What helps a person grow as a thought leader? What life lessons help develop strong entrepreneurial and business skills? Thought leaders from around the globe met at the annual Thought Leaders Conference Business Expert Forum sponsored by Entrepreneurship Club at Harvard Business School. Eight business leaders, professionals, and functional medicine doctors shared their ideas about the most valuable lessons they have learned that helped them become a thought leader and expert in their fields.
Lesson #1: Provide Value First
“Always provide more value to your clients than anyone else. Most business owners think only in terms of value when it comes to the service they provide but equally important is the value in terms of ensuring they have a great experience and a great memory or doing business with you. Making the experience easy for them and giving them total peace of mind..” — Allan Rankin, Real Estate Author Expert
Lesson #2: Be Open to New Ideas
“I am constantly open to new ideas, not only from other experts in my field but from my clients as well.” — Jody Samuels, FX Trader’s EDGE
Lesson #3: Be Solution-Oriented
“The most valuable lesson I have learned is to always be solution-oriented. Whenever there is a problem, instead of focusing on the problem or what is wrong, focusing on how we could make something work. Even if your 1st or 2nd decision is not successful, you just have more information on how to get the proper answer.” — Dr. Stephen Wander, Integrated Health Center of Maryland
Lesson #4: Don’t Give Up
“The most valuable lesson I have ever learned is “don’t give up.” Life gets tough and it will beat you down to the ground. It is easy to give up, but if being the best at what you do was easy then everyone would be the best.” — Jeremy Matranga, Platinum Tax & Wealth Management
Lesson #5: Speak Up!
“Ideas change. I was always waiting until I had the perfect, well-formed thought. I was holding back because I needed to know the ‘truth’ of something before I could share my idea-in-the-moment. This holding back kept me stuck, and quiet. As I allowed myself to be seen and heard, I began experiencing more ideas, more connection and felt more ‘useful’. I could own my identity as a ‘thought leader’. — Alana Fournet, Intentional Living Project
Lesson #6: Listen
“Things are always changing and no two bodies are the same. Stay on top of the latest research and ALWAYS listen to your patients.” — Dr. Debra R. Schreibman, Lake Pointe Chiropractic and Wellness Center
Lesson #7: Be Resourceful
“I don’t know what I don’t know, and ultimately, my number one resource is resourcefulness to enroll thought leaders, experts, and professionals to see what I don’t see so that i can achieve whatever it is I want to achieve. — John Rankins, Optimo International
Lesson #8: Work On Your Business
“Learning to work on the business, not in it.” — Darren Coleman, Coleman Technologies
Lesson 9: Find a Mentor
“Success is science, there are formulas to success, and when knowing that, you just need to find the role model, mentor or coach, that knows the steps to take and can help and guide you to create your path to success — Lise Gottlieb, Biz Boost Group
Lesson #10: Be Humble and Let Go
“The most valuable lesson is being humble even after being successful in life. To stay grounded despite all the success and always be grateful for those who have supported me along the way. Learning how to manage my own emotions, handling and acknowledging my raw feelings are also the keys to stepping up in leadership. When I am clear of any low emotions, eg – guilt, hurt, grief, pain, etc., and I am able to process these emotions, let them go and be able to forgive and bless others, I am able to move forward in life and achieve greater things. The more I keep the painful negative emotions within me, the more I will be struggling in life and stay stuck. I believe Emotions is energy and turning negative emotions into positive emotions allow me to move up in life smoothly.” — Mala Ramakrishnan, Isuccess
Lesson #11: Smile!
“From my magical experience of wearing braces to transform my own smile for just one year at the age of 15, I’ve personally come to realize that having a beautiful smile isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity! Let’s face it, in our beauty conscious society, one of the first things that people that people will notice about you is your smile. Your is your smile is your greeting card, your business card, your resume, and your invitation card all in one. Because I’ve experienced The Power of A Smile firsthand, I’m able to share my message as a thought leader and dentistry expert with confidence and sincerity. — Dr. Catrise Austin, Queen of Smiles
Thought Leaders come from a variety of backgrounds. Ask yourself the question: What makes me a unique thought leader and how can I share my big message and big mission with the world?