Do you like to pay attention to all the productivity literature out there?
I do — well, some of it, anyway…
Some books and articles are great and helpful; others, not so much.
Truth is, a lot of it provides just a shade or two different form of self-gratification than certain “men’s magazines.” The only difference is that when people are pictured, they’re wearing much more clothing.
You get a warm feeling like you did something special, but you didn’t.
The “productivity industry” even has a term for it: “confusing activity for accomplishment.”
It’s when you check off this flurry of “work” on your to-do list, but nothing really ever gets done.
Have you had days like this? I certainly have.
Now here’s why I’m mentioning it: you kind of have to encourage this behavior in your followers.
All of your followers need to feel like they’re doing something, when the vast majority of them aren’t.
They’re still “thinking about it,” or “learning more.” And that’s good, to an extent, but their progress is more fictional than real.
As their Thought Leader, you can’t worry too much about that, because you can only do what you can do. It’s the whole thing about leading a horse to water.
Until the day comes when they actually get in gear and really do something, if that day ever comes, you still need to be there with them, giving them the knowledge and resources to achieve the transformation they claim to desire.
And along with that, you have to give them things to do so they can build their self-esteem by feeling like they’re actually doing something. Additionally, they like to feel like they’re earning their place in the tribe.
So although confusing activity for accomplishment is often counterproductive, there is some of that that is actually beneficial to the follower of a Thought Leader.
Now here’s an activity you can do right now, for free, that will lead to actual accomplishment. Go to You Can Be A Thought Leader and sign up for my daily Thought Leadership tips. But please, only do that if you’re actually willing to grow your Thought Leadership.