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Thought Leadership That Matters

5 min read

Devrel

You're the pro at external presence. Help Elena (or your CTO) with: talks, posts, and the 'what do we stand for?' narrative.

Eng Manager

Thought leadership can be team-level. Your org's approach to AI could be a case study. Document it. Share it.

Tech Lead

Your technical depth is the content. Elena's job is the narrative. You provide the proof. Collaborate.

Thought Leadership That Matters

TL;DR

  • Thought leadership isn't posting hot takes. It's having a point of view, backing it with experience, and sharing it consistently.
  • CTOs with an AI story get the invites: panels, podcasts, boards. Build the story. Use it.
  • Elena's 24 years = credibility. She doesn't need to be a hype-merchant. She needs to be the voice of "here's what we're actually doing."

LinkedIn is full of "AI will change everything" posts. Elena can do better. She has the experience. She has the platform. She just needs to use it.

What Thought Leadership Actually Is

  • A point of view: "AI is a discontinuity. Here's how we're responding." Not "AI is great." Specific. Defensible.
  • Evidence: "We ran a pilot. Here are the results." Not "we're exploring." Concrete.
  • Consistency: One good post is a start. Ten over a year is a presence. Build the habit.

Channels That Matter

  • Talks: Conferences, podcasts, internal all-hands. A 20-minute "here's our AI journey" talk reaches thousands.
  • Writing: Blog, LinkedIn, Medium. One substantive post per quarter beats 10 hot takes.
  • Boards and advisory: CTOs who can speak clearly about AI get invited to advise. That compounds.

Don't Over-Position

"I'm an AI expert" — maybe. "I've led an org through AI adoption and here's what we learned" — better. Humility and specificity build trust. Hype erodes it.

Quick Check

LinkedIn is full of 'AI will change everything' posts. What's thought leadership that actually MATTERS?

You don't do thought leadership. 'That's for hype merchants.' Or you post hot takes. No evidence. No consistency. Nobody knows what you stand for.

Click "Thought leadership" to see the difference →

Do This Next

  1. Write one substantive piece: Your AI strategy, your pilot results, or your "why this time is different" take. 800-1000 words. Publish it.
  2. Say yes to one external opportunity: Podcast, panel, or talk. Practice the narrative. Refine it. Repeat.