Issue #18: The Justice League and Thought Leadership Bias
Opinionated Thinker (guerilla style) or Thought Leader? Batman or Superman? Can this subtitle be any longer?
Fat guy walks into a gym. Does he think he’s there to:
Do a job, lose the extra weight?
Make a fool of himself?
The way you answer that question usually shows your appetite for risk. I’ve studied this issue, and debated it with lost of people, and my findings seem to confirm the fact that there’s a direct correlation between people who take physical education in primary and in high school and those who show mental fortitude.
Weird, right?
Well….
At least in Romania, physical education classes are mandatory. As a kid/teenager, there’s no way to opt in, just to opt out. So, the only outcome where a child does not participate in phys.ed classes has to come via an intervention — usually carried out by parents.
Now, I’m not absurd (at least 90% of the time), and I do understand that some kids/teenagers/young adults simply have heart conditions or other ailments that stop them from partaking in a bit of “moving their asses”.
Fair play to them, no questions asked.
However, I do know my fair share of people, young men and women who opted out of phys.ed classes for different reasons:
I have a weird body
I don’t know how to move, kids will laugh at me
I’m lazy
I’d rather read something
Exercise makes me sticky
For these… interlopers, who have no affliction, but would just rather sit one out, there’s always mommy and daddy to save the day. The verdict is an “ingrown nail”, “apathy” or other some such bullshit that a “benevolent” doctor writes down on a medical exemption, after a parent has sufficiently greased their palms.
The parent thinks they are doing the child a favour, but they are simply crippling them, and usually condemning them to a life lived as a sensible wallflower.
I was a fat kid. Fat as they come. Like twenty-thirty kilos over the recommended weight for my height. I was ashamed to get undressed in the locker room, due to my numerous bellies and large… undercarriage.
Fat-boy, sweet tits, marshmallow guy, the Michelin Man! – insults du jour. Could I have asked dear old mom to step in and declare me “medically lazy”? Of fucking course.
However, I never asked, she never offered, and, year after year, until I decided to shed the extra weight, I was the (big) butt of all fat jokes. I rolled onto the field like a Panzer… I squished people in basketball like a fat O’Neal, played the goalie due to my large size, and took the locker room insults.
You know what that experience taught me?
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words from cunts can never hurt me.
- Dude, we’re like three to four minutes into this newsletter, and you’re writing about your fat trauma! What gives, MadVlad?
Ahem… Thought Leaders usually don’t want to be the fat kid in the gym.
Or being the bad guy in someone’s story. They are content with staying on a stage and sharing ideas. Rarely, if ever, do they actually take action (in public) and ruffle the feathers.
Kinda like Superman is always the boy scout, and Batman gets his hands dirty to get the job done.
Views on Thought Leadership
I’ve never said Thought Leadership is bad. It’s kinda cool, and kinda necessary. But it just rubs me the wrong way, somehow. Especially if we take TL at face value, and we only consider it a type of content.
Actually, the working definition I resonate best with is Elzet Blaauw’s.
If you want the definitive opinion piece on TL, I recommend you start with the extraordinarily talented Mr.Lekas’ material: What’s a Thought Leader? And Why Is Everyone Becoming One?
Last, but not least, TL should be about responsibility. OK, this one’s not necessarily about TL, but it ties in beautifully with the topic.
Because, as Flavia puts it, “If you have the potential, then you have the responsibility.“
Or, the way Uncle Ben (Peter Parker - Spider-Man’s uncle) puts it: “with great power comes great responsibility”.
And who needs to practice responsibility more than a Thought Leader?
Why are we here?
Like most of the things I write, this was supposed to be a response rant for a post that got my knickers in a knot. However, I decided to let it fester for a while, and only then, when the issue has maturated enough, and my bubbling feelings have subsided or erupted… let it rip.
Less of the angry teenage boy drama (mate, you’re 30, grow the fuck up, son), more of the professional insight.
Thought Leaders make me think about the Justice League. A group of superheroes who protect Earth and the galaxy from a satellite in space. They fly, are mostly invulnerable and guard the whole planet. They battle Avengers level threats, if you will. What they do lack, is a down to Earth perspective (because they are in space, get it?)
They sit comfortably on an air-conditioned stage (I’m switching to Thought Leaders now) and preach from a podium. Even when they write, they do it from a superior position. They don’t (usually) remember the low-level crimes - the rapes, the muggings, the back alley killings, or the marketing bullshit, because they are somehow above it at that point. They don’t call out shit anymore, they’re happy just creating a better way on the BIG playing field.
Well, it is my opinion, that for such situations you need the little guys. The street level heroes who usually don’t see the big picture. They’re not invulnerable, they’re liable to be shot and killed, and still risk their necks like it’s nothing. Sure, they won’t get invited on the big stage anytime soon, because they are scrappy. They are liable to punch a criminal to inches of taking his life, or call a fellow panelist a certifiable cunt, just because they feel like it.
Thought Leaders (usually) don’t get their hands dirty anymore. They have a different philosophy. When someone’s talking out their asses, Thought Leaders are diplomatic and wait for their turn.
But, I gotta hand it to them, from time to time they do get down from their high horse and school some people. And, for that, I thank them :D.
As such, I can’t call myself a Thought Leader. I’m certainly more comfortable with the moniker of Opinion Terrorist.
Where Thought Leaders tend to be flaky and somewhat sterile in their delivery, Opinion Terrorists or Opinionated Thinkers (OTs) don’t hold back and simply call Chris Do an idiot. Just because the OT felt like it.
The main difference
How to set apart Thought Leaders and Opinion Terrorists? Of course, there are no absolutes, just notches on a graph, but this is what I’ve noticed:
Thought Leader:
Tends to be serious and highly professional
Will fight, but usually avoids it
Is very slippery when you try to corner him/her – they’re very relative about stuff
Opinion Terrorist:
Tends to look at the world through a “gutter” filter
Will fight as a general response to anything he/she finds offensive, usually shoots first and asks questions never
Is rough, and the way he/she thinks is quite easy to pin down – strong opinions
Of course, these are extremes and the sweet spot is usually somewhere in the middle.
I can make you one… with everything :)
Part of my job, mostly when I put on the Ghostwriter cap, is to create a voice and a brand for people. Thus, Thought Leadership is one of the main pillars of any strategy I use for a LinkedIn presence, a Newsletter, a Blog article and so on.
Here comes the kicker: where Thought Leadership is a rather turgid affair, I can promise you (and I usually don’t promise anything) that whatever comes out of your mouth and goes through my hands — WILL NOT BE BORING.
Or flaky.
Sure, it will be Thought Leadership, but people will enjoy reading it, your personality will shine through and, since you’re cool with working avec moi, we won’t tip-toe around ideas. This obsession with not offending anyone, of not stepping into the arena, of not going to the gym if you’re fat… has got to stop.
No matter how important your topic, if people won’t enjoy reading your stuff… they won’t.
That’s my bet with you: you can be fun and alive, and a thought leader at the same time. Trust me, I’ll push you sometimes, and you’ll have to make some difficult choices. Fun’s about attitude, not what you say.
So, if you’re a Thought Leader, I can show you how to shake that stick lodged up your bum.
If you’re an Opinion Terrorist in denial, like I used to be, I can show you how NOT to get banned.
…. and results!
I just asked one of my clients to describe THE BEST thing that stands out from working with me on a LinkedIn Ghostwriting/Consultancy package, and they summed it up like this:
“Efficiency. I never felt I was wasting any time. I always felt progress made and the posts ‘appeared’ quickly after we had our conversation.”
Oh yeah, I also swear more than other freelancers. Eh, what can you do, comes with the territory!
*One final disclaimer: this service is only for people who understand that Thought Leadership and Brand Building are a long-term game. None of that “I need leads in three months” deal.
For that, you can work with writers who offer words that sell, whatever the fuck that means.
Going forward
Phewww… had to get that out of my system.
Now, if you loved this issue, you might be interested in:
Previously, on B00ls: Issue #17: Writing Should Be Your Number #3 Skill
Read and find out which are the other two
Next time, join MadVlad as he takes on…
Another special video episode: Ghostwriting MasterClass
Tune in if you’re interested in:
My Ghostwriting process, ‘cause you want to work with me
How to spot a capable Ghostwriter
How to become a kick-ass Ghostwriter
You can get access to the full archive here if you missed any other issue.
In the meantime
If you liked my stuff, this is how we can work together:
I write for you. Check out the Experience section on my LinkedIn.
I consult marketers and founders. I can show you how to tread the line between Thought Leader and Opinion Terrorist.
I consult writers. I can show you how to position yourself in order to attract the long-term clients.
Are you a writer/marketer/founder who wants to lead by example?
Reply to this e-mail if you’re interested in the above.
Know somebody who’d also like that? Share my newsletter and point them in my direction. I’ll give you a beer if you’re ever in Bucharest.
Offer 1 is detailed up on LinkedIn.
Offers 2 and 3 are detailed up on LinkedIn. But you can also find them here:
I’m still very open for consultancy services. Just reply to this e-mail if you’re interested.
Cheers
If this was the first, but also last time we meet: Thank you.
I write for myself, but you reading my writing gives it additional meaning. I literally could not resonate without you.