An asset is something that produces value. In other words, an asset is something that doesn’t cost, but pays.
An Authority Asset is used by an Authority or Thought Leader to bring intentionality and consciousness to their Authority building or Thought Leadership. Without these Authority Assets, the job becomes harder, more expensive, and far less certain.
An Authority Asset can be a strategic plan, a story, or even a list of important facts. This list has been compiled from many sources, and by studying the lives of some of the greatest leaders of all time. When you study enough highly accomplished people, it’s amazing to see that certain commonalities tend to appear over and over.
You may find that you’ve developed some of these assets organically, but my hope is that you will go through this list and start working on building all the assets you don’t already have. And it wouldn’t hurt to go over the ones you already have to make sure that you haven’t outgrown them and that the are serving you as well as possible.
Here, then, are the twelve Authority Assets…
Authority Archetype
Remember when I mentioned studying the lives of historical figures? I wasn’t joking. You can learn a lot from them, and although there are several different ways of establishing authority, I’ve learned that almost everyone has one or two that they resonate with the most. This is your Authority Archetype, and you can adapt their strategies to achieve your goals.
It’s easy to find your Authority Archetype. Just go here and take the free, short quiz. After the quiz, but before you are presented with the results, you will have a chance to sign up to get resources on all the Authority Archetypes. I strongly suggest you do that, as it will dramatically cut down on your learning and research time.
Customer Emotional Profile
One of the “rookie mistakes” a would-be Authority or Thought Leader makes is to operate under the assumption that the information they convey is the primary (if not exclusive) source of value they provide their audience. That is false. People make decisions, and connections, emotionally first, and you need to be able to establish a two-way emotional connection with your audience. The Customer Emotional Profile equips you to deeply understand the pains and pleasures of your audience avatar.
Relational Role
One of the most important decisions an up-and-coming Authority or Thought Leader can make is to decide on their Relational Role. Your Relational Role determines the way you relate to your audience, and the tone you take when you speak to them. A wisely-chosen Relational Role makes everything easier for you and allows your audience to quickly understand the relationship you and they are building together.
Authority Lexicon
Every Authority and Thought Leader has certain terms that belong to them. These terms perform a number of duties: they act as a verbal/written shorthand for conveying a concept quickly and easily, they “brand” the Authority or Thought Leader in the mind of the audience member, so that when they see, hear, or think of that term, they think of the person who they learned it from; and the terms allow each audience members to quickly recognize each other out in the wild.
When we develop your Authority Lexicon, we choose and document these terms so you can easily and effectively incorporate them into your communications.
Statement Document/Manifesto/Credo
An Authority or Thought Leader is not the audience member’s Google. They are more than just a source of information. They are a source of rules, boundaries, and opinions. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? That’s why we get it all down on paper, thought out and wrote out. And that’s something that can be propagated to your audience (or prospective audience). Don’t be afraid to take a stand, and make a point. The people that don’t like you will hate you for it, but the people that like you will love you for it.
Values & Attributes List
Another thing that an Authority or Thought Leader does is represent certain values and ideas to their audience. Not only do they teach certain concepts, but they also exemplify them. This strategic planning document allows you to have a comprehensive list of the values and attributes that are important to your positioning, as well as those that your audience needs to be good customers (pro tip: that’s really important!).
Dramatic Demonstration & Proof
Proof is the rocket fuel of confidence, which is what people need to have in order to invest their time and money in your teachings. We’ll go over the 8 different types of proof and help you select the proof you can build into your communication right away.
Origin Story
This is the first of four types of stories you need to build into the relationship with your audience. The origin story tells people about your background (part of the “before” of your “before and after”) and tells them how you got started in your area of expertise.
Mission Story
Your Mission Story tells people the “why” of what you do, and it’s another important asset in helping people relate to you. Like with all of the four stories, we help you build and refine it for maximum persuasiveness.
Victory Over Hardship Story
Every Authority and Thought Leader needs a “before and after” story that gives them the “right” to teach others, gives people a relatable “before” that they can identify with. When people see part of themselves in your story, they will begin to build a connection with you.
Imprint Stories
Imprint stories are not one story, but a set of stories. These are not about you, necessarily. These are the stories that “stick,” being highly memorable and repeatable. These are the stories that people will re-tell to their friends, and they exist to teach and reinforce the values and behaviors you teach.
Media Plan/Feeder System
There has never been a successful Authority or Thought Leader who didn’t have a media plan. The final Authority Asset is your plan for attracting the right people, and, just as importantly, repelling the wrong ones.