Leveraging Thought Leadership

Today's guest is Roger Connors, chairman and co-founder of Zero to Ten, best-selling author of Fix It, Change the Culture, Change the Game, and his upcoming book Get a Coach, Be a Coach. Roger was a co-found of Partners in Leadership before having a successful exit and is one of the top organizational cultural professionals in the world. Roger shares with us how his first book turned into a tipping point for his business to be a break out success. We discuss the lessons learned while building Partners in Leadership and the steps it took for him to successfully exit the company. Roger talks about his new book Get a Coach, Be a Coach, and how the average person has ten coach ready skills. We get into how to get the best out of those skills and coaches as well as the technology needed. If your organization is seeking coaches, you might be surrounded by them and not even know it! This is a great episode for anyone looking for or looking to become a coach for their organization. Three Key Takeaways: If a thought leader wants to be able to exit their business, then it needs to be based around models and not your name and charisma. The average person has ten coach ready skills and most skills take fifteen minutes or less! Thought Leaders using digital solutions need to help organizations adopt a culture that can use it, not just teach them the ins and outs of the software.

Today's guest is Larry English, president, and co-founder of Centric Consulting, a management consulting firm that guides organizations through complex digital business and technology problems. Larry has also recently written Office Optional, a timely book about moving from the office to remote working. Larry explains how his book was in the works before COVID-19, how his company has been working virtually for 20 years, how they have cultivated a positive work culture, and how they are teaching others to do the same. We discuss the issues employees face when starting to work remotely, like finding a work/life balance, managing the freedom of not being in an office, and avoiding having your team feel disconnected from each other and the organization. We end the conversation talking about understanding how a book can play into your business, why something's that are important to do won't have a measurable ROI, and why producing content can give you an edge on your competition. This is a great episode for anyone working in or managing a company dealing with the hardships of moving your teams to work virtually. Three Key Takeaways: Thought Leadership will play a huge part in maintaining the culture of an organization during the move to remote working. Not all thought leadership will have a hard ROI, yet the importance of your content will be immense. Thought Leaders should consider the breadth of their content and how it will play into the future of how people work and live.

Today's guest is Trond Arne Undheim, author of Pandemic Aftermath and Disruption Games, host of Futurized Podcast, speaker, and futurist. Trond joins us to share how it can be tricky being a thought leader on a blend of topics and how there is an underlying common thread that connects it all together. We discuss why Trond writes books, how he monetizes them, and why sales of the book aren't where your focus should be. Trond explains what a Futurist is and how he has grown into that title. Plus we look at the future of thought leadership post COVID-19 and why Trond believes the role is going to come roaring back! Three Key Takeaways: Networking in thought leadership isn't just about connecting people, it also involves making knowledge connections. Writing a book on your thought leadership can create a gateway to paid speaking. Thought Leaders need to have actionable content instead of motivational speeches. There is no alternative to a knowledge-based view of the future.

Today's guest is Elizabeth Bachman, Presentation Skills Trainer at Strategic Speaking for Results, host of Speakers Who Get Results podcast, and former founder and artistic director of the Tyrolean Opera Program. Elizabeth shares how she helps professionals find their voice, get on the stage and elevate their profile within their organization. We discuss building credibility, overcoming stage fright, and ways to find opportunities to get on the stage Elizabeth discusses how her incredible talents as an opera director have allowed her to shape the way an audience takes in what speakers are sending out and how you can tailor your message to the different audiences without having to change the meaning of your content. We wrap up the conversation talking about Elizabeth's passion for working with women to break the gender stereotypes that exist. She shares valuable advice for women looking to break into the speaking scene and why allies could be the difference-maker. The advice in this episode can take young speakers out from behind their computer to the stage and beyond! Three Key Takeaways: If you want to be recognized for your Thought Leadership you have to stand up and be noticed. Having a poor speaking engagement doesn't have to be the end of your Thought Leadership. It is simply a moment to learn, go back to the basics, and continue to practice. Thought Leaders should seek allies who believe in you to keep you going when you doubt yourself.

Today's guest is Mark Hunter, author of best-selling books High Profit Prospecting, High Profit Sales, and his newest book A Mind for Sales, Mark is a Certified Speaking Professional, and one of the top 50 sales and marketing leaders in the world. Mark shares with us how the role of sales has changed over the years as technology has evolved and how it is changing again in the face of COVID-19. We discuss how to modify sales training to deliver it online with the same efficiency as in person. Mark talks about the need to protect your fee, regardless of the method your content is delivered because your fee should be based on the outcome of your content. This episode is full of amazing sales tips from one of the world's best! If you want to keep up with the changing landscape you'll want to tune in to this episode. Three Key Takeaways: Sell your thought leadership is less about education and more about helping a client to see what they did not think was possible. If you need to take your sales training online you'll need to break your thought leadership into smaller bit-sized chunks then you would for a two day event. The price of your thought leadership needs to be based on the outcomes you deliver and not the method of delivery.

Today's guest is Bennie Fowler, former Group Vice President, Global Quality and New Model Launch at the Ford Motor Company. Bennie has taken his 40 years of executive experience and is now President and CEO of Bennie Fowler LLC where he is helping clients with their most challenging and complex business problems. Bennie shares where his passion for thought leadership comes from and how his decades of experience in the C-Suite have played a big role in his ability to help others now. We discuss how teams can deliver quality and productivity at the same time when good leadership is in place. Bennie talks about how he wrote down and documented the various processes he was involved with at Ford and how those practices have helped in creating content for his new venture. If you are an executive thinking about making the jump to thought leadership, this episode has some great advice on what you'll need to do to create a road map to success in a new career. Three Key Takeaways: Thought Leaders can use the years of experience in a previous role to develop new content. Thought Leaders need to be able to adjust and adapt to the needs of their clients. When transitioning from executive to Thought Leader you'll want to have a road map of where you want to go and who you want to help.

Today's guest is Brandon Steiner, the founder of the Steiner Agency and Collectible Exchange, host of Unplugged Podcast, and author of You Gotta Have Balls and The Business Playbook. Brandon is a sports marketer, renowned motivational speaker, and creator of the Everything Bagel! Brandon shares how he actually created the Everything Bagel in 1973 before starting Steiner Sports where he represented athletes for speaking engagements and corporate appearances. Brandon talks about how the blog he started opened the door to become a speaker and author. He explains how he is open and honest, which might not always be pretty but creates a close connection with the audience. We also discuss how Brandon branched out from his sports crowd to join the McKay Group to grow as a speaker and author. Three Key Takeaways: Thought leaders need to create content for their audience to get to know them and trust their voice. Thought Leadership should be truthful and transparent, even when it shows the hardships of your journey. If you thought leadership encourages others to grow and change, you need to be able to grow and change as well.

Today's guest is Nora Super, the Executive Director at Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that helps people build meaningful lives. She is also the Executive Director of the Alliance to Improve Dementia Care at the Milken Institute. Nora explains the power of Convening Authority and how it helps in thought leadership to make high-level changes to global problems. We chat about the need to get the right people in the room and how to get others to understand the importance of your issue. We also discuss the creation of the Alliance to Improve Dementia Care, the white paper that started it, and the types of members that are included to create a community through a shared passion to find clarity around the mission and purpose. Three Key Takeaways: Thought leaders need to get the right people in the room to find the right solutions. A topic might be important to you, but unless your thought leadership makes it important to others it will fall on deaf ears. If your thought leadership duplicates work that is already being done it might be best to join forces with them to elevate the conversation.

Today's guest is Terry Jones, founder of Kayak and Travelocity, author of Disruption Off and Innovation On. Terry is a digital disruptor, and venture capitalist with a deep knowledge of what it takes to change and thrive in a changing industry. We discuss with Terry what thought leaders and keynote speakers who have been disrupted by COVID-19 should be thinking about. We explore methods to continue delivering content, examine why price should be protected even when delivering digital content, and what types of speakers might be hardest hit. If you are a speaker and thought leader wondering how to continue working, worrying about the future of large scale meetings, and the communities that host them this is a conversation you won't want to miss. Three Key Takeaways: Thought leaders need to find a way to deliver quality digital productions from home. If the content of your thought leadership has not changed then the price should not be deeply slashed, even while delivering it remotely. Corporations will still want thought leadership, but you'll have to be clear about the value you offer.

Today's guest is Vince Molinaro, founder, and CEO of Leadership Contract Inc, former Managing Director - Leadership Solutions at Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions, author of the best-selling book The Leadership Contract and Accountable Leaders. Vince shares his experience working at Knightsbridge helping to establish the brand and creating differentiated intellectual property. We explore how the new knowledge he created was used to help grow the business and expand from Canada into the US market. Vince shares how different selling thought leadership can be from other products and the difficulties sales teams can have with it and the methods he has used to bring the marketing and sales team together to create a more effective pipeline. Three Key Takeaways: Thought leaders can use writing articles and creating other content to help establish their brand. Targeting areas with a similar culture can help thought leaders take their content across borders and into new markets. Thought leaders should have their sales team take the program they are having them sell to ensure they fully understand the product they are selling.