Should Entrepreneurs Fake It ‘Til They Make It?

Thought Leadership: Being a Good Follower Makes You a Better Leader.

Personal development mogul Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” For business owners who want to be seen as a leader, it may be tempting to surround themselves with those who will allow them to take on the alpha role. But, Rohn cautions, this will actually hinder your professional development. He notes, “Don’t join an easy crowd. You won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform and achieve are high.”

Becoming a thought leader takes time, dedication, and most importantly, humility. Michael Arrington, who in 2008 was ranked on the TIME 100 list, was arguably one of the most influential figures on the Web. Prior to his success, he was a self-described, “exceptionally average attorney,” who attempted to transition to a career as an entrepreneur – and failed. He started blogging from his home as a way to truly understand the Web start-up community, to learn from those whose success he wanted to emulate.

His shift from attempting a leadership position without experience to becoming a follower of all things technology led to the rise of TechCrunch, which at its peak even had its own verb within the tech community (to be “Crunched” – or reviewed by Arrington – would lead to such an immediate rise in site traffic that servers would become overloaded and your site would inevitably go down). Bad problem to have, but certainly not the worst.

You will inevitably be put into a follower role by surrounding yourself with people you strive to be like – either in person through networking functions or digitally through the Web. And even for the most Alpha personality, this will be an opportunity for significant personal and professional growth.

		Learn from those who are current thought leaders in your field. This can mean studying up on their published works, reading the books they’ve read and following their social media posts. Many public figures are vocal about the projects or ideas they are working on, and you can gain a wealth of knowledge from observing thought leaders in our fields interacting with each other online.
		Explore the extraordinary. Take a chance. Question the status quo. Experiment. Go out on a limb. If not always in your actions, take a leap using your words. Thought leadership is exploratory and inquisitive. An original idea can be that spark that changes a company, an industry or a society. Don’t just say you are a thought leader, think like one.
		Engage with thought leaders. Social sites increasingly give you the ability to engage in meaningful dialogue with those you admire, so that not only are you learning from them, but also you are contributing to the conversation in a way that may drive your own recognition.
		Maintain your humility. Except for General George S. Patton, most great leaders in history balanced their bravado with great humility. Thought leadership is no different. Don’t lead to be right. Lead to be profound and respected. A humble thought leader is seen as wise and held in reverence by peers.
		Start your own conversations. All good leaders are also great followers. One of the traits that leaders share is that they surround themselves with people from whom they can learn and continue their own development. In time, you will have an opportunity to start your own conversations around a new project or concept, and utilize the networks you’ve built and the knowledge you gained to pave your own path.

Content development comes with the thought leadership territory. As you become an expert in your field, you’ll attend local networking functions and socialize with other thought leaders and followers. You’ll find opportunities or projects where you can work together, and volunteer your time and skillset to advancing their businesses and yours.

Speak, publish and share your expertise. Develop content reflecting your knowledge, position and direction, while advancing your own credibility and reputation. Work towards being on the stage at events rather than attending them. Let quality content development be the proof that you’ve made it, not faking it.