563 - If You’re Not Seen, You’re Not Trusted
CEOs who aren’t seen as thought leaders lose trust, visibility, and growth. This episode explores why thought leadership drives credibility and revenue, and how to position yourself as the expert your market needs.
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Why Thought Leadership Defines Modern Leadership
If you are a CEO and people don’t see you as a thought leader, you have a problem. It’s not a visibility problem. It’s a trust problem. When people only see your title, not your insight, they don’t connect with your leadership. And without connection, trust fades, and business follows.
1. Thought Leadership Builds Trust
People trust those who share their thinking openly. When you discuss your industry, expertise, and perspective, you invite others to trust your leadership. That trust turns into influence.
2. Influence Drives Revenue
Look at any industry. The leaders with the strongest voices often lead the strongest businesses. Visibility isn’t a vanity metric; it is a growth engine. Customers buy from people they know, and thought leadership helps you establish a reputation.
3. Expertise Without Visibility Is Invisible
Being great at what you do isn’t enough if no one sees it. Your voice is your bridge to opportunity. The moment you start sharing insights consistently, you shift from being a nameplate on an org chart to being a trusted guide.
4. Every CEO Can Become a Thought Leader
This is not reserved for a few. Every leader can build visibility by communicating authentically, showing up, and serving their audience. It’s about giving, not showing off.
Final Thought
If you want people to trust your company, they must first trust you. Thought leadership is how you earn that trust. Be visible. Be valuable. Be the voice your industry follows.
Highlights:
00:00 The Importance of Being a Thought Leader
00:06 Consequences of Not Being Seen as an Expert
00:30 Analyzing Industry Thought Leaders
00:44 Revenue Correlation with Thought Leadership
00:56 Becoming a Thought Leader
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Transcript:
If you are a CEO and are not seen as a thought leader in your industry, you have a problem. You have a problem because people don't trust you. People don't see you as the expert that you are. They just see you as the CEO, and then they might care about you because they have huge need and buy something from your company.
Or they might even not look at you at all and not at your company. And that means they're not buying a single thing that your company is. Able to help them with. If we step back and we look at the industry, and you can do this in your industry too. Look at the people that are seen as the thought leaders in their industry.
Look at the people that are seen as the thought leader in your industry. And then look into what the business is doing in revenue. And I bet the ones that are seen as the thought leaders in the whole industry will have the best revenue. And you can do this too if you are a thought leader.