The thought leaders practice
Ryan Law’s five traits of good thought leadership:
Personal: Everything we share in thought leadership has to, in some way, come from you and be uniquely yours. It has to be a product of the experiences you've had, the lessons you've learned, the problems you've solved, and the people and network you have built up.
Credible: It isn't enough just to s
Ideas become insights when they meet the following criteria:
Novel—is this idea new or is it at least a fresh take on an existing idea
Actionable—can my audience immediately act on the idea?
High-leverage—when my audience acts on the idea, can it meaningfully change their work or their lives?
[Julian Shapiro]
our goal with such a prospect is to inspire him to form the intent to solve his problem; it is not to inspire him to hire us.
Blair Enns • The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
The next evolution in strategic thinking isn't about choosing between breadth and depth, or between human and machine capabilities. It's about transcending these false dichotomies entirely. The synthesised strategist doesn't just collect disparate skills and tools – they forge them into new powers that were impossible before.
Zoe Scaman • The Synthesised Strategist
Why is a Good Insight Like a Refrigerator? Because the moment you look into it, a light comes on.
WPP - Why is a Good Insight Like a Refrigerator?
To be a thought leader, you need four elements to work together:
Credibility
Profile
Prolific
Depth of ideas
These four pillars work in tandem and the goal is to move up each pillar.
Writing gets us found. Writing helps to cement our position as experts. Most important of all, writing about what we do is the fastest way to deepen our knowledge. Writing at length on our expertise drives us into the deep crevices of our territory. As focused experts, we benefit from repeated observation of the same challenges. Writing is the tool
... See moreBlair Enns • The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
see yourself as the curator of the collective thinking of your network, rather than the sole originator of ideas.