On this page
Open LinkedIn and scroll for sixty seconds. Count the posts that say something the author would lose an argument over. The number is close to zero. That’s the tell.
Followership wears a leader’s costume
Most “thought leadership” is consensus, reworded. It restates what the audience already believes, in slightly nicer sentences, so the reader nods and the author gets credit for wisdom they didn’t risk anything to hold.
A take that costs you nothing to publish is worth roughly what it cost.
If a model prompted with “write a post a CMO would agree with” could produce your insight, you didn’t have an insight. You had a vibe.
The cheap test
Before you publish, ask one question:
- Would a smart, informed person in your field actively disagree with this?
If the honest answer is no, you’re not leading a thought anywhere. You’re escorting it back to where everyone already stood. Say the thing that might cost you the easy applause. That’s the only kind worth reading.
Related reading: score yourself with the matching audit · start with an audit · read the manifesto · I deleted 140,000 visitors a month on purpose · The Quarterly Business Review: How to Run a QBR That Customers Don’t Dread