[chatmasta]

You’re right, “thought leadership” is a loaded term. Maybe “proof of passion” would be a better one. If you write about topics you’re working on, no matter how niche and no matter which forum (it doesn’t have to be a blog, it could be anywhere with your contact details attached), then eventually people will find you. I don’t blog, but I’ve had people email me because of obscure GitHub repos they found that helped them debugging a problem.

It’s ultimately a numbers game. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely something specific will resonate with someone at some point. The best opportunities often come from the smallest connections.

[mettamage]

This is a solid take. I played the numbers game with dating. It’s the same here