The Influencer Trap

There is SO much pressure to share your story publicly, both online and on stages. So why is it that...👇

When I look at the thought leaders I admire the most, I can't tell you anything about their private lives?

The answer is quite simple, it's because they've realised something everyone else hasn't...

That’s not to say your story isn’t important; it is. In fact, understanding your story is critical to finding your voice as a thought leader.

There is no requirement to share anything you don’t want to about your personal life.

I share this because:

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 ≠ 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.

[Related note: I think ‘Personal Brand’ is rather misleading. Professional brand seems far more apt - and those are stories I do share publicly, when they’re the right fit. You get to decide where the line is]

It's a phenomenon I call The Influencer Trap.
[And I fall into it too!]

Everyday we see 'influencers' trading intimacy for engagement (after all it is the low hanging fruit), it's no wonder we can feel like this must be what it takes to become a thought leader.

But sharing your story isn't thought leadership.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.

Thought leaders are exceptional storytellers, but it's actually incredibly rare that they share a story about themselves - because they don't need to.

Instead of looking to themselves, they draw on examples from:

1. History 📜 

2. Science 🧪 

3. Culture 🌎

4. Nature 🐅 

5. Technology 💾 

6. Data 📊 

7. Art 🖼️

8. People 👥

The goal? To find the stories and examples that they think will give their ideas the greatest chance of:

1. Connecting ✨

2. Being remembered 🧠

3. And then being shared 🗣️

So that their ideas can spread ⚡️.

And just like a comedian tests a joke, they test their stories until they find the ones that do all three.

It's a skill that is built over years; through curiosity, trial and error and an obsession with what actually lands.

Ultimately it’s about having a student mindset.

Never falling into the trap of thinking you know it all, and always looking for new, interesting and unobvious ways to bring your subject to life.

Every thought leader remembers the very first time they managed to shift someone's thinking without relying on their own story to do the heavy lifting.

That’s the moment you cross the threshold into true thought leadership; when you do, you start to see the world differently and something amazing happens:

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘀
𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱.

Have a great week!

Alex