259: How to build thought leadership focused on impact, not ego - interview with Rusty Shelton, author & entrepreneur
- S7E259
- 57:54
- April 12th 2023
As a leader and a business owner, reputation is your lifeblood.
Trust is the social currency of today's digital-first world, and it's in short supply!
Which is good news if you're a credible mission-driven entrepreneur or professional, someone who has the runs on the board and who is seen, not as someone with something to sell, but as someone with something to teach.
But you need to be intentional about it!
As we talk about here often on the podcast, there are many variables involved in building a genuine thought leader brand in the marketplace.
Let's be clear: People don’t want to be sold something—they want to buy something.
And the best way to get someone to seek out the opportunity to buy from you is to position yourself as the unquestionable authority in your space—someone they would be lucky to have a chance to do business with.
This is what PR agency owner RUSTY SHELTON calls the authority advantage!
Rusty is a Senior Marketing Strategist at Forbes Books, bestselling author and successful entrepreneur. He’s the founder and chairman of Zilker Media, an award-winning agency based in Austin, Texas that builds people-driven brands.
As a speaker, Rusty uses humour and targeted examples to challenge assumptions about thought leadership, showing leaders how to build authentic personal brands focused on impact, not ego.
He has written three books and spoken around the world to a variety of audiences, from YPO to Harvard Medical to SXSW Interactive.
Rusty's newest book, The Authority Advantage: Building Thought Leadership Focused on Impact, Not Ego (ForbesBooks, 2023), which is co-authored with Adam Witty and features a foreword from David Meerman Scott, demonstrates how leaders can make an impact with their personal brand and build trust in an increasingly skeptical world.
CRANK THE 3RD: Exploring the entrepreneurial + creative side of life post 50
CRANK THE 3RD is a weekly podcast in which we explore the entrepreneurial and creative side of life post 50.
You've survived the first two professional chapters of your lives - 20s to mid-30s (chapter 1) and mid-30s and through your 40s (chapter 2).
Welcome to the 3rd chapter! By this stage of your professional life, you've seen a lot, done most things, made some cash, expanded your horizons and probably are more comfortable in your skin than at any other time.
But it’s not necessarily all sunshine and roses either. At some stage, many of us reach a point where we ask: “Is that all there is?”
While we have oodles of experience under our belts and are a lot more sure of ourselves and confident in our own abilities, we also live in a fast-paced volatile world.
Technology is ever-changing, and the AI wave has only just begun. A sense of uncertainty is never far away. We know that if we stand still, we run the risk of losing relevance.
No matter how savvy, experienced and connected we are, certain challenges remain.
But on the upside, the number of opportunities staring us in the face is enormous, and unprecedented!
The goal of CRANK THE 3RD is to inspire energised, forward-thinking 50 and 60-somethings to continue to think expansively and creatively about their current situation, and to ponder, plot and plan the exciting road they have ahead of them.
You’ve put in the hard yards: now it’s time to capitalise!
Let’s dive in!
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