Breaking through the noise and establishing a reputation for thought leadership

April 25, 2025

Community Manager

The gap between wanting to be a thought leader and being perceived as one by others can feel enormous. This is particularly challenging when you don’t know where to get started. Establishing industry authority doesn’t happen overnight and requires time, innovative thinking and dedication.
Tisha Parker Kemp, MEd, CTDP, PLP, is the founder and principal at shiftED Academy and has 30 years of experience with business training programs. A motto of shiftED Academy is, “You know your stuff, we help you present it.”
Parker Kemp spoke with HCM Dialogue about some of the necessary steps for establishing a reputation for thought leadership and building brand credibility for Human Capital Management (HCM) professionals.
She says, “When I think about people who are thought leaders, they are not afraid to share new perspectives, challenge outdated norms or practices and question why things are done a certain way.” She emphasizes the importance of putting yourself out there, focusing on visibility

HCM Podcast

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Building brand credibility online

Some people know just what to say online to get our attention. Their thoughts are eloquent, their stories and insights are engaging, and from the outside, this looks effortless for them. The truth is that establishing an online brand takes time, effort, evaluation and practice.

Parker Kemp says, “The most engaging online content responds to industry news in a way that helps and serves other people. Leaders who use real-world examples based on their experiences and share tips and industry updates – they are helping people contextualize knowledge, understand how specific situations could impact their daily work, and learn to handle those situations. It also helps people establish a brand by making them more relatable. And, all of that activity can inspire meaningful dialogue.” She also notes that with the advent of generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, there is more noise out there than ever before, so creating content peppered with our personal experiences is critical to positioning yourself as a thought leader.

Parker Kemp suggests monitoring which content is getting the most traction with your audience and understanding different approaches, like storytelling, that may resonate better with some audiences than others. Value first is paramount to effectively showcasing industry leadership. Trial and error of putting content out there and seeing what works best should be a continuous part of your thought leadership strategy.

” Patience and consistency are key to establishing a credible brand and reputation. ”

Establishing thought leadership authority

Parker Kemp recommends using a two-pronged approach to build credibility and a reputation for thought leadership within your industry. She highlights the importance of building the foundational elements of continuous learning. Committing to first keeping on top of regulations and trends and understanding best practices is critical; next comes sharing your expert, educated opinion. Education also helps us expand our networks and gain insights from others within our industry.

Parker Kemp suggests participating in online forums, digital spaces and mentorship programs (such as NPI’s mentorship program) to showcase innovative thinking, build personal brand credibility and share expert insights.

As the person who led NPI’s task force for volunteer engagement, she emphasizes the importance of leaning into volunteering to establish a higher level of credibility for people newer to their industry and to give back to more seasoned professionals. Parker Kemp says, “Volunteering is an amazing opportunity to meet other people and begin to lead.”

Avoiding the pitfalls of metrics

While evaluation of your messaging is an important part of creating thought leadership content, Parker Kemp warns of the dangers of getting hung up on vanity metrics. This is when someone shares something on social media and focuses on the number of likes they receive instead of the reach of their message. If a post gets a lot of views, this means people are stopping their scroll and clicking to see more. It’s actually making a difference to people; whether they click the like button is less important, no matter how good it feels to see a bunch of likes beside our posts.

Actionable and consistent goals

Patience and consistency are key to establishing a credible brand and reputation. For example, LinkedIn recommends posting at least once a week, noting that users who do so get four times the profile views compared to those who post less regularly. Other people recommend posting as much as two to five times a week to assert thought leadership, leaning into your niche expertise. Overall, the most important thing is to implement a thought leadership strategy that you will be able to follow through with.

Gaining recognition as a leader within an industry usually takes a number of years of impactful performance and engagement and may go against the instincts of people who are looking to move from a back-office role to a more strategic one. Parker Kemp reminds us, “For someone to ‘own’ a seat at the table might mean that they need to be courageous before they feel confident.”

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