Ready to Be a Thought Leader? How to Increase Your Influence, Impact, and Success

The how-to guide to becoming a go-to expert

Within their fields, thought leaders are sources of inspiration and innovation. They have the gift of harnessing their expertise and their networks to make their innovative thoughts real and replicable, sparking sustainable change and even creating movements around their ideas. In Ready to Be a Thought Leader? , renowned executive talent agent Denise Brosseau shows readers how to develop and use that gift as she maps the path from successful executive, professional, or civic leader to respected thought leader. With the author's proven seven-step process--and starting from wherever they are in their careers--readers can set a course for maximum impact in their field. These guidelines, along with stories, tips, and success secrets from those who have successfully made the transition to high-profile thought leader, allow readers to create a long-term plan and start putting it into action today, even if they only have 15 minutes to spare. Offers a step-by-step process for becoming a recognized thought leader in your field Includes real-world examples from such high-profile thought leaders as Robin Chase, founder and former CEO of Zipcar; Chip Conley, author of PEAK and former CEO of JDV Hospitality; and more Written by Denise Brosseau, founder of Thought Leadership Lab, an executive talent agency that helps executives become thought leaders, who has worked with start-up CEOs and leaders from such firms as Apple, Genentech, Symantec, Morgan Stanley, Medtronic, KPMG, DLA Piper, and more Ready to Be a Thought Leader? offers essential reading for anyone ready to expand their influence, increase their professional success, have an impact far beyond a single organization and industry, and ultimately leave a legacy that matters.

About the Author

Denise Brosseau is a well-known thought leader and subject-matter expert in entrepreneurship, women’s leadership, and executive talent development. Her consultancy, the Silicon Valley–based Thought Leadership Lab, helps leaders increase their influence, expand their impact, and leave a legacy that matters. Denise’s clients include executives from Apple, Roche, and SAP as well as start-up CEOs and senior leaders across multiple industries and professions.

Denise is a serial entrepreneur who founded her first company at the age of twenty-six. After a career in the technology industry, she went on to cofound two organizations that have led to over $6 billion in funding for women entrepreneurs, the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (now Watermark) and the women’s start-up launch pad Springboard Enterprises, both of which showcase and support women-led high-growth companies seeking equity capital for their businesses.

Denise has a BA from Wellesley College and an MBA from Stanford University. She is a frequent speaker at companies such as Intel, Abbott, and KPMG, as well as conferences and college campuses across the United States and internationally. In 2012, she was recognized as a Champion of Change by the White House and as one of the Top 100 Women in Northern California by the Girl Scouts. She has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, and on NPR.