Being a successful author or thought leader is not easy. It’s incredibly rewarding on many levels yet it’s getting more and more difficult for many to be able to effectively monetize their content. The quaint old days of getting a nice advance from a publisher and then going out on the speaking circuit a few times a month to make a living are pretty much a distant memory for most. Running for Vice President or having served as Vice President seems to work pretty well but that’s another story. It’s changed a bit since Mark Twain’s time and it seems that most of the changes have occurred in the last five years or so.
What I find intriguing in my conversations with authors and thought leaders is that many don’t think enough about the landmines that have and will impact their practice or business. The publishing business (is that term an oxymoron?) is changing and in a state of flux. Boom! The speaking business is off over 50% and it doesn’t look to be coming back any time soon. Boom! Corporate training budgets are being cut. Boom! Consumers have far less discretionary income. Boom! Get the picture?
Now for every landmine there are an equal or greater number of opportunities – self publishing, social media, digital content, coaching, licensing, assessment tools, consulting engagements, etc. The reality is that it’s hard enough to stay on top of your game as a thought leader from a content perspective add to that the ability to master social media, community development, branding, marketing and so on, and the probability of success is reduced drastically.
My suggestion? Spend some time and come up with 5 “landmines” that are currently or will in the very near future affect you. Determine what percentage of your annual revenue is at risk for the next year, two years and three years. It’s a bit scary to make the assumptions and projections but it is also a motivator. Now you need to be open to ways to replace (and hopefully wind up with a net increase) to your annual revenue. Chances are you won’t be able to come up with all of the answers on your own so engage others in the process. Once you come up with a few options take the time to consider what it would take to execute any or all of them efficiently. Again, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to execute many on your own so find trusted resources that can help you in the process.
The landmines are out there. The opportunities are out there as well. By coming to grips with the landmines you will actually force yourself to find opportunities.
I consider myself very fortunate for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is that I have the opportunity to work with people that are the best and brightest in their respective fields and that they are passionate about their work and the impact it has on others. Some of these folks are literally geniuses. What I’ve come to learn is that there not all geniuses are created equally and that you don’t need to be a genius to be a genius maker.
A stereotypical genius is “the smartest guy/gal in the room” and knows it. When they speak all around them are in awe and are drinking from the fountain. It’s not done in a way that encourages debate or collaboration but a sense of brilliance, charisma and something special, even mind blowing that no one else can compete with. Depending on the insight it could even be life altering for those fortunate enough to be in the presence of the genius. If you ever have the opportunity to be in the same room with a genius I’d still suggest that you take advantage of it.
A genius maker on the other hand may or may not be a genius but that’s not what is special about them. What is special about them is they have the ability to bring out the genius that exists (although in varying degrees no doubt) in everyone they come in touch with. It’s about digging deeper, asking questions, smart and thoughtful questions, creating an environment that forces everyone to push themselves harder and stretch themselves to think deeply and gain understanding from everyone around them.
The power of the genius is not to be underestimated. To truly be a genius at something is an accomplishment that very few of us will ever achieve for many reasons. However the power they have is limited. It can grow arithmetically (how many more people can they transfer some of their insight to at a given time?) versus exponentially. A genius maker makes everyone around them smarter, not just in the moment but permanently and it instills a want in people to wish to replicate that with people they interact with. Now let’s assume a genius has an IQ of 175, that’s clearly 60 points or more above the norm. Their knowledge is valuable yet they don’t make those around them smarter. If you’re a genius maker (let’s say with a respectable IQ of 135) and you can make 500 people (over the course of your life) smarter by just 2 IQ points you’ve added 1000 IQ points to the universe that did not and would not exist without you. That’s a legacy that anyone would be proud to have.
Now the best of both worlds would obviously be if you could be both a genius and a genius maker and I believe the answer is yes but the pool or universe of this group is incredibly small. Anyone can be a genius maker, not everyone can be a genius. If we’re even a bit self aware or introspective (and honest) I believe that most of us would agree that we aren’t now, nor will we ever be a genius. And that’s OK. What I’m trying to understand is how to be a better genius maker. How can I make those around me smarter? While there isn’t a magic potion I think it comes down to having a mindset that believes in stretching others, an ability to listen without an agenda, a knack for asking more questions more often and being able to manage your ego so you don’t have a need to be “the smartest person in the room” (even when this may be true).
Peter Winick has over twenty years of experience and has worked with a variety of thought leaders. In addition, he has built and managed several consulting and professional development organizations.
