“The tragedy of bold, forthright, industrious people is that they act so continuously without much thinking, that it becomes dry and empty.” — Brenda Ueland Sad but true, right? You know what people most want from a thought leader? Someone to do their thinking for them. To point out the rules, the boundaries, and to …
“All literature consists of whatever the writer thinks is cool. The reader will like the book to the degree that he agrees with the writer about what’s cool.” — Steven Brust One of the key factors that an up and coming Thought Leader often misses is the values that surround their teaching and information. In …
“Think and grow rich.” — Napoleon Hill What a genius title. Simple, easy to remember, and points to a benefit that the reader wants. You don’t even have to read the book to know what it’s about — at least on a basic sense. It clearly has something to do with thinking (what to do) …
“There is nothing new except what has been forgotten.” — Marie Antoinette I deal with a lot of Thought Leaders, would-be Thought Leaders, Authorities, and would-be Authorities. One thing that many of them — especially the up-and-comers — need to be reminded of is that before you can be a Thought Leader, you have to …
“When a man is discontented with himself, it has one advantage – that it puts him into an excellent frame of mind for making a bargain.” — Laurence Sterne One thing every member of your audience has is discontentment. They wouldn’t be paying any attention to you if you didn’t offer something that they could …
“Propaganda requires a permanent network of communication so that it can systematically stifle reflection with emotive or utopian slogans. Its pace is usually fast.” — John Berger Trigger Warning: This is one of those posts where I teach you how to do something good by studying something bad. Let’s talk about propaganda. I love that …
“Everybody’s like everybody else, and everybody’s different from everybody else.” — Harvey Pekar This is a tough one. Not going to lie to you, here or anywhere else. Your audience desperately wants to believe that they are, as individuals, unique and special. They do this to their advantage and to their detriment. They think that …
“I never invite idiots to my house.” — Elizabeth Montagu Is there anyone more miserable than someone whose business is something they detest? Let me ask that another way: Do you actually like your followers? Would you choose to hang out with them if you didn’t have to, or would you prefer to keep them …
“In the factory we make cosmetics; in the drugstore we sell hope.” — Charles Revson One of the things that constantly fascinates me is the dichotomy between the business people might think you’re in (and even yourself) and the business that you’re actually in. Here’s an example of that. Think about a professional musician. When …
“Within one hour of touching the brush to canvas for the first time, my students have a total, complete painting.” — Bob Ross Now that’s a great offer, isn’t it? Provided you’re the kind of person that wants a “total, complete painting.” But if you are, that’s a great offer. A transformation, if you will. …