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
Apr 5, 2020 • 23min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Alan Alper | 210
A lot of thought leaders wonder how to align their thought leadership to business metrics, and what it looks like to achieve "success" with your thought leadership. If it's crossed your mind, then this is the episode for you! We interviewed Alan Alper, V.P. of corporate marketing and global thought leadership programs at Cognizant Technology Solutions, which is a global I.T. consulting and business services company. Alan's work with organizational thought leadership is groundbreaking, and helping to forge new standards for content marketing in major organizations worldwide. He talks about ways to give your thought leadership a credible foundation, why sharing your thought leadership content for free can increase your business, and why he created a "Blue-Ribbon Panel" of the best and brightest thought leadership within his organization. Listen in, and learn more!
Apr 2, 2020 • 27min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Michael Bungay Stanier | 209
The average business book sells less than 2000 copies in its lifespan, with that in mind, would you want to invest thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours into getting one to market? What purpose could the book serve that makes it all worth it? Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder of Box of Crayons, Canadian Coach of the Year, and author of the self-published books The Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap that have collectively sold more than 700,00 copies! Michael has recently stepped away from the CEO role at Box of Crayons and shares the experience of handing his company over to a new CEO. Peter asks about the pains of making that step and the positive outcomes from it. With Michael having two hugely successful self-published books on the market we had to ask him about the secret sauce to that accomplishment. Michael walks us through writing, publishing, and most importantly marketing his books and why you have to commit to the long game. If you want to play the long game get TLL on your team and we will help you create a long-lasting successful book campaign.
Mar 29, 2020 • 24min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Keld Jensen | 208
As a keynote speaker and content creator, your message will probably connect with your target audience regardless of where in the world they live. However, the business side of those engagements could be wildly different. Keld Jensen is the Founder and CEO of Marketwatch Center for Negotiations, a speaker with 20 years experience, author of 24 books including The SMARTnership Negotiation Manual and Honest Negotiation. K As a dual citizen in Denmark and the United States Keld shares his unique insights into speaking in North America and across the pond. What can you expect regarding fees and how are those audiences different? Keld has written 24 books and discusses how you narrow down what to put into a book and how to set expectations for getting your book published. Keld has managed to write two dozen books and still maintains a very successful business. Writing a book can become all-consuming Don't Let the Process of Writing a Book Control You Or Your Business!
Mar 26, 2020 • 25min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Social Media | 207
Ten years ago many people thought the idea of being on Twitter or Facebook was a silly waste of time. Not a serious place for business leaders to be. Now building your social media platform is an essential piece of almost every business out there. Today we offer a wide assortment of advice on getting the most of your social media platform from some of the people that use those mediums best. Andy Molinsky is a Professor at Brandeis University's International Business School, with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology and author of Global Dexterity and Reach starts us off sharing what it takes to build a platform and how you will need to change and adapt as both content and platform evolve. Then Holly G. Green the CEO of The Human Factor and author of Using your Brain to Win walks us through the rules and protocols of the various social media platforms and what value you should place on metrics. Do likes and shares have a value? Finally, we wrap things up with Rusty Shelton the Founder and CEO of Zilker Media and author of Authority Marketing and Mastering the New Media Landscape. Rusty will help you figure out which platforms to invest in, what channels build relationships and which sustain them and how you can use Twitter as a cocktail party to build relationships with targeted groups. If you want to add an extra punch to your platform take a minute to read the Four Qualities That Make a Platform Powerful!
Mar 22, 2020 • 21min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Steve Blank | 206
If you are starting a content-based business you'll need to keep things lean and focused. Are you sure your hypothesis around your content, audience, and marketing are correct? Have you test them or have you starting making content without a lot of research because you have a passion to put the idea out there regardless of who might listen to it. Our guest Steve Blank is the father of modern entrepreneurship and credited with starting the lean startup movement. He is the author of The Four Steps to the Epiphany and The Startup Owner's Manual. We discuss the need to be specific about the problem you are solving and the results that will happen as a result of it. Steve explains why he gives his best ideas away and how that will attract more people to you. We dive deep into creating content, the questions you need to ask yourself and whether you need to reinvent the wheel or if it is okay to stand on the shoulders of others. One major product people are pulled towards is writing a book, but you have to understand the reason for doing it. Here is a short video of Peter talking about Reasons to Write a book that might be helpful.
Mar 19, 2020 • 19min
Leveraging Thought Leadership| Claus Raasted | 205
The art of customer experience can be a difficult thing to master. Determining the content you audience wants, in what format, and even if you should co-create can lead to different end results and different experience journeys for the client. Our guest Claus Raasted is the co-founder and director of the College of Extraordinary Experiences, Senior adviser to McKinsey, author, coach, and host of The Business of Extraordinary Experiences podcast. Claus has a long history of experience design that started in his teens doing Live Action Role Playing. Claus shares with Peter how NOT being a perfectionist allows him to get things done and produce content at an alarming rate. We debate the time and place to bring your A-game and when it's okay to simply get the content out to the world. Plus we explore how to deal with the gap that might exist between your level of content creation and the level at which your audience can consume and comprehend it. Claus has no problem finding his productivity but often it can be a hurdle to get over. TLL has a perspective on how tension can Improve Productivity.
Mar 15, 2020 • 26min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Keynote Speaking | 204
Many authors and content creators try to break into the speaking space to further promote their Thought Leadership and reach new clients. If this is a route you are looking to take then this is a must-listen episode for you! Today we collect advice from some of the best keynote speakers in the industry. Robert "Dusty" Staub is the founder and CEO of Staub Leadership and author of The Heart of Leadership, and The Seven Acts of Courage Robert starts us off talking about the strategic use of speaking and the type of audience you need to seek out. Next up we have Anton Gunn, a keynote speaker and author of The Presidential Principles and The Audacity of Leadership. Anton tells us how to narrow down who you'll serve best and the differences between what the buyer of a keynote and the buyer of consulting services looks like. Nick Morgan, the world-renowned founder of Public Words and the author of Can You Hear Me? and Power Cues brings us home with advice about going from entertainment versus impactful and the pressure speakers are facing today. If you are going to have any hope of achieving a successful keynote you need to keep the audience's attention. Check out our Smart Guide to Audience Engagement.
Mar 12, 2020 • 20min
Leveraging Thought Leadership| Judy Weintraub | 203
The average person only reads 18 pages of a non-fiction book. With this in mind is writing a 200+ page business book going to serve you best? Or could you get the content you need down in 50 pages and increase the chances of your book getting read? Our guest Judy Weintraub is the Founder of SkillBites, host of the SkillBites podcast and is helping empower people, inspire them to write and help them get published. Judy talks about helping clients write short-form books that act as a perfect lead generating tool. We cover the clients and industries that this type of book works best for and the advantages that it offers. We also discuss the need for a marketing plan to make the most of the book and ways to pull readers of the book into other modalities and product offerings. Don't get lost making a book and other products, make sure you have a Roadmap!
Mar 8, 2020 • 18min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Oleg Konovalov| 202
Receiving coaching can help you find new success but you have to be able to look into the mirror and commit to changes. If you are not willing to change it will be a waste of time for both you and the coach. Oleg Konovalov is on the Thinkers50 Radar, has been recognized as #1 Global Thought Leader on Culture by Thinkers 360 and is #1 Global Leading Coach by Marshall Goldsmith Thinkers50. He is also the author of Leaderology and our guest this week! Oleg talks with us about the differences in coaching in Russia versus other places in the world. He shares how he helps people realize what is new, what is coming, and how to close the gap between them and the people they need to connect with. Plus he shares the word a coach needs to watch out for from potential clients that might signal they are not ready to commit to change. Failure is something we all experience. Oleg discusses finding success in failure and we have some additional thoughts on Failing Forward.
Mar 5, 2020 • 23min
Leveraging Thought Leadership|David Friedman | 201
The road to becoming a Thought Leader is seldom a straight one. Our guest this week built a thriving business from a book that was meant to close that chapter of his career. David Friedman is the Founder and CEO of High Performing Culture, author of Fundamentally Different and Culture by Design. Now David is bringing culture to the palm of your hand with the mobile app CultureWise. David and Peter discuss the process of writing a book to leave a legacy and how that turned into speaking gigs, engagements, then a whole new career. We explore the process for turning a speaking hobby into a business model that would not solely rely on having David in the room. Last we finish up by finding the things you do instinctively that need to be codified if you want others to be able to teach your method. David specializes in helping companies design world-class culture. We have some thoughts for Changing a Company's Culture.
