The Authority Advantage: Building Thought Leadership Focused on Impact Not Ego
Adam Witty & Rusty Shelton
Forbes Books (May 2023)

“When it comes to building trust, leaders go first.”  Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner

According to Adam Witty and Rusty Shelton, the single focus of this book is creating trust in a distrustful world.

“As you likely learned early in your career, before you can effectively lead, you must create trust.

“Trust is the foundation of every single relationship you have — whether it is personal or business. We realize that we’re not breaking any news with that reminder; every leader knows that any good relationship about the importance of trust starts by building trust.

“Yet where most leaders miss the mark is not a lack of awareness about the impoirtance of trust but rather a misunderstanding of how and when to establish it.”

And then protect it as if it is a priceless possession…because that is what it is.

The material is carefully organized within three Parts. First, Witty and Shelton explain what an Authority Advantage is and why impact-driven leaders need it. Then they explain how those who read this book can create their own Authority Advantage. Finally, they provide a substantial briefing 0n today’s media categories and explain how to leverage them to build pesrasoinaL as qell as professional authority. “Here’s what it comes down to: building your Authority Advantage  is about positioning yourself as a leader with something to teach rather than as an ‘operator’ with something to sell.”

These are among the subjects of greatest interest and value to me, also listed to suggest the scope of Witty and Shelton’s coverage.

o Building thought leadership focused pn impact rather than on ego
o What Authority Advantage is…and isn’t
o Three shifts that have exacerbated volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguioty wiothin and beyond the workplace
o Charting the impact of a leader in today’s landscape
o Building your authority brand by enriching your reputation

o Building your brand
o Defining your brand
o Showcasing your brand
o Three categories of content that help to create an Authority Advantage
o What is most impoirtant about the new media landscape

o How to leverage rented media
o How to leverage earned media
o How to leverage owned media
o How and why happiness and authority are interdependent
o Additional resources to accelerate personal growth and professional development

Obviously, no brief commentary such as mine could possibly do full justice to the value of the material that Adam Witty and Rusty Shelton provide in abundance.  However, I hope I have at least indicated why I think so highly of their book. It is a brilliant achievement. Bravo!

Here are two concluding suggestions while reading  The Authority Advantage: Highlight key passages, and, document your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines), page references, and lessons you have learned as well as your responses to the questions posed within the material.  Be alert for key points located strategically within the lively narrative. These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent reviews of key material later.