If there’s one goal that I keep coming back to with my businesses it is that of thought leadership. Over the years, I think I have fundamentally realized that the way I want to be in business is being an expert, driving innovation rather an adhering to the lowest standards.
Of course building thought leadership isn’t easy, and how to go about it is something I think constantly about. What I have come to realize is that perhaps the only way to really succeed in positioning yourself as a though leader/industry expert, is to publish more.
The problem with publishing more (really useful articles, posts and content) is of course that it takes a lot of time. Time that could be used at client projects that see immediate benefits.
To me, this is a tricky balance, because I also know that this is a long term strategy that will inevitably pay off. But both the short and long term viewpoints need to be considered, and weighed.
What’s the strategy you ask? Simple. For me to focus as much as I can on strategical matters, including positioning and publishing, trying to reduce time spent on tasks that don’t need my expertise (handing that to more junior developers) and, if my strategy pays off, reap the benefits hopefully as soon as within a year.
I guess only time will tell.