CADDManager Blog

Many would ask: Why should I bother doing all this? What’s in it for me? What will I gain by being a Thought Leader? Let me list a few things that I think make it an advantage to you and your career to become a Thought Leader. Admittedly these are from my personal perspective. Others might find value in things that I do not.

You gain Exposure

Above all of the benefits that you gain from being a TL (Thought Leader) you gain exposure. Notice I did not say positive exposure. This is because the exposure that you gain is dependent upon you making it positive. You can be “out there” and be thought of in a negative light if you play your cards wrong. You could espouse the wrong perspectives. You could be an average speaker. You could present yourself in a way that seems too negative. All of these could actually put you out there in a negative light.

You get Perks

There are many times when a Thought Leader will get into areas that were once off limits. I have been invited to conferences, events, press opportunities and more. Not because I necessarily have something fantastic to add to the event, but just because I am seen as one that “can” contribute or provide insight or reporting on the event, software or tools.  I have not received nor really sought out “freebies”, but every so often someone will offer me something.  The perks really come as opportunities to expand the ability to interact with others.

You get to Share

This is actually one of my most rewarding things. I enjoy passing on information and tips to others. I am not hoarding things. I am sharing about as much as I can. I do it through writing, speaking and interacting with others. I enjoy giving away advice.

You get Paid (sometimes)

Many writers get paid for their writing (at this time - I do not). I have submitted articles and gotten paid inthe past. I am not really focusing on that at this time. Many speakers get paid for their speaking (I usually do). I do focus on speaking opportunities. Most of these are paid or are swapped for free attendance at the event. I speak and get to attend the rest of the event for free. I am often invited to speak or I send in abstracts for presentations.

You gain Stature

Others will begin to see you as a leader. They will look to you for perspectives. They will ask you questions and seek your advice. They will want to interact with you. They will look to your experience as a possible reflection on what they could gain.

You increase your Options

By becoming known in your industry, you increase you options for employment. Those who have name recognition will have greater opportunity. You will know more people, have a larger network and be recognized by many more firms.

The benefits of being considered a Thought Leader are many. These are only a few. You could have more. There could be positive things that come from even the most limited exposure in the industry.

Get out there and speak up.

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I was speaking recently with a CAD Manager who said that his firm did not really embrace the concept of people in their firm being thought leaders. They may not have come out and stated that, but they set up roadblocks and hurdles that may discourage employees from easily “speaking up” through writing or speaking at events.

This prompted me to think about what a firm might gain from there employees being seen and heard in the industry. What do the firms of those that are thought leaders gain from them being thought of that way. There are some downsides. Like possibly time away from the office, time spent connecting to others in the industry, splitting the thought process between work and industry thinking. So there may be some downsides, but what are the upsides?

Your Firm will be seen as having:

Top Talent

Your firm will be seen as having top talent. Most to the time the “big names” are consultants and industry pundants. By having Thought Leaders on staff, your firm is seen as one that is leading the way. Clients will want to interact with those that have a perspective that others seek out. By being a thought leader, you actually entice other top talent to join your firm. Talent wants to be associated with talent.

Industry Connectedness

When your firm has people that are thought leaders, it becomes connected to other leaders, vendors and industry analysts. When your firm is at an event, these people will seek you out and they will remember who you work for.

Vendor Deals

Vendors will know that you have a voice that speaks to the industry. That voice will provide some leverage when seeking “deals” with these providers. They know who you are and they know treating you and your firm right will/may get them discussed by you to others.

A Voice above the Crowd

Industry Analysts will take what you say and how you use tools in your firm as indications of the marketplace. They will pay attention when your firm implements a tool. Your firm wins.

A Presence in the Industry

When you attend events, people will know you and your firm. When you speak or write, people will know who you work for. This name recognition will place your firm in a position of standing out. The more your firms name is out there in a positive light, the better. Your firm will be seen as progressive and cutting edge. Your firm will be known for having the best people in the business.

Your Firm will get a happy employee

Being part of a greater community has advantages in that the person (you) feels connected. When you are connected to a large community, you have a sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing where the industry is headed.

Your Firm will have doors opened to it

Your presence in the industry will open doors that otherwise may not be open. Your firm gains by having opportunities it may not have gained otherwise. Other want to associate with your and your firm. Other firms that may hear or read your work want to get connected with your firm.

There are many areas where your firm wins from having you speak, write, teach and be involved in the larger community of users in your field.

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I have always been curious about my readers. One area of curiosity is the gender balance. Are there more women than men reading this? Is it 50-50? Are there more men readers?

So I figured I would ask…

Please take the quick poll at the left and let me know.

Thanks,

Mark

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Well actually, Lake Oswego.  I am at the offices of Autodesk in Lake Oswego, Oregon.  I am here with my fellow AUGI Board members.  We have full days of meeting ahead of use.  We will be discussing our current status and planning the future of the organization.  On Friday we will meet up with fellow AUGI members.  Please join us if you are in the area.

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Continuing the Thought Leadership discussion…

Formal Speaking will take you to the next level. There are many places to get started in formal speaking. I would suggest that you start by volunteering to present something at you local user group. This is usually a more informal setting that allows you to work the kinks out of your style.

By presenting in these venues, you get a chance to work through your presentations and get some informal feedback from others. Are you well liked and people seem interested? Do the respond to your perspectives? This is an indication that you may be able to expand your efforts. If the room seems too silent, then you may need to polish your skills.

Select a topic that you are very familiar with. Make sure that you have tested your presentation before the event. Live presentations are difficult. Things can go wrong. Be prepared to fill the dead space when things take too long. It can happen to the best presenters. Things take longer than you think.

I suggest making a handout. People like having something to take with them.

Once you have done this a few times, you can graduate to even more official speaking engagements. We will talk about those soon.

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I will be in the Portland, Oregon area for the June AUGI Board of Directors meeting at the end of this week. If you are local to that area, then join me and my AUGI buddies at a “Meet-Up” - check here for details.

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I just completed an upgrade of my blog to Wordpress 2.5.1

It was fairly pain free.

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Have you heard of Sketchbook Pro?

It is the newest Tablet PC tool from Autodesk. You can sketch, annotate, and present your visual ideas anywhere on a Tablet PC or Wacom Tablet.

Here is more info from the Autodesk site.

And a free trial offer

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Continuing the flow of posts on Thought Leadership…

We have covered the introduction of the topic and how some may want to gain voice in the industry that they are working or at the office/firm they are with. The reason for this is to gain some level of input into the conversations that surround CAD. The second of the series was speaking. By just raising your voice you start to become heard. Little by little, people start listening. That is, if you have something to say.

This post is about joining the conversations on CAD…

I think that in the beginning you just add your voice to the many other voices that are in the conversation. First - find the conversations. They are happening all around you. Just listen…

Conversations happen within your company about CAD issues all the time . CAD is one topics that every project has to deal with. CAD conversations happen every day. If you take the time to find them and join them, you will begin to have impact.

As I am walking around, I hear people talking about CAD issues or asking each other questions on CAD standards. I tend to listen for these things. There are buzzwords that my ears are tuned in on. CAD buzzwords. I just hear them. When they pop up in conversations - even several desks away, I hear them. Words like Layer, Standards, Plotting, LISP, etc. They may be people talking as the pass my office. Or people talking in the break room. I just hear them. I am not eavesdropping, I just hear them. When these words come up, I start to listen.

I listen from a distance and take stock of the persons demeanor and stance. Are they angry? confused? curious? These are signs that they are looking for answers. Most of the time when I overhear these words it ends up in a troubleshooting and support conversation. This is not really thought leadership. What does happen is that these conversations will turn sometimes to what a perfect CAD world should look like, or how we can improve things. This is the beginning of a thought leadership conversation.

I also look for crowds of people that I know are the adventurous CAD super users. When these people are together, or standing at someones desk for an extended time, I start to perk up. I may wonder over and join the conversation or just try to listen from a distance. Am I intruding? I hope not. I try to do it without being offensive or corrective. If I join a conversation and lay down some bottom line rule or end game comment, then yes, I have interrupted and disrupted their conversation. The conversation is still theirs in the beginning. You have to be invited in. If you have practiced how to join conversations, then this will be easier. If not, then you need to start working on your skills of joining existing conversations.

Assuming that you have joined and not offended, the next step is to add your opinion to the mix. You need to judge how the conversation is flowing. Conversation that are looking for answers need just that. They need you to provide answers or options. Conversation that are brainstorming, or just dreaming of a rosy future are areas that thought leadership opinions can be offered. Read the conversation before you join in. Another type of conversation is a complaint session. Your goal in those is to listen for the root of the problem and then steer it toward a positive outcome. What can be done to make things better.

If the conversation can be improved by adding some thought leadership then by all means toss your opinion into the mix.

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