

Leveraging Thought Leadership
Peter Winick and Bill Sherman
Welcome to the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast, a beacon illuminating the paths and possibilities of thought leadership. With your guides, Peter Winick and Bill Sherman, we will embark on a journey into a captivating world where ideas converge with strategy and insight.
Where will thought leadership take you?
In each episode, we engage with thought leaders from diverse backgrounds. Whether it's professional keynote speaking, writing your own thought leadership book, investigating the niche expertise of specialized consultants, or crossing mental swords with distinguished academics, our guests collectively paint a vivid mosaic of thought leadership's multifaceted potential.
Through nuanced perspectives and rich experience, our talented co-hosts aim to offer you views of the ways independent thought leaders navigate success, elevate talent, and change company culture – while simultaneously examining how organizations harness the power of thought leadership to catalyze innovation and nurture sustainable growth.
Peter Winick is your guide through the realm of independent thought leadership. For the past two decades, he has helped individuals and organizations build and grow revenue streams through designing and growing their thought leadership platforms as well as acting as a guide and advisor for increasing business to business sales of thought leadership products. Peter is the Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage. His clients come from a diverse set of backgrounds and specialties. They include New York Times bestselling business book authors, members of the Speakers' Hall of Fame, recipients of the Thinkers50 award, CEOs of public and privately held companies, and academics at prestigious institutions such as Yale, Wharton, Dartmouth, and London School of Business.
With a keen eye for detail, he delves into the intricacies of crafting personal brands, fostering genuine engagement with audiences, and expertly monetizing one's expertise. From the artistry of crafting keynote speeches that resonate with audiences to the strategic deployment of bestselling books as conduits for inspiration and insight, Peter's guests offer a treasure trove of strategies for creating value and impact and driving revenue through thought leadership.
Bill Sherman specializes in the exploration of organizational thought leadership. He examines how companies conceive, curate, and deploy thought leadership initiatives, and how those initiatives benefit the orgs and the people who work within them. Bill listens to the stories and advice of industry leaders and their triumphs within the competitive business landscape. Whether through the dissemination of white papers that shape industry discourse, webinars that educate and engage, or insightful executive blogs that offer thought leadership at the highest echelons of corporate governance, Bill's guests provide illuminating perspectives on the evolution of organizational thought leadership and its pivotal role in shaping industry paradigms and perceptions.
Bill concentrates on organizational consulting and business expertise, investigating organizational thought leadership and its effects, from instructional design and learning product development to marketing strategy and execution, to organizational development and transformational consulting. He enjoys working with business leaders, speakers, authors, academics, and other consultants, connecting their ideas organizational platforms and enterprise-ready product development.
As the series unfolds, Peter and Bill will lead us through a nuanced exploration of the latest trends and advancements in thought leadership. From the transformative impact of technology on communication and collaboration to the evolving preferences of consumers in an increasingly digital marketplace, they will dissect the shifting landscape with precision and insight. Moreover, they will shine a spotlight on emerging modalities that are reshaping the contours of thought leadership, from the ascendance of virtual events as a cornerstone of engagement to the growing influence of social media platforms as conduits for thought dissemination and audience interaction. Through their discerning analysis, they will reveal how thought leaders can adeptly harness these trends to amplify their reach, captivate new audiences, and maximize their influence in an ever-evolving business environment.
Whether you find yourself at the height of your career as a seasoned thought leader, or whether you stand at the threshold of possibility as an aspiring entrepreneur, the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast offers an enriching voyage of discovery.
Join us as we unravel the enigmatic secrets to success in the vibrant realm of thought leadership, where ideas have the power to shape perceptions, drive change, and inspire action. Together, let us explore how you, too, can engineer value, evoke impact, and cultivate revenue through the sheer power of your ideas and expertise.
Welcome aboard.
Where will thought leadership take you?
In each episode, we engage with thought leaders from diverse backgrounds. Whether it's professional keynote speaking, writing your own thought leadership book, investigating the niche expertise of specialized consultants, or crossing mental swords with distinguished academics, our guests collectively paint a vivid mosaic of thought leadership's multifaceted potential.
Through nuanced perspectives and rich experience, our talented co-hosts aim to offer you views of the ways independent thought leaders navigate success, elevate talent, and change company culture – while simultaneously examining how organizations harness the power of thought leadership to catalyze innovation and nurture sustainable growth.
Peter Winick is your guide through the realm of independent thought leadership. For the past two decades, he has helped individuals and organizations build and grow revenue streams through designing and growing their thought leadership platforms as well as acting as a guide and advisor for increasing business to business sales of thought leadership products. Peter is the Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage. His clients come from a diverse set of backgrounds and specialties. They include New York Times bestselling business book authors, members of the Speakers' Hall of Fame, recipients of the Thinkers50 award, CEOs of public and privately held companies, and academics at prestigious institutions such as Yale, Wharton, Dartmouth, and London School of Business.
With a keen eye for detail, he delves into the intricacies of crafting personal brands, fostering genuine engagement with audiences, and expertly monetizing one's expertise. From the artistry of crafting keynote speeches that resonate with audiences to the strategic deployment of bestselling books as conduits for inspiration and insight, Peter's guests offer a treasure trove of strategies for creating value and impact and driving revenue through thought leadership.
Bill Sherman specializes in the exploration of organizational thought leadership. He examines how companies conceive, curate, and deploy thought leadership initiatives, and how those initiatives benefit the orgs and the people who work within them. Bill listens to the stories and advice of industry leaders and their triumphs within the competitive business landscape. Whether through the dissemination of white papers that shape industry discourse, webinars that educate and engage, or insightful executive blogs that offer thought leadership at the highest echelons of corporate governance, Bill's guests provide illuminating perspectives on the evolution of organizational thought leadership and its pivotal role in shaping industry paradigms and perceptions.
Bill concentrates on organizational consulting and business expertise, investigating organizational thought leadership and its effects, from instructional design and learning product development to marketing strategy and execution, to organizational development and transformational consulting. He enjoys working with business leaders, speakers, authors, academics, and other consultants, connecting their ideas organizational platforms and enterprise-ready product development.
As the series unfolds, Peter and Bill will lead us through a nuanced exploration of the latest trends and advancements in thought leadership. From the transformative impact of technology on communication and collaboration to the evolving preferences of consumers in an increasingly digital marketplace, they will dissect the shifting landscape with precision and insight. Moreover, they will shine a spotlight on emerging modalities that are reshaping the contours of thought leadership, from the ascendance of virtual events as a cornerstone of engagement to the growing influence of social media platforms as conduits for thought dissemination and audience interaction. Through their discerning analysis, they will reveal how thought leaders can adeptly harness these trends to amplify their reach, captivate new audiences, and maximize their influence in an ever-evolving business environment.
Whether you find yourself at the height of your career as a seasoned thought leader, or whether you stand at the threshold of possibility as an aspiring entrepreneur, the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast offers an enriching voyage of discovery.
Join us as we unravel the enigmatic secrets to success in the vibrant realm of thought leadership, where ideas have the power to shape perceptions, drive change, and inspire action. Together, let us explore how you, too, can engineer value, evoke impact, and cultivate revenue through the sheer power of your ideas and expertise.
Welcome aboard.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 19, 2020 • 21min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Cynthia O'Neal | 240
Today's guest is Cynthia O'Neal, the thought Leadership and content strategist for the intelligent networking division at Verizon professional services with 20 years' experience leading change across marketing, sales, and technology in both the corporate and government sectors. Cynthia walks us through what Intelligent Networking is and how Version is using it to maintain a cutting edge in their industry. Cynthia discussed how she is helping subject matter experts develop and implement thought leadership for use on the marketing side. She shares how they are creating their methodology for use internally before taking it externally, the challenges they've faced and the incredible success they've achieved. Three Key Takeaways: How thought leadership connects to intelligent networking. How to develop organizational thought leadership methodologies and strategies. Why you need to equip people with the right thought leadership tools to ensure they are comfortable talking about the subject.

Jul 16, 2020 • 21min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Richard Citrin & Michael Couch | 239
Today we have a special episode with two guests! Richard Citrin is the president of Citrin Consulting, author of The Resilience Advantage, an international consultant, leadership coach, and organizational psychologist. Michael Couch is the president of Michael Couch and Associates with 30 years of experience as an internal organization effectiveness consultant combined with Business Unit P&L and Operations Management experience. Together they co-authored the book Strategy Driven Leadership. Richard and Michael tell us how they came together to write the book to find matching their background and experience was beneficial to their clients and each other. We learn how they divided the writing duties, had multiple publishers interested, and why they chose their publisher they did. During the interview, we explore their goals, expectations, and the effects of getting their book on the market had on their consulting. Three Key Takeaways: How thought leaders can come together to co-author a book. What thought leaders should ask their publisher before signing with them. What thought leaders can expect from a publisher in terms of marketing and sales support.

Jul 12, 2020 • 23min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Sean Davis | 238
Today's guest is Sean Davis, Information Security Advisor, DevSecOps at TransUnion, and former Chief Transformation Evangelist at Equifax. Sean sits down with us to explain the role of an evangelist, the challenges they face, methods of engaging with clients, and how to build trust. We discuss how connecting with employees and helping them understand their value to the mission and vision of the company can increase happiness and uncap the potential client satisfaction. Sean goes into detail on connecting the evangelism in the field to the leadership and management of the company to help define how the overall vision comes to life. We finish off with Sean sharing some great tips for anyone entering the role of evangelist for their organization. Three Key Takeaways: · How to evangelize your thought leadership to build trust. · How thought leaders can improve employee satisfaction by helping them understand their importance to the overall mission. · What hardships thought leaders will face when trying to spread the message of the company.

Jul 9, 2020 • 24min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Elizabeth McCourt | 237
Today's guest Elizabeth McCourt, Global Leadership Executive Coach for McCourt Leadership Group, TEDx speaker, consultant, and author of the fiction novel Sin in the Big Easy and soon to be the author of her first business book. Elizabeth has had many roles during her career and she highlights how going from lawyer to headhunter to consultant and coach makes perfect sense! She explores how she gave a TEDx talk, how the creativity used to write her fiction novel has come around to help her clients, and why failure isn't bad it can be the non-linear path to success! Three Key Takeaways: · How thought leaders can use all the experience from previous careers to excel. · Why creativity that isn't part of your billable thought leader hours can be beneficial to your clients. · Why thought leaders should consider the purpose of their book before picking a publishing option.

Jul 5, 2020 • 27min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Matthijs Van den Broek | 236
Today's guest is Matthijs Van den Broek, head of thought leadership and the energy industry at WUA!; a digital research consultancy in Amsterdam that focused on digital experience benchmarking and the customer journey. Matthijs discusses how his work at WUA! moves thought leadership from the role of a small team to the duty for every employee at the organization. We discuss the methods they've used to form guidelines for involvement and the hurdles they face getting people involved. Matthijs shares how they used their thought leadership in 2016 to write the book The Digital Excellent Challenge, what success looks like, and how they are connecting their thought leadership to sales and marketing to fill the sales pipeline while building trust with their clients. Three Key Takeaways: · How thought leadership can be created by an entire organization. · What the biggest obstacles are that prevent people from getting involved in creating thought leadership. · Why connecting your thought leadership with your marketing team can prevent your assets from sitting idle.

Jul 2, 2020 • 24min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Srinivas Rao | 235
Today's guest is Srinivas Rao, the founder of Unmistakable Creative, host of the long-running hugely popular Unmistakable Creative podcast. He is also the author of a number of books such as An Audience of One and The Small Army Strategy. Srinivas has a candid conversation with us about the world of podcasts. We decrypt the imperfect information that is out there regarding podcasting and how it isn't a get rich quick scheme. Srinivas and Peter discuss the levels of digital intimacy that can be created with an audience, and how a scripted conversation can actually be more stilted than a candid one that flows naturally. Three Key Takeaways: Why thought leaders might want a podcast and why it might not be the medium for you. How thought leaders can create a higher level of digital intimacy with their audience. Why telling a great story is the key for thought leaders to grab their audience.

Jun 28, 2020 • 28min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Stan Lepeak | 234
Today's guest is Stan Lepeak. he is the founder and Chief Research Officer at Lepeak LLC. Previously he served as head of marketing research and thought leadership for KPMG consulting and global head of marketing research and thought leadership at EquaTerra. Stan has more than 20 years of experience in developing and researching thought leadership. Stan shares with us the difference between working at the back of the house vs client-facing, as well as what can slow down or speed up the process of moving thought leadership between the two. Stan guides us through what content developers should be thinking about to grab the attention of busy executives and why you are wasting your time if you don't have a next-step build into your conversation. We end the conversation with Stan giving three great pieces of advice for anyone developing thought leadership for their organization. If you are looking to join your organization's thought leadership team this episode is for you! Three Key Takeaways: The key differences between qualitative and quantitative thought leadership. Where to find new voices for your organization's thought leadership team. Why thinking about thought leadership from the view of the consumer is important.

Jun 25, 2020 • 18min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Cassie Solomon | 233
Today's guest is Cassie Solomon, CEO of The New Group and co-author of Leading Successful Change. Cassie shares her experience as a co-author with Gregory Shea and how his academic approach blends perfectly with her case study method. She also discusses revising the book to include more relevant cases from her own experiences. Cassie talks about her next book and the pivot to helping clients navigate an uncertain future and how her expertise in change management fits perfectly into her emerging role as a futurist. Three Key Takeaways: How thought leadership can be used to navigate change in organizations. Why blending two perspectives on the same thought leadership made for an incredible book. What a futurist is and why thought leadership plays an important role.

Jun 21, 2020 • 22min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Nicole Truhe | 232
Today's guest is Nicole Truhe, Director of Thought Leadership at United Health Care Community and State. Nicole sits down with Peter to discuss how she uses her position to educate the space about emerging health and human services policy. We discuss the different effects of internal vs. external Thought Leadership. Why her position isn't part of the marketing team and why the number of followers isn't as important as who your followers are. Three Key Takeaways: How you can use Thought Leadership to influence policy. Why building a network of Thought Leadership is important for your own message. What stats are truly important to the growth of your Thought Leadership on social media

Jun 18, 2020 • 22min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | David Baker | 231
Today's guest is David C. Baker an advisor to entrepreneurial creatives worldwide who has written five books including The Business of Expertise and is the co-host of the podcast 2Bobs. We start with David sharing the importance of positioning yourself as an expert in your field. We discuss having to say no and getting over the fear of lost opportunities. Then the conversation shifts to the practice of giving away your content and why you need to hold back on applied knowledge. Finally, we wrap up with tips on getting through rough times and coming out the other side without giving up the position you've built. Three Key Takeaways: Why Thought Leaders need to narrow their focus to create a better position. How giving away your Thought Leadership can make closing a sale easier. Why you should never water down your focus as a Thought Leader even when times are rough.


