Recently, I wrote a post about the five LinkedIn articles you should write next. That was mostly aimed at the marketing department. Elsewhere, I have written about the pressing need for more thought leadership from the industry’s top executives and I promised to write more about what these executives should be writing about.
CEOs tend to be busy folk and their appetite for interruption is, well let’s just say assigning them a blog post to write for their LinkedIn profile isn’t exactly a career-building move. But you and I both know that it’s getting harder for brands to compete for top talent. People don’t want to work for a logo atop a tall building. They want to work for a visionary leader.
There are only a handful of ways a person can reveal themselves as such a leader. Writing thoughtful, well-crafted LinkedIn articles is one of those ways. But what exactly should the CEO write?
Don’t assign the company’s top executive the material that routinely comes out of the marketing department. You need your top people generating content that better approximates their pay grade. Here are five places you can look for a great story for your CEO.
1. Vision:
What should the future look like? What should change? How can that be done? This is not about current trends; it’s about creating something new.
2. Strategy:
What should our customers be thinking about now? What are our best customers thinking now that will impact the industry in the future?
3. Leadership:
What makes a great leader? What should a great leader know? What are my peers talking about that makes sense? Where are some outspoken leaders getting it wrong?
4. Mission:
This could easily get product related, but try to stick to the “whys” of the product and the vision for the offering. Focus on the long term impact.
5. Legacy:
Looking back, what makes you proud? What will your team leave for the next generation? Why is that important and how are you doing it?
Top executives lead their organizations without descending to the tactical level. They speak strategically, revealing insight that exposes the future and brings their unique vision into focus. It excites those around them and gives them a goal worthy of their effort. That’s what makes them leaders.
Writing it down creates the fuel that drives their organizations forward.
