A senior leader may be a superstar in their organization but a complete unknown outside of their organization's walls. Their executive profile development isn't just about posting to their LinkedIn or speaking engagements, or even talking points. It's about positioning them to be a subject matter expert in their field with a point of view that moves their organization's reputation and agenda. All of this is important and why having a robust executive comms strategy is so important.
Having your executive thought leader doesn't mean that they have to have an opinion on everything, but there has to be some sort of overlap between what they know, what the company that they're representing needs, and what the audience wants to hear. They have to be an expert in three or four topics that they can claim as their own and that they can speak on confidently and with ease.
The communications team is critical to helping shape and direct this messaging. It has to be written in the exec's voice, which may mean the exec has to help identify their voice. The comms team can best help the exec find their voice by listening to what the leader has to say about a topic (how they describe something), what moves them, and how they think to distill ideas.
Once a theme is identified, the comms team can then take ideas and build them into a thought leadership platform. These could be LInkedIn posts, op-eds, keynotes, podcast topics, talking points for town halls, messaging for employees, etc. A comms team can take a 20min conversation with an executive and spin it into multiple pieces of content.
Thought leadership for executives isn't about personal branding strategy, although it does marry the leader's platform to the organization's strategy. It is about sharing observations, perspectives, and ideas to address an industry challenge, and can be used to promote new initiatives and further the organization's mission and goals. It should not be all about advertising or selling a product or service, rather, it should be more organic, not forced. Thought leadership for executives isn't about making the leader louder, but about elevating a trusted visionary who is making an impact in the industry.
Your executives have a lot to say, but are they saying it to the right audience? An executive comms strategy can position your organization and your executives for success by sharing their expertise and building credibility. If you are looking to increase the visibility and impact of your executive leadership team, let's talk. I can help you create an actionable executive communications strategy.
