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
Mar 1, 2020 • 41min
Leveraging Thought Leadership With Peter Winick – Episode 200
It's hard to believe we are celebrating our 200th episode already! We have had the honor of talking to so many amazing authors, speakers, consultants, and even some musicians, comedians, and even an Olympic Athlete! In this episode, we highlight just a few of the guests and insightful stories and advice they have given us. Mitch Joel - Discusses staying true to your voice and needing a platform to get a publishing deal. Corey Blake - Shares going from actor to brand storyteller and gives advice for nailing your content. Rita McGrath - a best-selling author shares her experience writing and publishing with and without a co-author. Joe Nocera - talks about taking a long-discarded story and turning it into a smash hit podcast. Steve Farber - tells us how he uses love in the workplace to forge stronger leaders. We'd like to thank all of our listeners, and ask you to continue tuning in, sharing our content, and sending us your ideas. We look forward to making the next 100 episodes even more successful!
Feb 27, 2020 • 24min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Liz Nickles | 199
Branding has become a fast-growing market. Everyone and everything wants to become a recognizable brand. With everyone competing in the same fast-moving space, how do you make a brand that stands out and creates a positive emotional connection to your audience? Today's guest is Liz Nickles an award-winning marketer and advertiser. She is the President of Black Label Brand Development a company that specializes in branding, marketing, and strategic vision. She is also the author of 15 books including Brandstorm. Liz joins us to share her years of experience building globally recognized brands. We discuss how branding is an emotional institution and how hitting the wrong emotions can have a destructive effect. In addition, we get into the changes in publishing over the years and what it takes to have a successful collaboration with a publisher. Plus Liz shares what the first thing publishers ask and you might be surprised to learn that it isn't "What is your book about?" In today's business, you only have a few seconds to get your point across, this includes letting potential customers know what your brand is about. Peter shares how a Powerful Manifesto is a great way to achieve this!
Feb 23, 2020 • 21min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | John Jantsch | 198
We often talk about how once you have found your lane you should stick to it. What if you have a message outside that lane that you just have to get out? Should you do it? Can it be successful? John Jantsch is the Founder of Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network. He hosts the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, author of Duct Tape Marketing and Duct Tape Selling. His new book The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur takes a step away from the Duct Tape Brand he is best known for focusing on the Entrepreneur mindset. John shares how he made contacts and grew his network doing free speaking, which sped up the sales cycle for his consultant work. John and Peter discuss the risks and rewards of stepping outside the brand you are known for. Then we wrap up by discussing building a network to deliver your message and the investments that must be made to ensure that the message is the same regardless of who delivers it. John's new book provides evergreen content that will simply never go out of style. Do you know what makes an asset evergreen?
Feb 20, 2020 • 21min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Ron Tite | 197
Moving from working at a big brand to starting your own marketing firm will present a number of new challenges. How will you face pitching to the big brands without a big name behind you? What will you have to provide to stay a step ahead? Ron Tite is an award-winning advertisement writer and creative director, author of Everyone's An Artist (or At Least They Should Be) and Think. Do. Say. and is the Founder of Church and State, a Toronto based content and marketing agency. Ron shares how he took a 20-year career as a corporate stand-up comedian and flipped the career to be a corporate professional with a sense of humor. We discuss building a marketing firm and how to win business over larger well-established brands. Testing new ideas by adding to existing speeches and finally developing a book as a framework and methodology that isn't dependent on your presence for it to be effective. Ron has done an amazing job of making his content clear and memorable. Take a minute to read this article about making your Thought Leadership as easy as "Stop, Drop, and Roll."
Feb 16, 2020 • 30min
Leveraging Thought Leadershi | Authoring from Experience | 196
Too often authors start writing based on an idea they have or solution they think the market needs without having interacted with their target audience or taken the solution into the field. Then when the final product is a flop they are disappointed and surprised. Today we chat with three incredible authors who have taken their direct experience working in the industry and created books to codify their message and help an even wider audience. We start with Chip Conley who is the Founder of the Modern Elder Academy. Chip talks to us about not only identifying your audience but coming to understand what influences them. In addition, he tells us about his experience working at Airbnb and how his time as a mentor-led to writing Wisdom at Work and coined the term "Modern Elder." Next up is Shane Green the CEO of SGEi and has drawn on his past experience at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company to create effective training to create meaningful change to corporate culture. That valuable experience ultimately became his book Culture Hacker. Shane shares why you need to have a long term vision and how you can use it as a marketing tool. Last but certainly not least is Erika Andersen a founding partner of Proteus International and author of Be Bad First. She shares how she wrote the book by mapping sections of it to her product offerings. Plus she shares how she uses her books to build credibility and increase brand awareness. When you are ready to turn your experience into a book be sure to read these tips to learn what your book will need from you!
Feb 13, 2020 • 24min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Joseph Michelli | 195
If you plan to self publish or take a more traditional route with your book you still have to be the champion for it and have an established platform to market it to if you want it to take off. Joesph Michelli is an internationally sought after speaker, consultant and best-selling author of several books including Driven to Delight and The AirBnB Way. Joseph speaks with us about how he writes books about globally recognized brands while working with them to improve their business. We discuss the changes to publishing and what rights publishers want a big piece of. In addition, Peter and Joesph share their thoughts on moving the contents of a book into other modalities to reach a larger audience. Last we finish off with discussing speaking, what role bureaus play and if those relationships are still important. If you have a keynote or book and want to move it to other modalities you'll want to think about the market strategy. We have some tips for ensuring you have the right medium for your message.
Feb 9, 2020 • 23min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Freddie Ravel | 194
Do you consider your favorite musician to be a Thought Leader? Take a minute to think about the message they deliver, their ability to inspire and captivate an audience. Freddie Ravel is a Grammy Nominated performer who has worked with legends like Earth, Wind, and Fire, Madonna, and Prince. Now Freddie merges his music with education to bring his message of active listening to crowds around the world. Freddie explains how his concerts bring edutainment to the stage with a captivating tempo. Peter and Freddie discuss the business side of keynote speaking, building a relationship with speaker agents, and doing your homework before a gig and being specific about what you bring to the table. If you have a unique take on the speaker's industry and are seeking to gain visibility let Thought Leadership Leverage help get you out there.
Feb 6, 2020 • 22min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Jamie Gerdsen | 193
The problems that blue-collar business face isn't all that different than those fortune 500s have to deal with. High turnover rates, stagnating growth, and untapped potential of employees. Are the solutions to these problems the same regardless of the business model? Jamie Gerdsen is the President and CEO of Apollo Home a home heating & cooling and electrical company, author of Squirrels, Boats, and Thoroughbreds and Zombies Ate my Business and is connecting with traditional businesses to help them grow and renew via Main Street Leadership. Jamie talks about how he wrote his first book from the personal lessons he had learned at Apollo Home and how with Peter's help they turned that book into an assessment that traditional businesses can use to understand where they are and ultimately how to get everyone focused in the same direction. Jamie and Peter discuss the need to ensure that if you write a book it is filled with content people will want to read and that you are not writing it to fulfill your own ego. Jamie has proven assessments can be a valuable asset. If you are thinking about making your own check out our 3 Tips and Tricks for Building an Awesome Assessment.
Feb 2, 2020 • 20min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Jon Petz | 192
To be a successful keynote speaker you need a lot of skills. The right message to deliver, credibility, a stage presence, and magic? Jon Petz is the best-selling author of Boring Meetings Suck and Significance In Simple Moments. He is a world-renown keynoter and emcee that brings stage magic and a performance mindset to delight and surprise audiences at all levels. Jon chronicles how he merged previous careers of sales and marketing with magic to deliver motivational keynotes around the world. Peter and Jon explore the reasons for having used both self-published and used traditional publishing house methods. Plus they discuss the often difficult topic of pricing and providing value for your fee. Jon literally uses magic to keep his audience engaged. If you find yourself struggling to keep an audience's attention check out our guide to smart (and simple!) audience engagement!
Jan 30, 2020 • 24min
Leveraging Thought Leadership | Content Compilation | 191
An essential part of your Thought Leadership is solid content. Without it, you will not be able to reach the audience you want or have the impact you desire. Creating compelling content isn't cut and dry but today we have a wealth of knowledge to share on the topic. Gregg L Witt is a speaker, author of The Gen Z Frequency, and Chief Strategy Officer of Engage Youth Company. He has a keen knowledge of how to connect with tweens, teens, and young adults. Greg discusses building strategy around giving content away while keeping key pieces gated. David Mammano is the author of Crash and Learn, TEDx speaker an America's Entrepreneur Coach! David shares how you have to follow the dollars to find what the market wants, why you should not create in isolation and how you can engage your followers and peers to test material. Nancy Halpern is a pioneer in leadership development coaching executives inspiring to the c-suite. We talk with Nancy about the trouble of getting lost in your head and the need to have ideas externally validated. Plus she shares why you just need to focus on what you need to do in the next 15 minutes to push things forward Once you have brilliant content in place you'll need a solid model for it. Check out this article for creating an effective content model.
