Put Yourself on the Line and it’s Never too Early

According to the United Nations, more than 60% of the African population is less than 35 years and about 42% of the world population is aged below 25. This is a significant proportion by any measure! What is most interesting to note is the idea that youth are increasingly becoming thought leaders in various fields and the trend is going up. Is there a good time for one to become a thought leader? Can thought leadership help transform developing economies?

Thought Leaders are those who come up with innovative initiatives (products, companies, models, initiatives, legislation, programs, etc), get these creative ideas to action, influence and inspire a group of followers who help replicate these ideas through engaging in new actions and finding new paths to bring change to the world. On May 13 at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Professor JD Schramm asked a group of talented MBA students about the steps they have taken to show that they are thought leaders. Inspiring stories from thought leadership in the public sector to working on children shaping up their life trajectories were refreshing to hear. During class discussions, what inspired me most was the spectrum of ages of thought leaders: from the story of a US President Barack Obama to fellow MBA classmates who are doing amazing things to shape a new trajectory that has a great potential to bring sustainable change. Prof JD Schramm said that thought leaders can exist in their 30’s if one chooses to be one. How then does one become a thought leader?

Detailed below is a seven-step framework, extracted from the Thought Leadership book by Denise Brosseau, to becoming a thought leader.

1. Find your driving passion. This involves finding the area of interests where credibility, commitment and experience overlap- a thought leadership intersection point
2. Build Your Ripples of Influence. This is all about testing new ideas, getting feedback from experienced and knowledgeable mentors and colleague, and then refining them
3. Activate Your Advocates. Thought leadership requires that one broadens his/her audience. To achieve that, one has to acquire the support of well-connected supporters and advocates to spread the ideas. These supporters include industry association, journalists, analysts, etc.
4. Put Your “I” on the Line. This is one of my key takeaways. How can one accomplish this? This involves taking the risk of standing up and getting dirty to build the momentum. This puts one on the spotlight and many people are afraid of the backlash this involves. Hearing inspiring stories of other people who did it could help distill the fear pressure. Below, I explain a personal idea that touches on this step to becoming a thought leader to help transform developing economies.
5. Codify Your Lessons Learned. Can you capture your ideas into a repeatable model that others can use and share?
6. Put Yourself on SHOUT. Get the word out there about what you are doing to change the world. This helps to build visibility and credibility and to build a network of followers that are inspired by your actions
7. Incite (R)evolution. You need to audit progress and prevent the burnout as you work on your revolutionary ideas that have the potential to bring sustainable change

The question that knocks on many people’s mind is when should you start and where can one get the courage to begin the journey of being a thought leader. To get comfort, one has to ask himself/herself the question “who else will take the lead if you don’t?’. How will the world look like if the youth fold arms and sit back, yet 42% of the world population is below 25? From my experience working in Zimbabwe to help distressed companies turnaround, I saw the need to champion new paths of growth to help resuscitate companies, change the culture and drive the recovery and growth of an economy.

African economies suffer yet we have brilliant African minds dotted all over the world. These brilliant minds have worked on ideas that transformed companies in various industries- from Tech to Consumer goods to Public Sector to Finance and dream of one day working in government to help shape the direction of the economy. Ever thought of tapping into the models that shaped many industries in developed economies such as the US and Europe to help build better culture, products, programs, and companies, and hence transform economies back home? Can Africans and other people from developing countries in the diaspora put themselves on the line and become thought leaders to spread the ideas that could help transform developing economies? Or should we continue to be on the trenches, watching as mother continents continue repeating same old tricks that have kept many outside their continents for long? I think the African Diaspora can be thought leaders to help shape policy and industry practices that drive change back home.

Can African governments give an ear to such revolutionary ideas and can they implement such “imported” best practices? I think so, especially if a huge support base advocates for your ideas. The burning desire for a significant impact can drive one to be on the limelight and be a thought leader. Africans in the diaspora are part of the 60% youth population in Africa. Stand up and be a hero through sharing best practices! There is no better time than now.