In this week’s thought leadership roundup, we take a look at TL strategies that support innovation, 9 behaviors that drive it, and the 4 common characteristics of great content.
How To Create A Thought Leadership Strategy That Supports True Innovation
From SAP Business Innovation:
“It’s true that thought leaders tend to be the most successful professionals in their fields, and because of this they have more influence over their audience. The problem is that people throw the term “thought leader” around without any foundational evidence of what it truly takes to deserve the distinction.
Publishing content in and of itself does not make a person or a company a thought leader.
Thought leadership happens when brands move from talking about their product (1.0) to transitioning into solving customer problems (2.0) and then become trusted advisors (3.0). People trust thought leaders and turn to them for advice. When you’ve made this shift, you’ve moved your company from a commoditized buy to a consultative relationship. Price becomes less important. Marketers, pay attention — you want this to happen.”
Why Read It: This piece provides a clear overview of the symbiotic relationship between thought leaders and how they can drive success within an organization. Although the advice is not unique, it is both straightforward and backed with real-world data, making it a worthwhile read.
Nine Behaviors That Drive Innovation
From Forbes:
“Innovation is an ascending issue around the world. In our own practice, we believe these two challenges are intertwined. Peak levels of business innovation are extremely dependent on the quality of leadership in the organization. When leadership is strong, these organizations seem to invariably lead on the innovation dimension as well.
One finding from the research my colleague Joe Folkman and I have done on approximately 60,000 leaders who had received 360-degree feedback data from nearly 830,000 colleagues was that innovation usually sits in the middle of the competencies we measure. However, the bosses of our participants placed it lower. They consistently ranked innovation at 13 out of the 16 competencies we most frequently measure.
What do successful leaders do that elevates innovation to a higher level? By parsing out the people who received the highest scores on innovation, we were able to see what other behaviors align with high innovation. Because nearly every organization seeks to escalate innovation , this understanding is a valuable insight.”
Why Read It: This article takes the results of some very well executed, in-depth research and distills them into applicable actions. Useful for both company leaders and intrapreneurs, it’s highly valuable to see consistent findings when it comes to executing innovation initiatives the right way.
4 Characteristics of Great TL Content
From PR Newswire:
“Thought leaders create the news instead of simply sharing it. Before you can start marketing yourself and your company as an expert source, you need to have content—and the successful things your company is doing will be the best place to start.
Shaking up the conversation in your industry often requires trying something new, experimenting with or developing new methodology and then proving the success of your initiatives. If you have any successful programs, finding a new way to describe them can provide an innovative look into your industry. The work your company or brand is doing is what will shape the story you will tell as you craft thought leadership content.”
Why Read It: Who better to provide insights into content than the people who make it newsworthy? This blog from the team at PR Newswire digs into what it takes to create content that not only positions leaders as influencers, but that grows brand awareness, sparks meaningful conversations in your chosen space, and uses insights to drive revenue without being overtly sales-focused.
