The positioning audit before you call yourself a "thought leader"

The positioning audit before you call yourself a "thought leader"

Everyone says: "Build a personal brand, become a thought leader, the inbound follows."

"Thought leader" is a self-applied sticker until the audit says otherwise. Run it cold:

— Search your name in others' posts. Are people citing your ideas without you in the room? That's the only real test.
— List 3 opinions you hold that your peers would argue with. None? Then you have visibility, not a position.
— Check inbound: do people DM you a problem, or a job lead? Problems mean they trust your thinking. Leads mean they just saw your title.
— Count repeat sharers. A position has defenders; a brand has an audience.

Leadership is what others repeat when you're not posting.

It's not the brand. It's whether the idea travels without you pushing it.