Build Your Thought Leadership on a Strong Foundation

Understanding what the three pillars really mean is a critical first step

How often have you read something under the banner of thought leadership that left you a little disappointed. You could see the hard work that went into it but somehow…the idea seemed kinda familiar. Or you liked its general direction but missed the presence of robust data or other evidence. Or maybe you felt—I like where this is going but I really don’t see the need to do anything different.

Thought leadership, the kind that changes minds and compels action, starts from a foundation of three pillars: original ideas, rigorous research, and persuasive communication. And here’s the key: all three have to be robust. When one or more is shaky, the final structure will disappoint both the creators and their audience.

How can you avoid this outcome? Start by understanding what each pillar really means.

Original Ideas: What’s the Problem?

That word “original” can lead people down some difficult paths. (Its first cousins, “breakthrough” and “visionary,” even more so.) For some, “original” is a no-brainer: I thought of it, I’m an expert—it’s original! But informed opinion, even from professionals with long experience, falls short of thought leadership.

At the other end of the spectrum, people may be intimidated and paralyzed. They may recall those term papers for history class and think, How could I ever have anything original to say? And this may lead them to defer the task and hope that others come up with something that sounds like new thinking.

Between these two extremes, where do you start? By identifying a real problem that you want to help solve: a broad, difficult business or social problem that confounds an industry, a sector, or an entire economy. And this is a very challenging activity! So much so that many skip over it or default to what is essentially a non-problem. So think of it this way: identifying an actual problem in need of a solution may turn out to be the core of your original thinking. (We’ll have much more to say on originality in thought leadership in a future article.)

Without the pillar of original thinking, you will end up with the equivalent of a suburban tract house. Yeah, you can live in it, but it will look like your neighbors’ places and lack all distinctiveness.

I know it’s around here somewhere.

By contrast, when you zero in on a real problem—and you can always tell you’ve done this by the enthusiastic responses of people you share your thinking with—you are also able to highlight real approaches to solve it. And that’s original.

Rigorous Research: Who Believes This?

Everyone understands this one, right? Of course you need solid research to establish the validity of your thinking! Is that even controversial?

And yet: when you look at many definitions and lists purporting to define thought leadership, a great many say not a single word about research, data, or examples of any kind. But this omission leaves the field open to mere opinion and speculation. Say it with me: No matter who you are, you need research to back up your views.

Here some may object: We can’t afford an expensive research program! And it’s true that some organizations have the budgets needed to execute large-scale research studies, complete with multi-country surveys. And good for them, but it would be mistaken to think that big budgets are the core issue.

Outstanding research can be conducted by mining public sources of data, by interviewing leaders who are out in front of an issue (especially those at start-ups and smaller companies, who are often happy to share their experiences), and by weaving together case studies from a variety of available sources. And creative use of AI tools can be an inexpensive means of deriving sophisticated insights. (Again, we’ll dig further into what counts as “rigorous” research in another Beacon blog.)

Without the pillar of rigorous research, you will create the equivalent of a Hollywood set: all façade, with nothing behind it. You may have created a provocative point of view, just as Hollywood has created many hours of entertaining movies.

Sure looks nice from the outside.

But to get people to rethink their business or organization in fundamental ways, you need the goods—the evidence, the data, the case studies. And you need to be smart, not rich, to do this.

Persuasive Communication: Who’s Paying Attention?

This is the most neglected—and therefore the saddest—of the three pillars. Whether you’re trying to reach people through writing (a report, an article, or a blog) or by talking to them directly in a conference speech or a conference call, the message just falls flat.

And this is a shame, because the work required to get to that point is usually extensive. So much good work gets buried because it never reaches an audience in a way that persuades people to change how they think, or how they run their organizations.

Now it’s true that some people are just naturally at ease in front of audiences. Others have a gift for writing that is rare. But many more, with the right kind of coaching and development, can make significant improvements in the way they express their ideas—and become known as thought leaders in the process.

Without the pillar of persuasive communication, you may end up building an unvisited monument. Yes, it looks impressive, and it cost a lot, and much talent went into its construction—but people have a hard time finding it, or even remembering that it exists.

We don’t get many visitors around here.

Having put in the work to develop the original idea and to carry out the rigorous research, don’t stop there. Take the next step: learn to write and to speak in a way that others will be nodding along, thinking: Yes. This.

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