This week, we’re going to dive in on three heady topics: (I know you’re up for it!) AI, personal branding and thought leadership.
First though, three quick updates on my book, Let Me Introduce Myself:
1.The Book Cover
- We’re finalizing the cover. Thanks again for your input. At this point, it’s really about choosing the perfect shade of turquoise. (Yes, really!)
2.The Page Two Author’s Summit
- Last week, I attended an incredible full-day conference in Toronto hosted by my book publisher, Page Two. There were 75 authors in attendance from across North America.
- I left feeling inspired and I learned so much! Check out my LinkedIn post here with more Summit photos and a summary of my key learnings.
3.My Brand New Substack!
- I just launched my Let Me Introduce Myself Substack! I’ll be sharing new material focused on self-introductions, personal branding and my writing journey, with articles every two weeks.
Now, on to our three heady topics: AI; personal branding; and thought leadership. These topics came up in my recent conversation with Mitch Joel.
Here are 3 things to talk about this week:
- Stop asking, “Is this AI?”
- You have a personal brand, whether you publish or not
- How to build credibility without calling yourself a ‘thought leader’
1️⃣ Stop asking, “Is this AI?”
If you’re like me, you can’t scroll social media without wondering whether that image or post was AI-generated. Mitch argues that this constant filtering does our brains a disservice.
Whether you’re consuming content or creating it, the more useful question is simple: does this add value? As Mitch suggests,
I think he’s right. Personally, I’m asking, “Is this AI?” way too often. But there’s nuance here. 
As a coach and author, I’m developing original frameworks, writing a book and sharing my own ideas. I want you to know that what I share represents ANDREA’S thinking. AI can help me refine and communicate those ideas, but the thinking needs to be mine.
And for my book, none of the content is AI generated. Zero. The frameworks and ideas are all from my brain. This is the policy of my publisher, Page Two, and I am proud of that.
This relates to another of Mitch’s comments that I can’t stop thinking about:
A client I was coaching recently used AI to draft her quarterly town hall remarks, then kept asking me, “Does this sound like AI?” We set that question aside and asked another one: will this land with your team? She cut the polished filler and added two stories only she could tell. That’s brain-to-brain.
2️⃣ You have a personal brand, whether you publish or not
You’ve heard me say this before, and I’ll keep saying it: we all have a personal brand, whether we choose to manage it strategically or not.
Mitch defines a personal brand like this:
“Audience”? Hmm.
Your brand isn’t only your LinkedIn posts or your podcast appearances. It’s how you show up in meetings, in hallways, and on video calls. As Mitch put it:
True!
3️⃣ How to build credibility without calling yourself a ‘thought leader’
Here’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately:
Mitch’s answer? No.
Let other people decide whether you’re a thought leader. Your job is to share your thinking, expertise, insights and experiences.
I love this distinction because it gets to the heart of something important with leadership communication: the difference between building credibility and pursuing celebrity.
You don’t need to tell people how impressive you are. You need to demonstrate your value.
Whether you’re introducing yourself, writing your LinkedIn profile, speaking at a conference or communicating with your team, focus on sharing your perspective and making a meaningful contribution.
Let others decide what to call you.
I hope these insights got you thinking a little differently about AI, personal branding and thought leadership.
Want to learn more? I encourage you to listen to my full conversation with Mitch Joel in episode 224 of the Talk About Talk podcast. There’s so much more in this episode, and I promise you’ll come away with some fresh perspectives.
You can listen on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
I hope you have a great week.
“TALK” soon,
Andrea C. Wojnicki, DBA Executive Communication Coach – Talk About Talk
