Liz Ryan

Any adventure you undertake is going to challenge you. That for many people is part of the appeal! You need two things to meet the challenge: 1) A clear understanding of why you want whatever it is you want – a business, a vision, or a change you are working to bring about 2) A full fuel tank and access to the people and activities that refill your fuel tank when it gets low. Keeping your fuel tank full is more important than working on your business – returning another email or planning a product launch. Nothing runs without fuel!

It’s ironic that interviewers focus on a candidate’s ability to handle stressful situations when the organization’s leaders have much more control over the stress level a team member will encounter than the candidate does! Rather than quizzing each candidate on how they deal with stress, they should talk about how they work to build a healthy environment and reduce stress. As a candidate, you can tell a quick story about a stressful situation you encountered at work and talk about how you handled it. Be wary of any organization that is too curious about how you handle stress. It’s a red flag – the environment may be toxic and one you should avoid.

You don’t have to be an expert in your field to become a thought leader. Virtually every field is full of prominent people who say the same things. They all sound alike. If you want to step into leadership, speak your truth! Someone will resonate with your ideas – and maybe a lot of someones, as your ideas spread. No matter who you are or what you believe, everyone in the world will not approve of you or your message – and that’s fine. You don’t need 8 billion people to follow you. By sharing your thoughts you will bring together a community of people who feel the same way you do. Hurrah!

You become a founder by starting your own business or seeking out other people who share your idea for what your business can be. I recommend that you find your co-founders in or connected to your network - people who've been vouched for by people you trust. Being a co-founder with someone is a close relationship. You are guaranteed to run into hurdles and disappointments on the startup path. You want to work with people you can be honest with, and people you can rely on. Do not assemble a founder group casually. A prospective co-founder's resume is much less important than their personality and character. Here's to you, your vision and your team!

If you feel called to be a thought leader and share your message with the world, that’s awesome. Leave your team out of it. Launch your YouTube channel, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, or whatever you want to do. Your team has no special obligation to follow you as a thought leader. People who resonate with your message will follow you. It doesn’t matter whether they are coworkers, strangers or somewhere in between. Follow your creative path and let your teammates follow theirs. One of the most important ideas to let go of is the idea that as a manager, you have some special hold or power over your teammates. You don’t. As a manager, you have an opportunity to lift up your teammates’ voices – now that is a worthy goal!

Let me push back on the idea that you have to define your niche before you can step into leadership. Thought leadership is the expression of who you are. If you express who you are, the people who resonate with your ideas are your niche. Your vision is more important than a plan. The clarity of your vision fuels everything you do, including planning and revising plans. So you don’t need to define your thought leadership niche in advance. Just write! Or speak, podcast, make videos, draw, dance, whatever you do. Trust that there are people who resonate at your frequency. Let’s evolve past the mindset that everything starts with a plan, a timeline, goals, etc. That’s counter to human nature and especially human creativity.