Two thoughts recently collided for me. First, I was thinking to myself that there is just too much information out there. For working professionals, how does an idea break through? Personally, I could spend my entire day reading and going down a rabbit hole of news and information and feel empty-handed by the end. It was not always this bad. Is it that there are so many more weak examples or copies that you have to spend time sifting through many to find a few or is it that there are not really that many good ones after all?

Secondly, I took a sigh of relief last week when I finally came across something that interested me and ironically it was about thought leadership itself. Now I am the perfect audience for thought leadership on thought leadership. So I might be a sample of one here. As a person who spent decades coming up with thought leadership to help companies stand apart, I happily spent time reading the report deck that showed up in my Google Alerts. The research investigated 3,600 management-level professionals in six global markets who consume thought leadership to help marketers, communicators and salespeople better understand when to use thought leadership and what to expect. However, some of the findings confirmed my worst suspicions:

·      71% of global decision-makers say that less than half of the thought leadership they consume gives them valuable insights (Yikes!)

·      56% say they file away thought leadership content with the intent to revisit but never actually get back to it (Ouch!)

·      55% say if a piece of thought leadership does not pique their interest within the first minute, they will move on (Bad news!)

·      38% say the market is oversaturated with thought leadership content (Darn!)

Despite these downer findings, we also know that good, thought-provoking, innovative and compelling thought leadership does many positive things: it raises awareness, influences decision-makers to invite you to bid on a project, adds credibility to the work you do, helps repair reputation nicks and bruises, and improves reputational stature. In today’s world, solid thought leadership also associates your company with the future. Amen.

I don’t know how many people engaged with this research report like I did but it answered questions about how thought leadership should work and why it has become ubiquitous. I only wish thought leadership could be measurable in some standard way. When I was in the thick of it, I would measure our thought leadership by its top-tier media coverage, social media consumption, speaking engagements, longevity and clients asking for more. A McKinsey article I read years ago said that the whole purpose of thought leadership was to open doors and make your marketing efforts easier.

Above all else from what I learned doing thought leadership (several annually) is that it has to be unconventional and counter to what most people are thinking at the time or think even possible ever, if it’s going to sell and be heard.