How can you use Thought Leadership to build strategic partnerships with organizations that share your values?

As a huge advocate of education, I have sought ways to form strong relationships with higher-education entities in South Florida. College students need an early start with growing LinkedIn networks to prepare for that initial job hunt upon earning that degree! By year 7 of my business, I had partnered with 4 area colleges to offer LinkedIn presentations to their Freshman students. Additionally, I served 4yrs on the Board of the Alliance of Women Executives, (AWE) a nonprofit that raised money for scholarships given to area high school graduates planning to attend local colleges. Their qualifying essays were amazing stories of perseverance! It was so rewarding to help them meet their dreams of college degrees!

To identify aligned values and goals, follow these steps: 1. Engage in open communication about your core beliefs, value system, approach, and more. 2. Listen actively and absorb information about others. Stay open to experimentation and new learnings. 3. Pose situational questions. These methods help pinpoint shared values and objectives, facilitating better communication and, crucially, excellent content creation.

Authenticity is More Important Than Ever. Remember, thought leadership is not just about expanding your reach, but is more about forging meaningful, lasting relationships. Before reaching out to potential partners, ensure that your thought leadership is rooted in genuine experience and expertise. Authenticity resonates and naturally attracts organizations that align with your values and mission. Authenticity in your content and approach ensures that both parties benefit from a partnership built on trust and shared goals.

Look for not only one or two, but 3-4 partners. Don’t rely too much. Along the way, partnership might not turn out the way you expected. If one fails you still have other to build partnership with. Agree on certain mutual objectives, commit to them, and stick to it. A complementary, respectful relationship will prevail.

As the urban legend goes: your network is your net worth. Seek out individuals who resonate with you—those who speak your language or have similar reading habits. To discover such people, be observant. Occasionally, a clear CTA coupled with a collaboration invite is an effortless way to uncover potential partnerships. Sometimes, all it takes is reaching out to your friends or network and asking them to introduce you to those they believe align with your values. Surprisingly often, those around you can make the perfect match.

It goes without saying: to increase your chances of interacting with the right collaborators and accessing greater opportunities, people need to see value in what you offer. Keep this straightforward formula in mind: Being unique + providing value = great outcomes.

The process of collaborating and cocreating thought leadership with partners can be rewarding when you have clear touchpoints in the ecosystem. An great engagement evolve in four steps. 1. Present a broader point of view on where you see the world is going. 2. Sit down and discuss where you have common interests. 3. Engage in a collaboration that can generate proof points for your joint interests and views 4. Promote the results in a go-marketing initiative. I hope these insights can work for you!

Prepare a few intriguing message templates and use them judiciously. Don't rigidly adhere to a script when reaching out for collaborations. Instead, be mindful and empathetic. Above all, be genuinely interested when you propose a collaboration. Your sincerity can pave the way for ideal partnerships and afford you fantastic opportunities to create valuable content. It's vital not to take any collaboration for granted. Many overlook this simple life lesson. Always show immense respect for any opportunity that comes your way.

Due to my love of education and intent to partner with area colleges to assist students early on with appropriate guidance to use LinkedIn for future job hunting, I successfully formed ongoing relationships with 4 accredited institutions. Meeting their budgets was easy - I donated all of my workshops and presentations! I gave the students ways to easily track their progress on LinkedIn through growing their networks, engaging with potential employers, and tips for leveraging their networks to get in front of target positions. It was also helpful for me to request/receive evaluations of my presentations from the students as a means to improve my content and delivery. Overall, it has been a rewarding way for me to give back to my community.

Also, remember: Everything good takes time. You must be patient, mindful, and respectful when seeking a long-term partnership. While one-time deals or partnerships might materialize quickly, truly valuable collaborations are like fine wine. They require time to mature, but the outcomes are far more rewarding.

Your audience will spot inauthentic thought leadership content a mile off. This means choosing the right organisation to partner with is so important. If your values aren't aligned, it will be difficult to create genuinely impactful thought leadership content that delivers value for your audience. You also run the risk of watering down your message, rather than amplifying it. Determine a unique topic that you and your partner organisation are strategically aligned on, and take the time to create thought leadership content that's truly impactful. And you don't just need to write a joint article or blog. When collaborating on thought leadership, things like webinars and podcasts can be very effective.