The 3 pillars of real thought leadership

I’m in a writing group with some of the world’s most brilliant minds. Several members are leadership consultants, so I get early access to some of their insights about being a “leader.” It’s funny because leadership is tough to define but easy to spot. We all know when we’ve experienced a bad or good leader. 

We are willing to throw our heads through a brick wall for a good leader and want a brick wall to crush a bad one. Good leaders show us that our work matters. They create order from chaos and make meaningful things happen. Here’s what rubs me the wrong way — if this is what we know about good leadership, why is thought leadership different?

Social posts ≠ thought leadership

We all have that friend who claims they’re a “thought leader.” They know a lot and tell everyone else what they should do to solve their problems — when they can’t even solve their own. To quote the movie “Tommy Boy,” They’re all “smug, unhappy little [people], and [they] treat people like they’re idiots.”

As I speak with these self-proclaimed thought leaders, I politely ask them, “What makes you think you’re a thought leader? Your posts are basically a Mad Libs version of whatever buzzwords were trending last week.” The answer is almost always the same: “I talk about important things and post on social media. Therefore, I’m a thought leader.”

Dig deeper: Thought leadership: The human element your marketing needs

The post hoc fallacy

And that’s where things fall apart. The logic doesn’t add up.

They’ve engaged in post hoc fallacy — assuming one thing caused another when there’s no actual connection. For example, “I dropped my phone, and now it won’t charge. I need a new phone.” But your phone won’t charge for many reasons, like a bad cable and crud in the charging port and the outlet isn’t getting power.

This is the logical equivalent of my toddler thinking she can fly because she’s wearing a “Superman” cape. The reality is, if she jumps off the top of the ladder, she’ll fly … face-first into the ground. And posting all the time on social media, regardless of topic importance, doesn’t make you a thought leader.

Fancy titles don’t define a good leader. The people you lead do. And it’s your audience, your followers, who determine whether your content is incisive, innovative and insightful enough to be deemed “thought leadership.”

The engagement trap: Why marketers get fired every six months

This “posting equals thought leadership” mindset isn’t just a misguided (read: delusional) personal belief. It’s symptomatic of a more significant, systemic issue in the marketing world today — one where the focus has shifted from the actual leading with ideas, which is difficult, to something much easier and less impactful for our clients: engagement. 

Marketing has latched onto the idea that the more posts you create, we’ll call them algorithmic engagement posts, the more you can “engage” your audience. Greater audience engagement means brand growth and (hopefully) more sales.

This is why it feels like companies fire their marketing agencies every six months — because marketers are hired to grow sales and high engagement does not equal high sales. It means people do the digital equivalent of scrawling graffiti all over a billboard on the Information Super Highway.

Content doesn’t have to be original, insightful or lead anywhere. It just has to feed the algorithm so you can get the biggest following and look like an original, insightful thought leader. None of this follows the three copy guidelines I’ve shared in the past: 

• Copy must explain problems better than your prospects.
• Better explain available solutions than your prospects.
• Give insights they can’t get anywhere else. 

But if you’re posting stupid memes, sharing your Mad Libs post on the buzzword flavor of the week and trying to get in on the latest “challenge,” you’re just making noise. You’re not leading anything because your customers aren’t listening.

Dig deeper: Beyond the funnel: A new approach to content marketing

The three pillars of true thought leadership

True thought leadership isn’t about getting as many followers as Mel Robbins or Gary Vee. It’s about delivering value to your audience and showing you can help solve their problems.

This means dumping meaningless, valueless “algorithm engagement posts” and creating content that does these three things:

1. Shows your target audience you understand their problems

Customers don’t care about you. They care about solving their problems. And often, it’s hard for them to clearly explain the problem.

When you can empathize with them and give voice to their problems, you start building the most important currency you have — trust. This is where the halo effect comes in: Customers believe you have the solution because you can explain the problem better than anyone else.

2. Helps customers understand which options work best for them

As prices rise and options multiply, customers need clarity. They need to know what will work for them, not just what features are available. Helping them navigate their decision by framing tradeoffs is an incredibly powerful way to demonstrate thought leadership in a way that builds credibility and drives sales.

3. Helps them see their problem or situation in a new way

Innovation is defined by the customer, not you. It’s about relevance. Your audience only cares about exciting ideas when they understand how it applies to their problems. Otherwise, it’s just more noise. 

Thought leaders help their audience find a different angle of attack when approaching problems and solutions. What sets them apart is the utility of their ideas as defined by their customers. Content that can connect your insights to their immediate needs and long-term goals in refreshing ways wins.

Thought leadership is about usefulness, not algorithms

This customer-centric approach doesn’t just “feed” an algorithm. By consistently posting useful content for your audience or target customers, you’re giving customers the information they need to solve their relevant problems and achieve their goals. You’re treating them like a person instead of objectifying them in the pursuit of “clicks.” In doing so, you build trust and credibility, solidifying your position as a real thought leader — someone helping their audience address real problems and see them in a new way.

Remember, it’s not about the number of followers or the reactions a post gets — it’s about proving you get your audience. You’re not like every other profile cluttering their feed. You create order from chaos and make meaningful things happen. That’s how you generate leads that stick, build real trust and make an impact.

If you’re ready to be part of the solution, start with the basics: create content that helps your audience think deeper, make better decisions and see their challenges in a new way. Companies that embrace this approach don’t just gain followers — they earn trust, drive meaningful conversations and ultimately, grow. The ones that don’t? They keep wondering why their “engagement” isn’t translating into results.

Zac Stucki will be speaking on “The Curious Case of the Customer Churn” at the Spring 2025 MarTech Conference. See the agenda and grab a free pass for this online event.

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