The Future of Energy Mix. Business & Marketing Essay

We’ve discussed the importance of personal branding and establishing yourself as an expert or go-to person in your chosen field or profession. There are several ways that this can be accomplished. Writing thought leadership articles is one such method, and a fantastic way to showcase your innovative thinking and expertise within your industry. Many of you have already begun to do so. If not, this exercise will give you a chance to practice doing just that.
For this assignment, you’ll practice writing your own brief Thought Leadership piece, or article. You get to choose the topic so pick something that is relevant to your personal brand/career, and that you can share with others. You can approach it from a number of angles. You can identify or propose a solution to a business issue, discuss industry trends, topics or suggest an idea/innovation that you feel is important.
Begin by brainstorming about your current business, or a business that you hope to get into. Think about the trends that you’re seeing, and what type of challenges or opportunities that you’ve encountered or that are occurring within the industry. Choose an issue (or two) that you believe will have a significant impact on the companies or clients in this space, and then research and write about it. Consider topics that can generally bring value to others.
By writing thought leadership articles, you bring value to your clients and others and showcase your expertise. If you’re able to establish yourself as a thought leader, and you may have already started doing so, you can also really set yourself apart from your competitors. This exercise will give you a chance to do that and is something that you can even post on LinkedIn and other places when you’re done.
Consider what you want to emphasize, and the point you wish to convey. Be sure to use intriguing stories and relevant data and examples to support your sentiment.
To complete the article, use the following format (1-2 pages in length) in the provided template.
Practice Thought Leadership Exercise
I. Catchy Title/Hook
II. Introduction of the Idea or Problem- 1 paragraph
III. Body/Discussion of the Idea or Problem – 2-3 paragraphs including supporting statistics/data and stories (focus on and outline 2-3 main ideas or points)
IV. Conclusion/Recommendations- 1 paragraph
V. References- must be included in the form of a reference page (APA format suggested)
Formatting Requirements for this assignment are as follows:
• Typed in a Word document Double spaced using font size 12
• References must be included in the form of a reference page (APA format suggested)
• Use the provide template which includes a cover page with your name, assignment name, course title, and the date.
• Your thought leadership exercise should be no more than 2 pages in length (excluding the cover page and references).
This is meant to be a fun and useful exercise- don’t stress about it no matter what your expertise or depth of expertise.
Looking for Inspiration? Here are some links to Thought Leadership articles by Jon and others:
https://www(dot)linkedin(dot)com/pulse/imagineering-jon-steinberg?trk=mp-reader-card
https://www(dot)linkedin(dot)com/pulse/end-sales-jon-steinberg?trk=mp-reader-card
https://www(dot)linkedin(dot)com/pulse/risk-doing-something-versus-nothing-jon-steinberg?trk=mp-reader-card
https://www(dot)entrepreneur(dot)com/topic/thought-leadership
https://medium(dot)com/@MelisOnCheddar/the-new-native-seller-189e91e1c376

 Introduction 
Brief introduction of the Idea or Problem- 1 paragraph
Discussion 
Body of the Idea or Problem – 2-3 paragraphs including supporting statistics/data and stories (focus on and outline 2-3 main ideas or points)
Conclusion/Recommendations
1 paragraph which concludes the thought leadership article and gives recommendations as applicable. 
See Assignment Instructions for more details. Note: If you would like to tailor this assignment to better match your current business goals and position, please contact your professor to discuss. 
References – (list your references alphabetically below)
Batchelder, A. (2010, July 6). Students brains are being digitally rewired [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://literacyispriceless.wordpress.com (sample reference)
Mawson, C. O. S. (Ed.). (n.d.). Roget's international thesaurus of English words and phrases. Retrieved from http://www.bartleby.com/br/110.html (sample reference)