Archive for April, 2010

Smoke and mirrors as democracy goes up in smoke

For those who read my thought leadership views regularly and for those who stumble across this on my blog this post is highly unusual – it has nothing to do with thought leadership and is a very personal view on the Australian government’s announcement today about cigarettes appearing in no name brand packs. 

Yes you heard right.  It could have gone down well as a good April Fool’s joke but sadly it isn’t.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not a smoker, to the contrary, I’m anti smoking.  But this has nothing to do with smoking, rather it has everything to do with the rights of individuals to choose, the rights of brands to be brands and the rights of businesses to responsibly produce and market their brands.

If the government can get away with this the question has to be where does it stop?  Are we going to be drinking no name beer and wine in the future and how about no name fast food?

What right does a government have to single handedly turn a perfectly legal industry into an amorphous, plain vanilla mass?  Have they really thought this through?  What happens when businesses close shop in Australia as some inevitably will and potentially thousands of jobs are lost? 

I am well aware of the reasons about reducing health risks to individuals and the burden on the health system, etc.  But for it to come to this is a gross admission of failure on the part of the government to address the issue.  Alternatively it smacks of the influence of an inordinately powerful, small health lobby group with their own grant-driven agendas.

This is heavy handed governance as its worse – it is nothing short of draconian and a government that resorts to draconian measures is a desperate one.  It is a government that has either lost touch or one that is putting up a smokescreen to hide other shortcomings.

When did Prime Minister Rudd and Minister Roxon ask the Australian public about this and what were their views?   As a non-smoker violently opposed to smoking I am appalled by this action and I would hazard that there are many more people out there who, like me, see this an assault on our civil liberties.

I truly hope that the industry takes the government to court on this one and wins.

Will the Australian public roll over on this and let Big Brother take further hold over what we can and can’t do in our every-day lives?  Time will tell.   

What are your thoughts on this?

Exclusive thought leadership hints and tips from Gary Bertwistle

      Gary Bertwistle is one of Australia’s foremost thought leaders on creativity. In 2001 Gary designed and built The Ideas Vault, Australia’s first ever dedicated creative space, designed specifically for the generation of better ideas. In 2004 Gary recorded and released an audio program called the Studio of the Mind, a 2 hour radio show that covers how creativity works, how to remove barriers to creative thinking, and techniques for unlocking ideas and imagination.

In early 2007 Gary self-published his first book entitled ‘The Keys to Creativity‘. The year finished on a high note with Gary being named 2007 Speaker of the Year for TEC (The Executive Connection), the world’s leading CEO membership organization.

Gary’s second book ‘Who Stole My Mojo?”, was released in June 2008.  In June 2009, ‘What Made You Think of That?‘ was published and Gary’s latest book, The Vibe, has just been published.

I interviewed him about his views on thought leadership.  It is long but only because he has some great insights to share and has been abundant with his advice in this regard.  This is what he had to say:

1.)    Gary, over time you have built a position as a thought leader on marketing and creative thinking.  What tips can you give to aspiring thought leaders out there?  

“My advice to aspiring thought leaders would be to develop your own content. Too many so called thought leaders are just parroting what they’ve read or heard, whereas a true thought leader espouses. To be a true thought leader you have to have original thoughts and this only comes from taking the time to be silent and to look, see, listen and really hear what’s going on around you to be able to form an opinion that can truly help take people and organisations forward. Thought leaders aren’t those who just repackage what everyone else has said. They must have an angle and a new approach, idea, concept or innovation, that can truly lead.

“The piece of advice I would give to any thought leader is that they need to design or develop their own style. There’s no point trying to be the next Matt Church or Craig Rispin. They need to be themselves and the essential part of being a thought leader is to decide who that really is. They may be mentored by others, benchmark others and even admire them. However they must be their own self. If appearing somewhere in order to sell their own ideas or thoughts and they leave the stage or board room, people must know that it was them and not just another person mimicking or parroting others. Most powerful thought leaders have their own style, their own thoughts, their own method of presentation and their own personality and drivers.

“My last piece of advice is something that I have learnt in the last 5 years, particularly since I have done so much writing, is to disconnect. Thought leaders MUST disconnect from the real world, technology and noise, in order to fully observe and hear. Thought leaders aren’t the guys rushing through an airport with a crackberry locked to their ear trying to push through crowds to dive into the back of a taxi. Thought leaders are the guys who have got their crackberry in their back pocket and are slowly meandering through the airport, listening, watching, thinking, pondering and dreaming about “what if”? Thought leaders take the time to disconnect and think to themselves “imagine if”! 

2.)    You have written numeous books, how have these helped position you as a thought leader in your field and what advice would you give to companies striving to become thought leaders where books may not necessarily be appropriate?

“Having now written 5 books and in the process of mapping the 6th, I would say that books lend credibility to thought leaders. Once you publish your thoughts you’re putting them into the marketplace for all to be reviewed.

“It’s all very well saying it but when it’s put in writing it’s there for prosperity for evermore.  Having your perspective in writing can lend an enormous amount of credibility to you as a leader, speaker, author or entrepreneur. For whatever reason, books seem to be business cards on steroids. However, from my experience it’s the second and third book where you truly get credibility. The first book is nice, but you join the masses. Thought leaders for me are the people who over a period of time have amassed enough thoughts and their own point of view to be able to land that thinking to a number of publications.

In today’s world books are not the only tool that business or leaders can use. Many thought leaders are using social media particularly well through blogs, tweets, podcasts and vidcasts. The book is purely the tool to help you get the word out.

“Organisations and business leaders can do just as good a job by truly investing in original thinking and using all the tools outlined above as the methods to share your thoughts as a leader. Blogs, tweets, Facebook, LinkedIn, DIGG, podcasts, vidcasts are all fine but if you’re not sharing innovative thinking that helps me as the follower to think differently or be better at whatever it is that I do, then you fail to add value and all those things are a waste of space. Too many companies are loading up with podcasts and blogs, which have no value and are a waste of time.”

3.)  A lot of what you advocate centres around stimulating and sharing ideas but there are plenty of companies out there who don’t share their knowledge or insights with their target publics.  What advice would you give them?

“In my last book The Vibe, I outlined one of the greatest trends that’s happening in the world right now and is becoming even more prevalent since the book was published. Today’s brands need to be generous.

“Generosity is a key driver for any thought leader or organisation wanting to lead.  You can’t just sell a service or a product. You have to go above and beyond that and provide the extras.

“Provide the overs. The overs come in the form of information, advanced notice, freebies, alliances, promotion or insights. If you aren’t sharing your knowledge or insights with your target audience then you run the risk of leaving yourself open to attack from a competitor who does. Today it’s an expectation from your target audience. The buyer of any product or service expects the extras.

“One of the greatest exponents anywhere in the world right now is Apple. They have free tutorials, free advice, free public problem solving, free applications, free upgrades, free business shopping, specialists and so the list goes on. I only buy a computer once every 12 to 24 months, and in the meantime they super-serve me and make me the loyalist of Apple tribe members by constantly being generous with their information, time, insight and products. Which is why they have just been voted the most admired companies in the world yet again.” 

4.)    In the preamble to your latest book “The Vibe” you mention that only a few brands make an authentic connection with their customers.  What are the key things companies should be doing in order to make that connection?

“In order to make an authentic connection with your customers you must do two things. First thing is to create a true perception of what separates you from everybody else. Today it’s not good enough for me to know you and your name or what you do or how you do it. I need to know why I should buy from you and not from somebody else. I must have a succinct perception in my mind that separates you from your competitors and makes me move from knowing you to wanting to do business with you. Do this well and once I’ve done business with you I will want to stay with you even if somebody does it quicker, faster or cheaper.

“The second part of the question centres around the authenticity of the story. Today people aren’t just buying products, they’re buying into the story. They’re buying into why you do what you do.

“Too many business websites have their first two pages outlining what they do and how they do it. Put your hand over their logo and it’s no different to their competitors. The people who truly resonate, get the first call, build the perception and build true loyalty with their customers and clients, will be the ones who have told their story. Why the company was set up, why you do what you do, why you have the sorts of people around you, working for you, and why you think what you do can change, help or benefit the organisations you work with.

“Once you’ve worked out the why you exist then outline: 1. Why we should do business with you; 2. How you do what you do; 3. What you do. People are buying stories and too few people tell the story let alone even know what their story is.”

5.)    What will companies need to do from a marketing/communications perspective to differentiate themselves from the competition over the next decade?

“In the next decade two things will need to happen for companies to truly take advantage of their marketing communication. Firstly you need to get the fundamentals right, by clarifying who you are targeting as a customer or client, and what you do (that is what category you occupy). This is very important.

“Next, what perception do you want to create? Concentrated into one single concept or word that summarises why you are different from your competitors.

“Then thirdly work how you will infiltrate my world in order to alert me to this information. Unfortunately too many organisations are skipping the fundamentals and get caught up in how to spend money and how to communicate the message without working out what their message is. They have no story, they have no fundamentals taken care of. All they have is a logo on an invoice so people know who to pay. This is not having a brand. A brand only happens when you have told your story and built your perception.

“The second thing you need to happen is that as people’s buying, lifestyle and communication habits change, brands will need to be on top of this. The old saying “if you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you always got” summarises it well, but today what you’ve always done may not be good enough.

“Brands in every size, in every industry, in every category need to be aware of the changing face of brand where stories, authenticity, being generous, building a tribe and being more than a brand are currently influencing the way people make buying decisions. As a thought leader this is your bread and butter because you are the person who is slowing down, thinking, pondering and imagining “what if?” You are the person will observe these changes to bring them to the attention of your followers.”  

6.)    Which individuals or companies do you look up to as thought leaders in their industry and why? 

“Unquestionably marketing and brand guru Seth Godin who wrote Purple Cow, All Marketers Are Liars, The Dip, Meatball Sundae and so on, is a thought leader.

“In terms of companies, Apple are unquestionably a brilliant organisation with ticking all the boxes I’ve outlined so far. But that organisation is only as good as their leader and there is no question that Steve Jobs is a thought leader in not only in computers but also in the entertainment and animated film industry.

“Another company that I greatly admire who I think are doing it very very well are the Nespresso Coffee people. They’ve quickly built a brand new category and established a foothold in an area that previously didn’t exist, and they’ve built a very cool, very successful and very funky brand that has longevity.

“These thought leaders are doing it in a way that makes it very difficult to penetrate their category. All things that I’ve talked about above have been done extraordinarily well by Apple and Nespresso.

“And finally, I know it’s a little out of left field but someone else I admire as a thought leader is Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. He’s been on the top of his game for many years now, having been the creative genius behind Chanel, Fendi, and now his own brand. He’s just gone back to Chanel. He has amazing philosophies and is unquestionably a thought leader in his industry. He is admired by many of the most creative people in the world, and I truly think he is someone who blazes his own trail regardless of what anybody else thinks.”

Infoguru and thought leader – one of the same?

Robert Middleton is a marketing thought leader.  He gives away a lot of wonderful free information and ideas and he clearly solves lots of people’s marketing challenges.  It was one of Robert’s posts many years ago that kick-started me down the path to writing my book Brand Stand: seven steps to thought leadership.

In a recent newsletter, Robert talks about how he made a mistake when he stopped marketing his Infoguru marketing brand and goes on to define what he means by Infoguru.  The reason I include it here is because there are some very strong similarities between his Infoguru definition and my views of what constitutes a thought leader.  But I must admit that Infoguru sounds a lot sexier and more memorable than thought leader.

Robert had this to say:  “As an InfoGuru, you need to approach marketing differently. You can’t market yourself like a consumer product or a commodity service. You need to stand out as an InfoGuru who leverages your information, expertise and wisdom to attract clients looking for results, not hype, improvement in their condition, not empty promises.

“InfoGuru marketing uses writing, speaking and the Internet to leverage that information, expertise and wisdom to educate and to demonstrate immediate value to prospective clients.”

I love this part of Robert’s definition.  Why? First because it is client focused and second because it talks about educating and demonstrating value.  Tie that to what he says in the previous paragraph about improving the client’s condition and you have the genuine intent of a thought leader or thought leadership campaign.

Robert goes on to say that an InfoGuru is in fact many things:

·         They possess practical information which they should apply wisely

·         They are business professionals who help their clients get results and improve their condition in a way that makes a real difference

·         They educate, inform, explore, and collaborate to gain engagement from their prospective clients

·         They don’t use hype, pressure or manipulation; they don’t have to

·         They market their services though writing, speaking and the Internet – all mediums suited to convey information efficiently and with impact

·         The most successful InfoGurus gain attention and notoriety for their expertise, insights and results.

Robert’s list of famous InfoGurus include: Tom Peters, Marshall Goldsmith, Alan Weiss, Seth Godin, Jim Collins, Jay Abraham, Peter Drucker, and John Gray.  Some of whom are listed in my book as recognised thought leaders.

So what’s the verdict?  Is an Infoguru a close cousin to a thought leader or is it in fact something entirely different?

Howard Gardner on thought leadership

Howard Gardner is the John H. and Elisabeth A.Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  He also holds positions as Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and Senior Director of
Harvard Project Zero. Among numerous honors, Gardner received a MacArthur Prize Fellowship in 1981. He has received honorary degrees from 26 colleges and universities. In 2005 and again in 2008, he was selected by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines as one of the 100 most influential public intellectuals in the world. The author of 25 books translated into 28 languages, and several hundred articles, Gardner is best known in educational circles for his theory of multiple intelligences, a critique of the notion that there exists but a single human intelligence that can be adequately assessed by standard psychometric instruments.

Gardner will be doing a multiple city tour of Australia in May 2011.

1.    Howard, in the 1990s you investigated professional ethics, or what you and your colleagues termed ‘good work’.  Can you explain what ‘good work’ means for companies today?

“Colleagues and I are still investigating good work. As we now define it, GoodWork is Excellent technically; personally Engaging and meaningful; and carried out in an Ethical manner. We speak of the three Es, and of an intertwined ENA. As psychologists, our work focuses on the individual, but clearly the good work analysis can be extended to corporations as well. Also, when it comes to the treatment of work, I would add a fourth E—that individuals are treated equitably, and that the income and privilege ratio is not skewed too much in favor of senior management.

“For more information see www.goodworktoolkit.org and www.goodworkproject.org”

2.    You have worked with many noted and pre-eminent psychologists, neurologists and others, what do you think has made some of them more successful than others in building a public profile and becoming known as a thought leader in their market?

“Two different routes:

1. The outstanding quality of work, I would cite my close colleague Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and his ground breaking work on ‘flow’ or neuroscientist Giacomo Rizzolati, who discovered ‘mirror neurons’
2. The capacity to speak and write for a popular audience, and the willingness to go on television, travel, speak to general audiences, get a joke writer, hair stylist, etc. I’ll let you come up with examples. Let me simply say that some scholars who achieve popular acclaim, like paleontologists Stephen Jay Gould or astronomer Carl Sagan, were also great scholars.”

3.     You have written numerous papers and books.  Given your experience, what tips can you give aspiring thought leaders in other industries about what it takes to be recognised as a thought leader?

“Even if you begin as an indirect leader, writing for and addressing primarily scholarly audiences, it is crucial to pay attention to reactions. I have in mind both appropriate criticism of your scholarship AND suggestions about how better to present your materials. My presentations have changed as much, because of the reactions of popular audiences (including my own children) as they have been affected by scholarly colleagues who would never go on television or address a rotary club.

“I would add that there are certain things that I would not do, even if they were to give me more visibility. One of them is to appear on Fox television, which I do not consider to be a worthy outlet.”

4.    In building your thought leadership position around multiple intelligences, what has been your key differentiating factor/s and has there been one stand out tactic that has helped you achieve this?  

“While I never anticipated it, the use of the word ‘intelligence’; has been crucial. If I had spoken and written about seven or eight talents, gifts, faculties, my work would not have attracted comparable attention.

“Also, I have found it useful to employ a simple analogy: The standard solitary view of intelligence is like a single all purpose computer, which can work well or poorly; the multiple intelligence view posits a set of relatively independent computers—so, for example, one person might have a good music computer and a poor spatial computer or vice versa, while a second person might have a strong linguistic computer and a poor interpersonal computer, or vice versa,

“Over twenty-five years, I have been able both to deepen my own analysis of this work, and to present it in ways that are easy to understand while not being misleading. Every year I think that I improve both my understanding and my ability to communicate effectively—at least I hope so!”

5.    What’s your view on sharing content and ideas and from your experience, how far should a thought leader go in sharing this information?

“I don’t really understand this question. I don’t see why anyone should withhold information, so long as they are confident that what they are saying has some validity.

“When it comes to trade secrets, I suppose that is a different kind of problem. Ideas and thoughts are free and should be treated as such.”

6.    How would you define thought leadership?

“Thought leaders are individuals who develop ideas that have substance and validity and have some success in communicating these ideas to a relevant wider public. Some thought leaders do it primarily through their writings—see the Csikszentmihalyi and Rizzolati examples above—and others do it through a combination of writing, speaking, blogging, tweeting, etc.”

Publishing alone will not help your thought leadership

Dale Bryce, the head of capability marketing at Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) contacted me about my post on content aggregation and I felt that his response was worth sharing here rather than losing in the comments section.  SKM is a global engineering services firm that I have covered in a previous post as an excellent case study on thought leadership.

Their client first thought leadership stance has worked and continues to work for them and I think Dale is well placed to comment on this issue.  He had this to say:

 “Craig! I agree, content doesn’t a thought leader make.

“The right content might be king, but for the most part I think the key issue can be described by paraphrasing words from Bill Clinton’s first presidential election campaign: “It’s the client relationship stupid”.

“You rightly highlight value as being key to thought leadership. After 20 years in professional services marketing, I have come to know that value comes from insights that can actually solve client problems. But I have also learned that it is also not quite that simple, and I agree “Publishing alone will not help”.

Great content needs to be integrated into your client relationship strategy

“At Sinclair Knight Merz our own client survey data tells us that the bulk of client satisfaction is determined by relationship factors – understanding a client’s business, staying in touch between projects and bringing valuable ideas forward. Knowing this has actually reframed the purpose of our thought leadership content.

“Great content can serve to build brand awareness and relevance. But it can do more than that if properly integrated into a client relationship strategy. In professional services, projects and deals are becoming larger in scope and scale, and more urgent with increased accountability for delivery. In an increasingly complex world, clients have bigger, thornier problems that need to be resolved. Thought leadership clearly has a role to play in proactively bringing valuable ideas forward.

 Thought leadership is a conversation

 “To do this well you need a deep understanding of a client’s business. So, for me thought leadership is more than brand building and positioning, it is a client conversation starter.  And the best conversations are two-way. Content can get you to the table, but the length of your stay at that table is more often a function of how much you listen, than what you yourself have to say.

“The key question then is not did your phone ring when you sent out that great piece of thought leadership (even though it might). The question becomes, did you pick up the phone and make that call yourself after you sent out that great piece of thought leadership? Did you really want to start a two-way dialogue with your client?”