In this episode of Thought Leader Life, Michael and I mark their sixth month on air by featuring one of the show’s most popular guests so far, #ThoughtLeader and Bloomberg Television host Jeffrey Hayzlett. Jokingly upset that he is the twenty-sixth, rather than the first, #ThoughtLeader to be interviewed on the show, Jeffrey takes comfort knowing that he is Thought Leader Life’s half-year inaugural guest.

Many years ago, Jeffrey introduced the word “activate” to Mitchell, who later made it a buzzword for his #ThoughtLeadership. In the interview, Jeffrey discusses what “activate” means and why an expert or an author should be activated in order to really be a #ThoughtLeader. It’s not enough that you publish a book or get your thoughts out there; people should buy it, talk about it, and move or take action because of it. Quoting his own public relations firm’s adage: “If you’re going to roll with the big dogs, you got to learn to pee in the tall grass.” He says the key is to activate a thought-provoking conversation among individuals and communities with your content.

Jeffrey also shares his secret for building a good fan base and developing advocates: he treats people the way he likes to be treated. This means he follows back people who follow him and personally responds to people who take the time to send him a message, negative or positive. A word of caution though—when you ask something from Jeffrey, make it direct. He’s a person who doesn’t like to have coffee (he really doesn’t drink it!) and a little chit-chat. Tell him what you want from him straight out, and he will respect that directness and gladly extend help because, as he puts it, he has a “servant mentality” in which he always wants to help others any way he can.

In talking about the Thought Leadership Funnel Jeffrey mentions that the next step is building advocates. For him, it’s all about adding “zeroes” and understanding that “there’s always someone out there who’s bigger than you are.” Finally, Jeffrey shares some interesting and surprising twists behind Bloomberg’s #1 primetime reality show, C-Suite with Jeffrey Hayzlett. Connecting the premise of this program to #ThoughtLeadership, Jeffrey notes that what the show has proven is that transparency really works. He also talks about his newest project, The C-Suite Network, which he describes as “LinkedIn on steroids,” where C-Suite executives can share and interact online, participate in a conference, or take up a course in the C-suite academy. Jeffrey and Mitchell share insights about the recently held C-Suite Network Conference and the great speakers who were featured there.

(Who was Jeffrey’s favorite speaker at the conference? Steve Rizzo. I was pleasantly surprised about his answer.)

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Here are some “‘aha’ moments” from the episode. See more in the Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life books available in the Aha Amplifier and watch the interview below!

I learn from you, you learn from me, we learn together; our boats rise! @JeffreyHayzlett

Be straight to the point. I’ll respect that a lot more than a bluff. @JeffreyHayzlett

Activate means more than getting a brand out of the things you say. It’s about having advocates who share your content. @happyabout

Keep adding zeroes in terms of your advocates and followers. @JeffreyHayzlett

Follow Jeffrey on Twitter at @JeffreyHayzlett. Tune into Thought Leader Life every Saturday for more thought-leader goodness!