Development

How do I personally brand myself as a thought leader in my field?

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose. I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff. I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into a business you love to run.

Today’s comment came from a busy professional:

How do I personally brand myself as a thought leader in my field?

I wanted to hear your advice on how one should establish themselves as a leader in their field. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

First steps are to merely put yourself out there. There are many opportunities to gain visibility.

· Offer to speak at your professional organizations and conferences.

· Search the internet for “Call for Papers”, and “Call for Speakers” – then submit your abstract and start speaking.

· Write a book or create a program that you can refer to, during your talk.

· Create a patent, invention or new process to solve an industry problem

· Use social media to start promoting those talks, books and programs.

· Put out videos on YouTube about your field of interest.

· Get a professional photograph of yourself and use that same photo on all your social media, status report, proposals, etc.

Become a master in your craft

· Always be in the learning and experimenting mode.

· Have a mentor, coach, and teachers that have accomplished the things you want to accomplish and achieve

· Teach and mentor others. By training others to take your place, you are making the space to move to your next level.

Create your own personal and professional Brand or Mission statement

· Have a succinct “What I Do” statement or 30 second pitch, such that when people meet you, they know immediately what you do.

· Have a recognizable brand, signature or logo, such that people know immediately what you stand for. Think of Olivia Pope (a fixer) in the top-rated TV series Scandal. Her simple brand is a white hat and she often wears white. This immediately denotes “White Knight”; the good guy; someone that rides in to save the day. A pretty good brand and logo for the Political Fixer.

· Update your signature to include your “What I do” statement, your Brand/Logo and a professional photo

Surround yourself with thought leaders. People see you with experts, and assume you are an expert as well.

· Interview other thought leaders.

· Start associating with other thought leaders.

· Facilitate and MC where other thought leaders speak

· Attend professional association meeting and participate in online discussions

· Reach out to authors in your space and invite them to speak at your professional organizations, business department and community

· Create your own catalyst event and invite experts in your area.

· Find a sponsor that is considered an authority in their field (not necessarily in YOUR FIELD). Think of celebrities. Even though they are not experts in politics, celebrities opinions are often given more weight – simply because they are “famous” in another area.

Take a different perspective

· Speak your opinion and knowledge in such a way that uplifts others, even when you disagree with them. For example, add your knowledge as an extension or addition to their knowledge instead of against them.

· Create a new way to solve an old problem

· Focus on where the market and technology is going, instead of where it is today. A good example is Bluray as the successor to DVD. By the time Blu-ray came out, the industry was already moving toward Live Streaming. Today, very few laptops, ipads, notebooks, and other mobile devices don’t even come with disc players. This has limited the life-cycle of Blu-ray.

There are so much you can do that doesn’t cost anything but the desire and talent.



I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a presentation on “3 Keys to saying YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes