“You can’t tell any kind of a story without having some kind of a theme, something to say between the lines.”
— Robert Wise
The day you became an Authority or Thought Leader (provided that such a day could be pinpointed), your job expanded beyond the mere expertise of your subject. You may or may not have realized it, but in order to sustain an audience any longer than it takes you to teach the mechanical/clinical aspects of your topic, you need to do more than simply teach.
One of the keys to having a long relationship with your audience is to teach, demonstrate, and represent something to them that is bigger than the “how-to” information you convey.
Do you represent success to your audience? Do they think of the freedom you seem to enjoy? Do you engender the kind of respect that they wish they receive?
It’s well worth your time to document what you stand for and believe that you would recommend your audience adopt — either for their success or in order to be a better customer.
A “Principles and Values” planning document is one of the twelve “Authority Assets” I help my clients create, so they have that playbook ready at all times as they communicate with their audience.
The value of your audience is either increasing or deteriorating at this and every moment. By constantly communicating and reinforcing your principles and values to them, you’re helping them, maintaining their value as a customer, and extending the relationship you worked so hard to establish.