Stand Out

March 15, 2015

With all the noise in social media and the 24/7 connected world, it can be challenging to create a presence and a unique voice. Marketing strategy consultant Clark (Reinventing You) provides inspiration as well as practical tips on how to accomplish this task and how to become an established thought leader in any field. Using plenty of examples, the author covers the three main steps, one for each part of the book. Part 1 focuses on how to choose and differentiate an area of expertise, while Part 2 looks at how to build a following and create a sense of community around your ideas. The third and shortest section of the book is all about putting these ideas into action. Each chapter is fairly brief and focused. In addition to the examples provided throughout, Clark also includes questions that push readers to put these ideas into action in their own lives. VERDICT For those just starting a career or trying to reinvent themselves, this book is a great choice. The ideas presented are practical ways of establishing your brand and your influence as an expert.--Elizabeth Nelson, McHenry Cty. Coll. Lib., Crystal Lake, IL

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2015
Thought leadership is probably one of the most misunderstood and overused phrases in business, whether in or out of the consulting industry. Yet no one quite understands how to create, develop, and nurture itor how to monetize the breakthrough idea(s). Consultant and author Clark (Reinventing You, 2010), having identified and implemented her own expertise as a strategic marketer, tackles the topic as a process, explaining, step by step, how to recognize your own value, cultivate expertise, and put yourself out there. By examining and interviewing both well-known and nearly famous entrepreneurial thought leaders, from Seth Godin and Dan Pink to Paco Underhill and Peter Shankman, Clark adds immense credibility to her methodology and heightens the reader's interest. In each chapter, after detailing what's needed, she then poses a series of questions intended to prompt some careful thinkingand a eureka! These days, as she says, it's no longer optional to develop and promote your expertise; this provides an almost painless way to uncover and build your brand. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)