259: How to build thought leadership focused on impact, not ego - interview with Rusty Shelton, author & entrepreneur

As a leader and a business owner, reputation is your lifeblood.

Trust is the social currency of today's digital-first world, and it's in short supply!

Which is good news if you're a credible mission-driven entrepreneur or professional, someone who has the runs on the board and who is seen, not as someone with something to sell, but as someone with something to teach.

But you need to be intentional about it!

As we talk about here often on the podcast, there are many variables involved in building a genuine thought leader brand in the marketplace.

Let's be clear: People don’t want to be sold something—they want to buy something.

And the best way to get someone to seek out the opportunity to buy from you is to position yourself as the unquestionable authority in your space—someone they would be lucky to have a chance to do business with.

This is what PR agency owner RUSTY SHELTON calls the authority advantage!

Rusty is a Senior Marketing Strategist at Forbes Books, bestselling author and successful entrepreneur. He’s the founder and chairman of Zilker Media, an award-winning agency based in Austin, Texas that builds people-driven brands. 

As a speaker, Rusty uses humour and targeted examples to challenge assumptions about thought leadership, showing leaders how to build authentic personal brands focused on impact, not ego.

He has written three books and spoken around the world to a variety of audiences, from YPO to Harvard Medical to SXSW Interactive.

Rusty's newest book, The Authority Advantage: Building Thought Leadership Focused on Impact, Not Ego (ForbesBooks, 2023), which is co-authored with Adam Witty and features a foreword from David Meerman Scott, demonstrates how leaders can make an impact with their personal brand and build trust in an increasingly skeptical world.