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

Did ‘The Brand YU Life’ book cover inspire the new NBA commercial (‘There Can Only Be One’) or the new Time magazine cover design with Hillary and Barack. Who knows? Nevertheless, all three are great designs.

After researching the design direction of the commercial I found the following statement from the NBA:
“There Can Only Be One” is designed to bring to life the dedication, desire, and sacrifice that create the intense emotions and drama of one of sport’s premier postseason events: the NBA Playoffs & The Finals.

When I saw the ads the first thing I thought about was the dedication, desire, and sacrifice required to operate in your purpose as a personal brand. The split faces represented to me the split personalities that most people have: one of a person trying to get a particular job and not being fulfilled and the other operating in their purpose and loving what they do.

My reason for being a personal brand strategist is that I was tired of just working a job and wanted to live my passion and operate in my purpose. Operating in your purpose is the highest calling of personal branding opposed to just getting a job. Positions can be filled, people can be replaced, but ‘There is only one’ who can fill your purpose.

There Can Only Be One, originally uploaded by Hajj Flemings.

On Valentines Day we typically focus on our love for that special person in our lives. As a personal brand do you love your life? How many of you know people who don’t love their life or their career? Many of us know those people. Some of us might be one of those people. I believe life was meant to be lived, experienced, and enjoyed. I love my personal brand more than any business brand. I love my life and what I do more than Starbucks’ White Chocolate Mocha, more than my Apple laptop, my Tumi laptop bag and more than my Blackberry that keeps me connected with the world around me.

Branding is a love story. It is a story of happiness and it is a story of desire.
Branding is a story of value, it is a story of connection, connecting you with the thing you were always created to be and to become. Branding is the story of the pursuit of happiness, it is a story of passion. I don’t believe that passion can be taught, but every person is passionate about something. One of the major pursuits in life is identification of your passion. How bad do you want to live your dreams? What price are you willing to pay to live your dreams and live a life of significance?

Starting today create your ‘Branding Love Story’.

another Valentine! Originally uploaded by peggy.

One of the hottest buzzwords is ‘personal branding’ and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. By now you are probably telling everybody that you are a personal brand, but what does that mean.

What are you? Free agent. Employee. Temp worker. Freelancer. Salary Worker. Knowledge worker. Artist. Unemployed. Entrepreneur. Student. Intrapreneur. Stay-at-home mother. Self-employed. Mogul. Investor. Professional Student. Comedian. Consultant. Actor. Musician. Model. Displaced Worker. Salesperson. Athlete. Blogger. Webpreneur. Politician.

As you start to develop your personal brand, think about who you are and what makes you special.

What is your passion?
What is your Unique Selling Position (USP)?

Personal branding is about more than creating your own personal celebrity. It is not just about being but becoming ‘YOU’. Let me know what ‘YOU’ are.

Brand YU Life- Chapter 04 Title Page Originally uploaded by h_flemings

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.