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The CEO Challenge for January 2010
Thought Leadership is a Business Strategy
Last month, Jane wrote about the courage to create a brand, and boy, the word “courage” struck
an interesting chord within our community. Branding involves making a difficult choice to go after
a niche market with laser focus in order to differentiate your business from your myriads of
competitors. (Even if you think you don’t have a lot of competition, you do --- more than ever.)
That focus means turning down business that isn’t on strategy. Difficult? Yes. Courageous?
Absolutely.
This month, I’m intrigued by a similar concept: “thought leadership.” A lot of companies bandy
about the word “thought leader” as if it’s a marketing tactic, but many others aren’t familiar with
the concept or the strategic benefits that come with it.
The cold reality is that thought leadership is much harder than it appears. It isn’t a marketing
campaign; it’s a long-term business strategy. In this month’s CEO Challenge, I’ll outline what the
concept really means, the benefits, and how your company – if you’re courageous enough – can
implement this strategy in 2010.
WHAT IS THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND WHY IS IT VALUABLE?
When I talk with companies about thought leadership, they sometimes tell me that “yes, we’re
doing that.” They point to their shiny new blog, their Twitter account, their webinar series, their
Facebook group. However, any company can implement these kinds of marketing programs, but