In recent years, thought leadership has become a popular method for building one’s personal brand. Whether you’re publishing your own pieces on LinkedIn or a blog, or contributing articles to respected business media outlets, writing authoritative, insight-driven content can help establish you as an industry expert.

While thought leadership efforts can be a big boost to your reputation when done right, they can also tarnish your personal brand if handled incorrectly. We asked Forbes Coaches Council members about the biggest mistakes business leaders make when building their brand through thought leadership. Their best answers are below.

1. Using ‘I’ Instead Of ‘We’ 

I’ve seen many articles and have heard many speeches with “I do this,” or “I’ve met with…,” when, in reality, that thought leader is actually a manager with a whole team. Thought leadership often comes from the people you’ve worked with, the experiences, the learnings as a whole and your perspective. Don’t forget the people around you who helped you become the thought leader you are today. – Joanne Markow, GreenMason

2. Having Too Broad Of A Focus 

You have to pick your niche topics and focus on those. I have seen business leaders market themselves as thought leaders on an array of topics rather than centralizing their focus on two or three topics that they become subject matter experts in. As they say, the riches are in the niches, and thought leadership is no different. – Wendi Weiner, Esq., The Writing Guru

3. Publishing Poor Content