Crafting Enduring Thought Leadership
THIS is the moment I go for in my work. “I knew they were smart, but then I noticed they were putting out new insights that were changing things, and the writing was fantastic,” said my prospect. About work I did with an earlier client. Over five years ago. Today, that client is seen as […]
A Strength Training Analogy
At first, it was impossible. Then it was difficult. Now I can do it multiple reps and multiple sets. I’m not just talking about 100kg+ back squats. Many of the same concepts apply to the heavy lift of messaging and thought leadership. I can think of several other analogies, too, but I’ll just leave it […]
Cultivating a Richer Perspective in Thought Leadership
A thought leadership topic as intense as institutional financial services can become a black hole. Soon enough, you find yourself thinking finance all day, every day. But thought leadership benefits from external perspectives, too. It’s best when there is multi-disciplinary input. Some of it is just the pleasure of awe, but a lot of it […]
How Core Questions Lead to Clear Horizons
It’s funny how the four core questions startups need to get traction and grow are the same questions you have to answer in planning a thought leadership strategy. I’ve noticed that startups who can answer them with ease also transition with ease to planning and creating thought leadership. I’ve noticed that startups who can’t answer […]
Crafting Tomorrow: How AI Will Change the Stories We Tell
Imagine you want to see a version of Star Wars where the rebels suffer a definitive and final defeat. Imagine you want to watch Succession but with Shiv coming out on top. Imagine you want to read a version of a company’s marketing material that answers your specific questions and objections or that makes an […]
Unpacking Value in Commodities and Luxuries
Both of these things are called “bags.” Just like “content,” the word creates a bizarre equivalency. The left is the world of hyper-commoditized single-use trash. The right is something else entirely. Keep reading…I’ll get back to “content” in a moment. The annual market for the bags on the left is over $20 billion, but the […]
Leading Against the Odds
Remember…no one is making you play the “ask for permission” game. Barbara: (indignant) It is THIS behavior why we would never let you lead us in a crisis. Ava: Nobody “lets” me do anything. Yet here I am… doing things. That’s why I’m a leader. Abbott Elementary, S3 E 11. It’s already a great line. […]
I Thought They Knew Best: Turns Out, Not Really!
I’m really embarrassed. Recently I reached out to two of my LI contacts to congratulate them on recent news. No agenda—just appreciation. What I noticed was messages like the one in this screenshot, dating back several years ago. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ve probably noticed I’m quite vehement about formula-mongers and […]
Claiming Your Space
At one level, you don’t own your thinking if you’re a thought leader within a company. The IP belongs to your employer. But you still build your reputation. You still have the freedom to carve out a space in which you care. The key to that self-sovereignty even within employment is establishing your ownership of […]
LinkedIn’s Wardrobe
Funny, earlier today I was thinking about various fashion seasons of LI. Off the top of my head. – The polls period – The engagement pod period – The carousel period – The native video period – The AI comments period Now the games period is coming, too. There’s probably a silly and punny Minecraft […]