I was on my laptop at Caribou Coffee in Royal Oak and I saw a friend
Eddie Lee (Detroit Young Professionals) and we talked for a minute and he mentioned the phase, ‘Thought Leader’ and this blog post was born. Thanks Eddie!

Are you a thought leader? We all have the potential to be one.

Thought leader is defined in Wikipedia as a buzzword or article of jargon used to describe a futurist or person who is recognized among their peers and mentors for innovative ideas and demonstrates the confidence to promote or share those ideas as actionable distilled insights (thinklets).

The term was first coined in 1994, by Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of the magazine, Strategy & Business.

But now I ask you a question, what things matter to you? Does anybody care about your thoughts? What is important in your life? What are your interest and what do you truly care about? It is time to wrap your thoughts around something that matters and leverage the power of the new media, blogging, social networks, and microblogging- twitter to name a few. The voice of user-generated content is increasing and becoming more relevant. For me it is simple, my thoughts are wrapped around branding. Branding is an inexhaustible subject so there is never a shortage of content or things to talk about.

I believe a lot people focus on things they think other people want to hear versus creating relevant content that matters. Being a thought leader is not a title that you can anoint yourself with, so please don’t try.

What I believe thought leaders have!
o Vision. They see what others don’t see (and before others see it.)
o Innovate. They think outside the box.
o Focus. The concentrate on something that matters.
o Make the complex simple. Anybody can add steps to a process, can you remove steps and make the process better.
o Swagger. They have that something that draws you to them and makes you want to consume their thoughts and their content.

Thought leaders communicate passion when sharing their ideas. As a personal brand strategist I fight the ills of the branding world and unoriginally with my Apple laptop (I would say pen, but that is so 20th century) my blog, and my book. I am the world’s next superhero, just call me ‘Brand Man’. LOL

Are you a thought leader? Let me know your thoughts.

Two of the though leaders (social media/marketing) I follow in twitter:

@chrisbrogan
@SethGodin

Two of my personal favorites:
Kevin Carroll- www.kevincarrollkatalyst.com

TED(Technology, Entertainment, Design)- www.TED.com (Inspired talks by the worlds greatest thinkers and doers)

thoughtleader_tagcloud, originally uploaded by Hajj Flemings.

After 5 Detroit one of the hottest online websites about Detroit and events around the region recently did a write up about me in their, ‘We Chose Detroit’ section. The write-up focuses on me as a local brand strategist who has chosen the city of Detroit. I am committed to assisting in the branding of individuals and the city of Detroit. Check out the article it is a great piece (hit the link below).  For the latest happenings in the ‘D’ check out their website as well.

http://after5detroit.com/a5/features/we-chose-detroit-local-speaker-brands-the-best.html

This year’s Cinderella team is lead by the tournament’s most impressive player, Stephen Curry. He has had a ridiculous tournament, scoring 30, 40, and 33 points respectively. The ‘Curry Powered’ Davidson team has added flavor to the tournament. Their basketball program was virtually unknown nationally prior to March Madness, but the team’s incredible run has spiced up the month of March.

Now, the nation is watching. LeBron James was in attendance (near the Davidson section) at the Sweet Sixteen games in Detroit. Ironically, many of the Davidson fans were wearing the Nike, ‘I am a Witness’ t-shirt. As a fan at Ford Field Friday night, I sported my Davidson t-shirt and watched in amazement as the brand story of Stephen Curry unfolds.

Every personal brand has a story and Stephen Curry is no different. He started out as the son of a NBA sharpshooter and volleyball mom who was overlooked by major D-1 basketball programs and now he is the ambassador of the ‘The Davidson’ brand. As a personal brand Stephen Curry has put his permanent stamp on the Davidson basketball program, the NCAA, and college sports. Stephen Curry is one of four college players to ever score 30-points or more in their first four NCAA tournament games (including last years game against Maryland).

How far will the ‘Curry Powered’ Davidson Cats go? Only time will tell….

To Stephen, keep shooting the lights out and destroying NCAA brackets!!!

Stephen Curry Originally uploaded by j_visser

Is your vision broken, originally uploaded by h_flemings.

Except from The Brand YU Life: Re-Thinking who you are though personal brand management

Are you a visionary thinker? Having a vision has little to do with what you can actually see. Seeing what is tangible doesn’t necessarily mean you have vision it just means you have sight. In fact, sight is affected by the other four senses and can be a barrier to vision. Vision is about recognizing the intangible and making it real.

Every successful brand (Coke, Nike, Apple, Microsoft) originated with a visionary man or woman whose imagination, presence, courage, and passion were vital to the growth and success of the brand. Are such individuals unusual? Are they born with an innate ability? No. Vision can be developed.

A visionary sees a desired future and develops a strategy to bring it into sight. One way this is accomplished is through visualization. Visualization is defined as the formation of mental visual images. Visualization is a tool that athletes and highly successful people use. Your mind is a powerful instrument that is capable of helping you process information to produce greater results. When your mind creates an image on the inside, it cannot tell the difference between the real thing and the image. This is the reason that visualization is so powerful: The picture that you see on the inside becomes your reality and you then begin to act on it.

Examples:

o Tiger Woods visualizes putting the ball in the cup every time he steps on the green.
o Michael Jordan visualized taking last second shots to win games.

The power of visualization is an awesome tool. It is your internal video camera. It is time to develop positive audio and video content that is internally generated. Everyone is created with the ability to create images on the inside. As you begin to think about your personal brand and where you see yourself, a picture is being downloaded internally.

Visionaries visualize, visionaries “see things,” they even talk to themselves. Other people sometimes think they are a little off, until the vision becomes reality. The visionaries then become “eccentric,” “a great mind,” and “brilliant.” A visionary sees further, sees more, sees before others and is willing to do the work needed to cause the vision to materialize. Although we are not all born visionaries, we all have the tools and skills we need to develop visionary thinking in ourselves. As a personal brand it is your responsibility to package and position your skills, abilities, and talents. Live your dreams and develop your brand.

November 19, 2007 (Detroit, MI) – ‘Who’s Who in Black Detroit’ recognizes me as an entrepreneur actively working to improve the quality of life in Detroit.

Who’s Who- Hajj E. Flemings, originally uploaded by h_flemings.

Imagine this. You step on to the elevator. The doors are closing. All of a sudden, the leading pioneer in your field or the CEO of a Fortune 100 company steps on the elevator and pushes the button to the top floor. The opportunity of a lifetime has just presented itself. Your mind is racing, you have 30 sec. to sell yourself and present your brand. What do you say? You may be thinking, ‘I can’t possibly compress my life into 30 sec. My resume is 2 pages, I’ve accomplished so much, I’m very valuable, I need more time’… If that is what you are thinking, I submit to you this. If a multi-billion dollar corporation can pitch a multi-million dollar product to millions of people in 30 sec. or less (known as a commercial), then surely you, as awesome as you are, can communicate your elevator speech in 30 sec. Now let’s take it a step further. Let’s say Oprah/Larry King/CNN/or The Today Show called and said they have a 3 min. segment available. They want you to come on the air. You can say anything you want about whatever you want. What would you say? What is your message to the world? There are approximately 6.5 billion people on the planet and they are all waiting to hear from you. Do you know where your passion lies? Do you know your purpose or reason for existence? What is your brand message? Who will your message impact? Will it ignite others to fulfill their destiny or cause them to change the station? If you can’t answer these questions right now, they I leave you with an assignment. Identify your brand and develop your message to the world.