Like most buzzwords, thought leadership is an often misused and misunderstood term. But what is it really? And why do many of the world's leading companies invest serious money and smart people into this mysterious practice, building dedicated business units to create it? It sounds like business jargon, but this ill-defined term captures a key practice that has been used for many years to create success for individuals, charities and vast companies. Drawing on over 30 years of experience engaging with thought leadership, Laurie Young provides an extensive examination of its history, its purpose, its future, and how you can make thought leadership work for you. Packed with ground-breaking case studies from global organisations such as IBM, Deloitte, Allen & Overy, Fairtrade, Philips and Unilever; and with over 50 unique interviews with some of the world's acknowledged business leaders, Thought Leadership can help anyone involved in the business decision-making process to gain alignment across their company regarding the challenges they face. Thought Leadership can come from any source in business - unique insight, research, executives, customer engagement, product managers, and expert professionals -. We all have knowledge, experience and a point of view. Laurie Young's accessible look at this fascinating and vital business practice is your first step to making thought leadership work for you and your organisation.
Thought leaders advance the marketplace of ideas by proposing actionable, commercially relevant, research-backed, new points of view. They engage in and showcase innovative thinking as opposed to churning out product-focused, brand-centric white papers, or "curated" content that mimics others' ideas. But while individual thought leaders are in plentiful supply (at least, those who self-identify as such), many organizations struggle to establish their thought leadership approach. If you recognize the importance of differentiating yourself to clients by offering compelling points of view that are intriguing, innovative, inspiring-and wholly relevant to them-this book is for you. Authors Dr. Liz Alexander and Craig Badings, who have more than 50 years of consulting experience between them, have devised a series of questions that will provoke you to consider all the elements necessary to execute a successful organizational thought leadership campaign. The authors have done the preliminary thinking for you so that your organization can better leverage your value in your industry. This book takes a different approach to many who see thought leadership as part of a short-term product marketing, advertising, or PR strategy. It will ensure that you embed thought leadership across the entire organization and centralize it as part of your client-centric culture. Many organizations are squandering time, money, and effort on initiatives that do not move the needle in terms of establishing a differentiated brand identity, deep trust, and loyal followership. Arm yourself with this small yet immensely powerful book and that will no longer be something you have to worry about. #THOUGHT LEADERSHIP tweet is part of the THiNKaha series whose slim, easy-to-read-and-absorb books contain 140 thought-provoking and actionable quotes (tweets/ahas).
In today's 'more for less' culture, the expectations of project management and delivery are no longer limited to budgets, schedules and quality. For projects to make an impact and have lasting value, the project manager must be able to strategize, innovate, motivate, empower and collaborate - in other words, project managers must learn how to lead. The Power of Project Leadership helps you transform into an effective project leader by shifting your managerial mindset into one of inspiration, motivation and influence. The book describes what good project leadership looks like and explains how to make the transition using concrete tools and strategies. With underlying theories to help the reader understand how teams and individuals are motivated, it ensures that project managers lead with vision, continuously improve and innovate, work with intent, empower the team, get closer to stakeholders, remain authentic and establish a solid foundation for their projects. The book has a practical and engaging approach and draws on over 25 interviews with leading experts who have made the transition from project managers to project leaders. These experts come from a variety of sectors and companies; including Expedia, British Gas, Standard Bank, Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Liquid Planner, and the UK Government.
From a global leader in management training—the definitive guide to improving employee engagement Retaining the best people is one of the most important—and undervalued—roles a leader performs. But executives and managers can’t do this all by themselves; they need the support from all levels of an organization. Grateful Leadership provides key strategies and proven techniques for creating an environment in which gratitude is freely expressed—a culture of acknowledgment that delivers benefits at every level of the organization, beginning with the bottom line. Judith W. Umlas is SVP of Learning Innovations at International Institute for Learning, a global corporate training company, and runs the Institute’s site, allPM.com, which serves more 100,000 project managers.
If you are a leader or aspire to leadership over others you must read "Leaders, Power & Consequences." It clearly exposes the influences a leader has with people who are close and important to the leader. The leader is the person who holds the true power, that is, “the buck stops with them.” It is not underlings who act on behalf of another who dictates their actions. They are not the true power, and no one is long deceived. Where do problems in relationships, trivial or significant, not exist? The answer to resolving the problem is likely found where the power is located. Who are the true leaders, what are their expectations and how well do they communicate with those they lead? And, how well and candidly do those significant to the leader communicate directly back to the leader? This is where trust, safety and respect play a huge role in how the relationship plays out and either grows, mutually, or is destructive, mutually. Most leaders tend to communicate badly, have unspoken or inflexible expectations towards those they lead and blame others for what is the leader’s failings. "Leaders, Power & Consequences" confronts this problem of leadership directly and clearly by using Sy Ogulnick’s personally experienced stories. He clearly describes the path leaders must take if they are to personally grow, to understand themselves better, and in the process to contribute to the growth of those they lead. When authentic communication takes place between those in power and those immediately at the effect of this power, trust, safety and respect are felt by each. This must be found in the environment or Genuine Dialogue between them is impossible and will not, even at the point of a gun, take place. And it is the leaders who are primarily responsible for the creation of the environment. Words do not make it so, but action (behavior of the leaders) does. The path laid out in "Leaders, Power & Consequences" leads to facilitating problem-solving, creativity, innovation and a sense of mutual ownership amongst people to the degree that most leaders can only dream of.
Discover the secrets of motivational, inspirational, and transformational leadership Great leaders do much more than just make decisions; they inspire those around them to excellence and form the vital link between strategy and execution. Amplifiers explains how great leaders use the art and practice of motivational leadership to light the path to success and inspire others to take that journey with them. Written by Matt Church, one of the top motivational speakers in Australia, this practical, powerful guide explores how great leaders move people to action and excellence—and how you can do the same. Church gives you the essential skills and strategies of motivational leadership, from effective communication frameworks and roles to proven guidance on choosing high-impact words when speaking to others. Includes lessons from such motivational speakers as Julius Caesar, Winston Churchill, Bobby Kennedy, and Barack Obama, among others Features case studies from successful companies that have discovered and profited from the power of motivational leadership Arms readers with tactical tips and actions for inspirational leadership Written by one of the most successful and well-known motivational speakers in Australia Great leaders aren't born; they're made. For anyone who leads people, motivational leadership is the key to turning strategy into success. Read Amplifiers and boost your leadership skills to a higher level.
A practical and insightful look at what leaders do, how and why they do it, and the challenges they face Leadership is essential to collective human endeavor, from setting and accomplishing goals for a neighborhood block association, to running a Fortune 500 company, to mobilizing the energies of a nation. Political philosophers have focused largely on how to prevent leaders from abusing their power, yet little attention has been paid to what it actually feels like to hold power, how leaders go about their work, and how they relate to the people they lead. In Thinking about Leadership, Nannerl Keohane draws on her experience as the first woman president of Duke University and former president of Wellesley College, as well as her expertise as a leading political theorist, to deepen our understanding of what leaders do, how and why they do it, and the pitfalls and challenges they face. Keohane engages readers in a series of questions that shed light on every facet of leadership. She considers the traits that make a good leader, including sound judgment, decisiveness, integrity, social skill, and intelligence; the role that gender plays in one's ability to attain and wield power; ethics and morality; the complex relationship between leaders and their followers; and the unique challenges of democratic leadership. Rich with lessons and insights from leaders and political thinkers down through the ages, including Aristotle, Queen Elizabeth I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela, Thinking about Leadership is a must-read for current and future leaders, and for anyone concerned about our prospects for good governance.
"An essential guide to the engine that drives the early adoption of disruptive innovations." --Geoffrey Moore, Author, Crossing the Chasm and Zone to Win HOW COMPANIES CAN VAULT AHEAD BY DEVELOPING, MARKETING, AND DELIVERING SUPERIOR EXPERTISE "Thought leadership" is now a core part of the business lexicon. Numerous corporate websites devote whole sections to it. Entire conferences are built around it (TED and the World Economic Forum as the most exclusive ones). It's at the center of sophisticated, high-ticket PR campaigns. Thousands of people are making careers of it. And companies from Fidelity Investments, Adobe and Cigna to PwC, Accenture and Spotify have people in charge of it. Interest in the field of thought leadership is white hot -- just like the buzz created by illustrious thought leaders when they bring groundbreaking ideas to market. So it's about time the topic of thought leadership itself got a substantive treatment. In Competing on Thought Leadership, Robert Buday boldly delivers it. He defines thought leadership concretely: as the acclaim that a firm or a person earns for developing, marketing and delivering superior expertise in solving complex customer problems. And he defines it broadly -- as a business strategy, not just a marketing strategy. Buday also brings to bear his client work and research since the 1980s in helping companies and individuals inside them become known worldwide as leading experts in their field, which in turn has increased their revenue and profit multifold. This book focuses on how businesses that sell services and products to other businesses can thrive on thought leadership. It takes the lessons learned at some of the best firms in the world at selling expertise - consulting, accounting, law, financial services and technology firms - and makes them practical for every B2B firm. Yet the principles of Competing on Thought Leadership apply to all organizations - for-profit and non-profit alike -- that must demonstrate superior expertise in solving complex problems. Consumer companies, charitable foundations and other organizations, too, can benefit greatly from adopting these best practices in thought leadership.
Discover how the lost art of wonder can help you cultivate greater creativity, resilience, meaning, and joy as you bring your greatest contributions to life. Beyond grit, focus, and 10,000 hours lies a surprising advantage that all creatives have—wonder. Far from child’s play, wonder is the one radical quality that has led exemplary people from all walks of life to move toward the fruition of their deepest dreams and wildest endeavors—and it can do so for you, too. “Wonder is a quiet disruptor of unseen biases,” writes Jeffrey Davis. “It dissolves our habitual ways of seeing and thinking so that we may glimpse anew the beauty of what is real, true, and possible.” Rich with wisdom, inspiring stories, and practical tools, Tracking Wonder invites us to explore how the lost art of wonder can inspire a life of greater joy, possibility, and purpose. You’ll discover: The six facets of wonder—key qualities to help you cultivate the art of wonder in your work, relationships, and lifeHow wonder can help us fertilize creativity, sustain the motivation to pursue big ideas, navigate uncertainty and crises, deepen our relationships, and moreThe biases against wonder—moving beyond societal and internalized resistance to our inherent giftsWhy experiencing wonder isn’t really about achieving goals—though that happens—but about how we live each dayInspiring stories of people whose experiences of wonder helped them move through the unthinkable to create extraordinary livesPractical exercises, tools, and reflections to help you begin your own practice of tracking wonder A refreshing counter-voice to the exhausting narrative hyper-productivity, Tracking Wonder is a welcome guide for experiencing more meaning and joy in the present moment as you bring your greatest contributions to life.