusively on individuals at the highest level of the company. Their knowledge, credentials, and status deemed them “logical” and “appropriate” choices for being positioned as industry experts.
What I discovered, though, was that when the focus is solely on individuals “at the top” who have a few specific attributes, there are many needed voices and perspectives that are never heard.
There was also an overemphasis on being the first to forecast future trends, which led to superficial predictions that no matter how well-informed, kept the company chasing the trend rather than creating real change.
And I saw firsthand how a deemphasis of the person and passion behind the ideas being shared meant that no matter how talented, knowledgeable, or experienced the individual was, their message would fall flat.
As the world rapidly changes we must evolve at a similar pace, rethinking thought leadership to be more inclusive, nuanced, and empowering of diverse voices and perspectives. Younger generations like Gen Z who will soon surpass Millennials as the most populous generation on earth, care a lot about diversity, equity, and social issues and they're used to harnessing their voices for change. But has our definition of a thought leader caught up with them and the moment?
Through my two decades of communications experience, and as I’ve developed my own voice as a podcaster, speaker, and coach who helps clients hone and share their message, I've learned that there’s more to having a leading voice than accolades, predicting future trends, and unique solutions. Thought leadership must also consider one’s unique perspective, wisdom, identity, and life experiences to bring about revolutionary thinking and inspire a community to take part in your mission.
Below I’m sharing four ways we can redefine what thought leadership is…and isn’t, to invite in more people to share their ideas, bring their multi-dimensional selves to their insights, and become leaders that are well-respected and influential in their industries and communities.
Thought leadership…
It’s not hierarchical, it’s flat.
The definition of a thought leader in the Oxford dictionary, states: “One whose views on a subject are taken to be authoritative and influential.” Implicit in this definition is that those who lead have an authority over others, yet effective leaders don’t ask people to follow them and believe their ideas unquestioningly - good leaders invite others in and make choices collectively.
The traditionally hierarchical approach to thought leadership can make it especially hard for communities that historically haven’t held positions of power to feel like their voices and ideas belong. As a Latina and first-generation college graduate in the corporate space, I struggled with feeling like I belonged yet, I knew I had something to say. However, the opportunities to be seen as a leading voice were reserved for a select few.
If we want to empower everyone to realize their gifts, think for themselves, and share new ideas, it's important that we acknowledge leaders can come from many places, not just the C-Suite, boardroom, college educated, or majority.
It’s not only about knowledge, it’s also about wisdom.
Knowledge gained through academia and experience is important, however, having vast knowledge about a topic without wisdom means new ideas lack a richness of depth. When knowledge is paired with wisdom it creates truly innovative and impactful ideas because leaders can then speak to life's biggest blocks, draw on their human experience, and tie in their learnings.
Tapping into our wisdom like, self-knowledge, insightfulness, common-sense, and compassion, can help us be more thoughtful about our ideas and how we lead. For example, we’re less likely to take a controversial stance for the sake of being ‘edgy’ and more inclined to consider our ideas carefully and how they might impact our industry/community.
Education can expand our minds, but when we look to times of personal growth and transformation – moments of adversity, resilience, introspection – we expand who we are as humans and how we see the world. Weaving in wisdom adds nuance and complexity to big ideas that can push us forward.
It's not just about you, it’s about helping others feel seen.
The power behind being a leading voice isn’t about highlighting one voice, it’s about leading the way so that others can see themselves in your message and adopt change. Often, our attitude toward thought leaders can lean toward hero worship, but shifting our focus from the messenger to how the message helps others feel seen creates a deeper connection to our ideas and makes it more likely that we’ll motivate people to think differently and take action.
One of the best tools for helping others feel seen is through storytelling. When our ideas are grounded in stories, especially those that speak to our shared human experience, it creates a sense of belonging, helping us see where we fit in and how we can support new ways of thinking. It's also important the stories and ideas we hear are not just from one singular viewpoint but from many different perspectives because when all genders, races, ethnicities, and identities get to see themselves represented, we invite in more perspectives and get access to ideas and solutions that no one has seen before.
As thought leaders, we have more impact not when we're focused on being the "star", but when we share our ideas in a way that cultivates connection, inspires others to dream bigger, and builds a sense of community for all.
It's not about predicting the future, it’s about changing the future.
Thought leaders are expected to keep a pulse on what’s happening in their industry and to see trends before they happen, but true thought leaders aren't simply watching for it, they're agents of change, actively creating the future they want to see.
For leaders to truly make an impact, they must be less concerned with the perception of being at the forefront of trends and have the courage to put forth unique solutions, new methodologies, or start a movement that shifts paradigms.
In my work as a podcast coach, I see thought leaders often. For example, one of my clients, frustrated by the lack of representation of Latina moms in the online space, knew she could fill the gap. I helped her create a podcast that spoke directly to first-generation Latinx moms and their experiences as parents. She has become a leading voice within her community and a changemaker, influencing how future generations will talk about and support each other in parenting.
Lead Your Way
At the heart of thought leadership is the aim to stimulate creative ways of thinking and advance our collective knowledge and understanding. Creative thinking can come from anywhere and we’re fortunate to live in a time when we have access to platforms that allow us to share our ideas without gatekeeping - from podcasting, to personal blogs, to self-publishing. Yet there’s still a need to evolve how we define thought leadership and who gets to share their ideas to be more inclusive and equitable.
Along with creative thinking, the goal of thought leadership should be to provide needed solutions and influence change for everyone. That can be achieved by inviting in more voices, incorporating more of who we are (not just what we know), and connecting through our shared experiences to inspire action. The result will be access to a wider array of knowledge, empowered and impactful leadership, and truly revolutionary ideas that push us all to think differently and to collectively move forward - leaving our industries and the world in better shape than when we started.
#thoughtleadership #thoughtleaders #diversity #inclusiveleadership #inclusion #leadership #equity
Kristin Quiroz Bayona is a founder, speaker, podcaster, and facilitator. She hosts interactive workshops where she shows individuals and teams how to own and showcase their leading voice and step into their next level of visibility and impact. In her engaging workshop, Unlock Your Leading Voice: How to Become an In-Demand Thought Leader & Impact Your Industry/Community, attendees learn a new way to define thought leadership and why their voices matter, a four-step process for discovering their leading voice, and walk away with a powerful pitch that positions them as the thought leaders they are. For inquiries about this workshop, send an email to kristin@explorerinyou.com.