LESSONS IN THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
So You Want to Be a Thought Leader?
Many executives and organizations aspire to thought leadership, aiming to elevate their organization's stature, shape their industry's future or influence important stakeholders. But becoming a recognized authority demands a high investment of time and effort — and a willingness to be original in ways that are interesting, thought-provoking and capable of breaking through a fractured media landscape. To succeed, leaders must be clear about their intentions, readiness and commitment. This playbook offers a framework to assess your readiness.
What do you hope to gain?
Thought leadership can deliver significant benefits: opening new doors, expanding spheres of influence and strengthening reputation. But it’s important to be clear at the outset how you envision it contributing to overall strategy, brand or positioning objectives. Consider which of these possible goals you aim to achieve:
Can you meet the requirements for success?
Thought leadership requires developing and disseminating original, substantive insights that contribute to the understanding or advancement of an issue or debate. Thought leaders gain recognition and authority because of the depth, relevance and impact of their point of view, not merely because of their title or position. This status has to be earned through:
Original Arguments
Thought leaders introduce new arguments, perspectives, or solutions that challenge conventional wisdom and push the boundaries of current thinking.
Q. Do you have an original argument — and can you back it up with credible evidence?
Depth of Expertise
Thought leadership is grounded in a deep understanding of the subject matter, often backed by research, data, or extensive experience.
Q. Does your organization have mastery of the subject matter or is it willing to do the work to achieve it?
A View of the Future
Thought leaders anticipate emerging trends, identify future challenges and propose innovative solutions or approaches.
Q. Do you have a point of view of the future of the industry or marketplace and the key forces that will shape it?
Engagement with Opinion Elites
Thought leadership involves active participation in industry conversations, collaborations with peers and engagement with key stakeholders (including those with whom you disagree) to shape the direction of the debate.
Q. Are you prepared to do the work required to engage with top experts in the field?
Sustained Effort
Thought leadership unfolds over time, not as a one-off. It requires a sustained effort to refine and evolve arguments that build credibility, influence, and impact over time.
Q. Is your time horizon long enough for a durable program to take hold?
What stakes will you play for?
Thought leadership manifests along a continuum of possibilities, where the level of effort and commitment rises as one moves from lower-stakes occasional opining to higher-stakes ideas or advocacy. Lower-stakes programs require less engagement but may provide less impact. Higher-stakes programs require significant investments of time and attention, along with increasing pressure to perform, but the payoff can be significant. Use this continuum to see where you might fit.
How is your “organizational readiness”?
Finally, take stock of your organization’s attributes and mindset. Where you fall on this checklist may determine your optimal level of engagement as referenced in the table above.
✔ Cultural Comfort with Visibility
Is the enterprise willing to take bold stances on important issues in order to differentiate and spark meaningful conversations?
Is the enterprise prepared to defend its positions and engage in constructive dialogue with those who may disagree or challenge its ideas?
✔ Starting Credibility
Is your organization well-known and credible in the space you are considering or will you need to do work to build this credibility?
Is there a proven history of innovative thinking or noteworthy achievements you can leverage as a foundation?
Can you open doors to relevant experts and opinion leaders in this domain?
✔ Bandwidth for Substance-Building
Are you prepared to invest the time and resources to build subject matter expertise in the relevant areas?
Will you go beyond surface-level insights to develop original ideas that contribute new perspectives to the public conversation?
✔ CEO Ability and Appetite
Are the CEO and top leaders in the organization prepared to be the face and voice of your thought leadership efforts?
Are they effective communicators who can engage with media, industry peers and other key stakeholders?
Are they personally invested in the subject matter and willing to build the depth of knowledge needed to carry the ideas?