Cultivate the Next Generation of Thought Leaders

Is your company demonstrating thought leadership? Chances are, in one way or another the answer is yes. You might be leading the way in product development in your industry, or you might have employees who are frequently published. Whatever your angle, thought leadership is a key component of content marketing and a smart way to drive new business leads. As digital trends continue to evolve, the value of thought leadership will undoubtedly remain. With that knowledge comes an important question:

Are you cultivating the next generation of thought leaders at your company?

It’s important to invest in less experienced employees who can carry your company’s torch into the future. Doing so doesn’t require much time or money, but it does require some generosity from current thought leaders. Companies with experts who are willing to teach are often best prepared for the future, because leadership is developed within. Productivity and retention are higher as a result. When employees know they are valued and worth an investment of time and resources, their work reflects it.

Develop a culture of learning and education.

To encourage employees at the beginning of their careers to think towards leadership, instill a culture of learning at your company. When internal education is part of your employment brand, your team becomes more eager to learn, both collaboratively and from senior leadership.

Making learning a priority isn’t as difficult as you might think.

In fact, sometimes it’s as easy as establishing a series of Lunch and Learns that feature resident thought leaders. Have them share their research and writing process for a recent article, or discuss points of career development that younger employees should keep in mind. We hold similar “Crave” sessions at Movéo and find them to be useful and rewarding for everyone involved. If learning over lunch doesn’t suit your culture, set aside a day–or even a half day–for an internal mini-conference. Pick an industry-related theme and invite senior leadership to share their insight in ways that will help less experienced team members think towards the future. A morning of education might seem disruptive to the regular workflow, but we can almost  guarantee that everyone will benefit.

Does your company culture celebrate education? How so?

Image via (cc) Cydcor Offices