A thought leader is someone who has innovative ideas and concepts – someone who, despite what is going on around them, defies convention and tries something new and succeeds. It is a term that was coined over fifteen years ago and has a lot of new dynamics in the current age. The advent of social media and the continuing advance of technology makes being innovative and sharing those innovative ideas. How do we utilize these things to share our ideas? What things are there for us to use? Here are a few suggested resources you can use to help share your ideas with those who can help support you on your way to thought leadership.

1. Your community! While the internet has boundless forums and websites and so on and so forth that can help you share your ideas and gain recognition, the first place to always go is your own community. Your colleagues, customers, friends, and family – all of these people will listen to your ideas and it is very likely that if they like it they will share it with their own colleagues, customers, friends, and family. The power of speaking with those around you is surprisingly strong and people are usually quite eager to help those they know out if they believe in their ideas.
2. Social Media. I know I talk a lot about social media here, but that is because it can be a useful tool. There are both good and bad ways to utilize it, but that’s for another blog. Sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, and many others can be used to help share and connect with people who may have similar ideas to you. Also, using Google to find more specialized forums and think tank type sites can help you as well. Be vigilant!
3. Self-publishing. If you have formed your idea enough, the world of self publishing is a very useful one. Many of the major publishers look to self publishers as a way of finding new and upcoming manuscripts so if you are confident enough about your idea you can take that next step by writing about it in a manuscript and going from there – who knows who could pick it up, or who could read it – the possibilities are endless.
4. Listen to advice! That’s my biggest tip, if there is any tip to give it is this one. Anyone who offers you help or gives you advice, listen. There are many bits of genuine information lying in a lot of the places you would least expect to find them. If you just look, search, and persevere, the right path is always there.

In the end, being a thought leader comes down to you. It comes down to your confidence and your drive. It comes down to your desire to really share your ideas with the world. If you believe you can change it, there’s no reason not to try. To stay at the edge of issues on HR and staffing, be sure to subscribe to the Human Capital Supply Chain Blog.